seasonal dinner experiences: one secret ingredient, a curated dinner menu, & new ways to build community
we pick one secret seasonal ingredient (sourced locally) & center an entire menu around it. it’s then revealed to you during the experience. see below the many ways you can taste the color of the season
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once a month, we host a plated dinner experience at a large community table if space allows. this is where you can meet new friends or reconnect with old ones over a delicious meal.
the ingredient isn’t the only secret - so is the guest list!
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location
sometimes a private residence, sometimes a unique spot around town: location is revealed the day before.
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reveal
before the first course, the secret ingredient is revealed which adds a surprise to every course throughout the night.
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color theme to match
a color theme is chosen for the seasonal experience based on that ingredient.
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signup
dates are released one month before the experience on partiful and promoted on instagram, first come first serve!
see the dates on partifulquestions about booking a seat? read the faq.
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a more relaxed table where we take calé to bars and restaurants and highlight a select few a la carte dishes.
venue locations typically in cincinnati and nky area.
if you’re a bar or restaurant and want us to bring the calé experience to you, send us a dm on instagram or email.
questions about hosting us? read the faq.
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have the whole table to yourselves.
the question keeps coming, so here is the answer: yes, you can book calé privately. this includes the full secret-ingredient experience, the reveal and all, set privately for your celebration or gathering. we bring the menu; you bring the room and the people!
email us for a quoteto quote your night, we ask for- a tour of your spaceso the night fits the room
- your guest counthowever many chairs we are pulling up
- a color or ingredientyou pick the theme, the menu follows
- a date rangeeven a rough window helps us hold the night
questions about a private night? read the faq.
savoring the memories and flavors of seasons come and gone.
open a season to see its menu.
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the pumpkin dinner, four courses.
- amuse, cannolimiso thai & fall spice
- starter, bisquepumpkin & fennel with balsamic drizzle and pepitas
- main, pork wellingtonpork tenderloin, flaky pastry, pumpkin pistachio duxelles & green peppercorn sauce paired with roasted pumpkin & leeks
- dessert, crème brûléesilky pumpkin custard with a caramelized sugar crust & sage whipped cream
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the burgundy dinner, four courses.
- beet carpacciowhipped goat cheese, caramelized grapefruit, pistachios, arugula micro greens, hot chili oil
- borscht & radish dill terrineguanciale, pickled mustard seed, sour cream, lemon dill oil, rye bread, radish dill butter
- lamb meatballspurple yams & beet puree, caramelized fennel, balsamic beet reduction
- chocolate beet cakeorange & beet mascarpone, spiced port plum sauce, bee pollen
the burgundy dinner · 2.15.2026 · prepared by caroline leach & alex driscoll
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the green dinner, four courses.
- crab rangoonrice paper pillows, cream cheese, imitation crab, sugar snap peas, snow pea slaw with sweet & sour sauce
- pea dumplingspea and mushroom dumpling, light sake broth, watermelon radish
- scallops & miso risottopan seared scallops, miso and pea risotto, soy cured egg yolk, carrot and radish slaw
- sweet pea custardbasil pea ice cream, yuzu syrup, lemon meringue
the green dinner · 4.4.2026 · prepared by caroline leach & alex driscoll
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calé family dinner, three courses and a cocktail.
family dinner · 5.16.2026 · prepared by caroline leach & alex driscoll
- mint tea julepbourbon, sweet mint tea
- brushettapea puree, mint, ricotta, lemon
- coulotte & potatoesseared coulotte steak, mint chimichurri, potato salad, pea & fiddleheads
- chip wheeliesmint ice cream & chocolate chip cookies
with much love, caroline & alex
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the blush dinner, four courses.
- gazpachostrawberry-rhubarb, tomato, bell pepper, cucumber, serrano, finished with arugula oil, kumquat, & pickled rhubarb
- braised beef & polentarhubarb-braised beef, goat cheese & scape polenta, roasted carrots, garlic scape gremolata, port rhubarb reduction
- custardrhubarb custard, almond-oat crumble, orange cream, strawberry coulis, rhubarb compote
- cream puffrhubarb & quark cream, rhubarb syrup, ramp salt
the blush dinner · 6.14.2026 · prepared by caroline leach & alex driscoll
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the orange dinner, four courses.
- biscuitscarrot & manchego biscuits, whipped dill and carrot top cream cheese
- butter poached carrotscarrot-ginger velouté, crispy prosciutto, cilantro, chili oil, lime
- ravioliroasted carrot & ricotta ravioli, chorizo-carrot sauce, carrot top chimichurri, manchego
- custardcarrot custard, carrot cake syrup, purple carrot cookie crisp, cream cheese whip
the orange dinner · 7.12.2026 · prepared by caroline leach & alex driscoll
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the rosso dinner, four courses.
the rosso dinner · 8.15.2026 · prepared by caroline leach & alex driscoll
- bloody mary sorbettomato & vegetable juice mix, lemon, pickled celery, tajín
- tomato tartare & saratoga chipsslow roasted roma tomatoes, capers, gherkins, shallots, dijonnaise, saratoga chips
- blt lasagnaarugula pesto, ricotta, spicy sausage tomato sauce, prairie breeze cheddar béchamel, crispy prosciutto
- custardbasil custard, tomato simple syrup, candied tomatoes
what’s next
casual
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casual calé at the pitch
august 30, 2026
open to the public
community
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calé community dinner
october 18, 2026
dates released one month ahead on partiful
two self-taught cooks, and one idea born around the dinner table.
calé was born out of friendship, a longtime passion for cooking, and countless memories around the dinner table with friends and family. caroline and alex, neither classically trained, turned that into a table of their own, and they haven’t stopped cooking since.
each ingredient is sourced close to home, from local farms and gardeners, sometimes straight out of caroline’s father’s garden.
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caroline leach
hostess, cook, & owner
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alex driscoll
hostess, cook, & owner
“This hidden gem of a pop-up was created by two self-taught chefs.”
cincinnati citybeat · kane mitten · june 2026
read the storyquestions, answered.
open a question to read the answer.
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sorry no! each person must individually register when booking goes live. we want everyone to get the opportunity to taste the color of the season with us, so we operate under a first come first serve basis. 1 ticket = 1 seat
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we will try our best to work with you! please send us a message detailing your allergies when signing up for one of our community events. if in the rare case your allergy is THE seasonal ingredient we will let you know asap, otherwise we will communicate directly and work to tailor the menu for you if we can.
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it depends! we operate in cincinnati and nky, our community event locations are released 1 day in advance of the date. pop-ups are usually posted publicly with the venue, check the what’s next section to see when you can join us.
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send us an email! we will need to be aware of the guest count, location, date range, and color or ingredient theme to get started
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we love working with the cincinnati and nky community! please send us an email and we would be more than happy to chat further and see how we can bring calé to your bar or space! for private parties, please see the private calé section.
come sit at our table.
while we keep the ingredient, menu, and guest list secret; we are open for all to join our table and taste the color of the season with us. check our instagram or partiful for latest on events
where we gather
calé pops up across cincinnati and nky. a variety of locations, sometimes a private residence, sometimes a local bar, with the exact spot revealed the day before the event.
hosted, cooked & set by caroline & alex