Ever turned to your best friend and shared a crazy idea? That’s exactly what Caroline Leach & Alex Driscoll did to create their buzzy new pop-up dinner series Calé.
The two self-taught chefs have wowed attendees all over the city for their unique stylings—notably, that each tasting event is centered around one seasonal ingredient that won’t be revealed until guests sit down for dinner—and culinary professionals all over the city are taking notice. But it all started over a couple champagne glasses.
“On our trip to Spain, we were at a Michelin-star restaurant and it felt like a spiritual experience for the both of us. We just got kind of emotional over our love of food and spending time together and, like, bringing happiness and community to people through food and eating,” Driscoll said.
And on the plane ride back, the two had a thought: why don’t we create an experience like this back home for everyone we love?
“It was an eight-hour flight back, and I don’t think we even slept more than an hour. We spent the whole flight drinking champagne and coming up with our plan for Calé,” Leach said. “We wanted it to be one giant table experience where everyone could meet each other and build new connections and then have a wonderful delicious meal while they’re doing it.”
Over time, the pop-up has grown to a monthly event, with 24 hotly-contested seats at each. As mentioned, each night features a secret ingredient that’s used in each dish. To determine the evening’s focus, the two contact local farms and gardeners to see what they have available—sometimes, the two even use ingredients from Leach’s father’s garden—and then determine which ingredient excites them the most.
Take, for example, a pop-up last year where the focus of the night was farm-fresh corn: the two chefs served guests a gazpacho, a scallop dish, a cantaloupe dish, croquettes, sacchetti, and a sweet custard all infused with corn in some form or fashion. Other ingredients taking center stage at recent events include mint, peas, beets, pumpkins and rhubarb.
“I watched way too much ‘Iron Chef’ in high school, so that’s where the idea for the secret ingredient came from. But instead of the chefs not knowing what the ingredient is, it’s our guests,” Leach said. “The dessert, I think, is our favorite to work through. Especially if we’ve chosen a savory ingredient, it’s fun trying to figure out how to make it sweet.”
It’s a lot of time and energy dedicated from two people who aren’t trained chefs at all. Driscoll works in pharmaceutical sales, while Leach is an IT professional. Cooking is their main hobby, not their profession. Yet one look at their Instagram comments reveals some of the city’s most prominent culinary names have taken notice of their work.
“The support we’ve received is humbling, unreal, amazing. All the people we’ve gotten to meet because of our shared love of food is incredible,” Driscoll said. “It means so much to us that people who have already found success in this realm have even taken an interest in us and are genuinely supportive, compassionate people, let alone that they’ve gone above and beyond to try to help promote us… I don’t know, I don’t think I even have words. I have to stop talking or I’ll start getting emotional.”
In the future, the two plan to expand to bigger venues. Several people and businesses have already requested Calé to cook at their private events. They’ve also made plans to do smaller pop-ups titled “Casual Calé” at restaurants and bars across the city that showcase their cooking chops without having to put together a multi-course meal. But their main focus will continue to be building community and serving great food.
“For a long time, Cincinnati’s food scene didn’t get the respect it deserved. Like, I used to make thorough spreadsheets for people of all the places to go. People just hadn’t experienced all the opportunities we had to offer,” Driscoll said. “I love our city so much, and I think it has so much to offer people… And it’s a little bit selfish, but I just want to provide something new, fun and unique for the city. Whether it’s someone who’s lived in the city for 40 years or someone who’s passing through for the weekend, I want them to have a memorable experience in Cincinnati.”
For more information on Calé, including how to score a reservation for their next event in July, head to their Instagram page.
