Meet Jeanette Zinno | Travel Writer & Creative Director at Leland Eating & Drinking House

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jeanette Zinno and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jeanette, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I’ve never been in the hospitality business other than serving and bartending in college. I’m an entrepreneur and have worked in public relations and TV and am a travel writer. I always encourage friends and people around me to work for themselves if possible.

My fiancé, Randi Lee has been in the business for 25 years and decided to open his own restaurant. He signed a lease in February 2020, and then we renovated it together during the Covid-19 quarantine. We opened in December 2020 and I helped during those days because it was difficult to hire staff. I’m now a part of the core team as the Creative Director and run our public relations, marketing and events.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Leland Eating & Drinking House is a family-owned neighborhood restaurant and bar located in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, NY. We serve healthy New York Mediterranean cuisine that is locally sourced and seasonal. We butcher our own meats and fish from nose-to-tail, pickle and ferment in-house and bake our own bread.

Leland Baking House is our online bakery that caters to the neighborhood. We sell bread and baked goods that are made to order every Thursday. This allows us to make only what is sold and not have any waste.

I’m proud of the fact that we opened during the pandemic and made it through to the other side. We celebrated our two-year opening anniversary in December. My partner Randi signed his lease in February 2020 and Covid-19 hit NYC in March 2020. He was only halfway to his fundraising goal. It was not an easy feat raising money to open a new restaurant when all others were closed. Being an entrepreneur means that you don’t take no for an answer, you’re persistent and always find a way and that’s just what we did. By asking our network and even creating a GoFundMe to reach our goal.

We were recently featured on The Food Network in a show titled “Me or the Menu.” You can stream the show on Discovery+. Check it out!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
There is so much to see and do in New York City!

Hang out at Leland for dinner or brunch.

You have to visit at least one museum when you’re here.

Highline and Chelsea Market for lunch and shopping.

Visit Anthony Luciano’s handbag studio in the Garment District.

Walk through Central Park or Prospect Park.

Bike ride across the bridge.

Eat at Brooklyn Crab and take in a view of the water. Hit up Sunny’s Bar after.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Randi Lee, my fiancé and partner at the restaurant is someone who has always supported me. Whether I’m taking a travel writing assignment across the world and leaving the next day or contemplating starting another new business, he’s always there to listen. Thanks for having my back Randi!

Website: lelandbrooklyn.com

Instagram: @lelandbrooklyn & @jeanettezinno

Linkedin: @lelandbrooklyn & @jeanettezinno

Twitter: @lelandbrooklyn & @jeanettezinno

Facebook: @lelandbrooklyn & @jeanettezinno

Other: Tiktok: @lelandbrooklyny https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/me-or-the-menu

Image Credits
Belathée Photography