A conversation with
Caleigh Megless-Schmidt
We hopped on a train to meet Caleigh, the sunny founder of Keïli, an healthy caterer and coffee shop in Paris's 11th arrondissement. Spontaneous and all smiles, she opens the doors of her countryside home, straight out of a film.
Hello Caleigh, who are you?
My name is Caleigh, and I'm American. I grew up in Virginia, near the mountains, and today I live in Paris, where I'm a wellness chef. I'm also mum to two little girls.
Let's talk about your food education... Did you come to cooking late in life, or did you grow up surrounded by a love of cooking and healthy food?
I grew up with parents who cook, and I have three brothers. At home, we all got stuck in. We lived on a farm with a vegetable garden, so I can still picture myself picking carrots in the garden. I was lucky enough to grow up close to nature, it's true. Then I went to cookery school, because I was interested in produce, but above all in the impact food can have on the body. So I attended this school in New York that's rather focused on vegetarian cooking, a style of cooking I like to call "personal", because you really cook according to each person, their diet and their needs. That's the philosophy I try to apply day to day now, with my coffee shop and my catering service.
Coming back to your family, what was food like at home?
I remember big tables packed with people. We cooked a lot, especially my father, who adored it. My mother was more the sort of mum who watched on, a glass of good wine in hand. We'd pick our vegetables from the kitchen garden, our meat from the farm next door, it was always rather simple but wonderfully easy-going.
How did you gain your experience in the kitchen?
After school, I did quite a few internships in New York. I wanted to see whether I fancied staying in the Big City and training the hard way in the restaurant trade over there. It was a fascinating apprenticeship: I worked in vegetarian and raw food restaurants, but also in a more classic French restaurant, because I had my sights set on moving to France. Then, when I arrived in Paris, I started out working for a company called Marlette, helping my friend Scarlett put together cake mixes. I joined her on the journey of creating her gluten-free range.
« It's true, I was lucky enough to grow up surrounded by nature. »
So what was the lightbulb moment that made you set up your business and launch your restaurant?
I’ve always been passionate about cooking, though I hadn’t necessarily thought of making it my career. In Paris, I started cooking and then created a logo for my little venture, KEÏLI. Gradually, through word of mouth, orders started coming in, and then things really took off. Like any small venture, I started out in its flat, with an oven the size of a toaster, so it was a bit ridiculous, but it was quite the adventure. Then, with its partner François, there are two of us, we rented a kitchen where we cooked for a year, before moving on to Causses. They had a restaurant and let us cook there in the afternoons so we could make our little cakes. Honestly, I feel like I’ve cooked just about everywhere in Paris! And we were lucky, because our loved ones helped us enormously.
Your cooking is wonderfully creative and colourful, where do you find inspiration for the dishes on your menu?
For me, it has to be good, beautiful and wholesome. I love playing with textures and colours, cooked and raw alike, and I constantly draw inspiration from nature. I always try to bring nature back onto the plate, so that it's beautiful and makes you want to eat it. I work with lots of green, sometimes edible flowers, shoots or micro-shoots. It's magical, it makes a plate absolutely gorgeous!
« I love playing with textures and colours, raw and fired alike, and I draw my inspiration constantly from nature. »
Do you cook up your recipes here, in the countryside?
Yes. In this house we're nice and peaceful, I've got a wonderful setting and an incredible view, it's very inspiring. I also draw my recipe ideas from my travels, the things I've seen, the people whose cooking I've shared... And I think to myself "Ah, that's brilliant, I really must try that at KEÏLI, to see what I can make of it". It's really life that inspires me, it's simple to say but it's true, it's full of little moments...
You're deeply committed to environmental responsibility, and make sure your restaurant is eco-friendly and conscientious. How do you apply these principles at home, with your family?
It’s true that restaurants generate a lot of waste in the kitchen, so you have to be careful. Here in the Perche, I try to do my shopping at the market or straight from the farmer. I go to their farm and see what they have on offer that day. This approach lets me cut out what’s called the middle man (the intermediary services, ed.). And for this house, we also source a lot of our objects secondhand, we avoid buying new, so as to steer clear of overconsumption.
« There's a particular soul to this place, good vibes all round, somewhere to rest, create and breathe. »
This is a house in which you spend a great deal of time, how do you feel there?
My daughter calls this house Home. Between our flat in Paris and this house in the Perche, it’s here that she feels truly at home. There’s no denying this place has a particular soul, some good vibes, it’s somewhere to rest, create and breathe. And that changes everything…
Have you been doing some work on your home? How did you choose the materials, the objects, the décor?
We were very lucky, as this house already had a little touch of “magic” to it when we bought it. But it's true that we love hunting for antiques, and since the Perche region is famous for its flea markets, we've made the most of it. That said, the house already had its original charm, and we fell in love with the place straight away. We feel so at home here.
Can you describe a typical family weekend in this little haven of peace?
Yes! We often start with an American-style breakfast with pancakes, then head off for a walk in the forest. It's wonderful, especially now that my little Nova, two and a half, is getting the hang of walking. We also have friends round whenever we can, for long lunches that sometimes stretch on for six or seven hours. Sharing, resting, chatting...
By Charlot plants let city dwellers keep a connection with nature, while fitting perfectly into their interior. In the countryside too, it's rather lovely to bring some green indoors. Which By Charlot plant is most like you?
I’d say La Bohème. I don’t know if you can spot her up there on my mantelpiece, but I love her for her crazy, slightly wild side. I adore those branches shooting off in every direction, it reminds me of my daily life with two children at home!
« I'd say La Bohème. [...] I love her for her crazy side, a bit wild. »
You also seem very attuned to beautiful things in general, through your cooking, your interior decor... How do you hope to pass on this love of beauty to your children? Is that something you want to teach them?
That's a good question… Actually, especially at the moment, I love being surrounded by objects that move me, which my husband and I take the time to choose, by feel. And I want my daughters to feel at home in this place. Besides, they're growing up in a very down-to-earth environment, surrounded by nature. I'd be delighted if they came to love it, and if all these beautiful things around them could shape their own lives.
Are you starting to cook with your eldest, trying to instil in her a love of good food?
Yes, Nova loves cooking, we sometimes take the time to make little dishes together. She loves anything hands-on, so she takes charge of peeling the vegetables, chopping them... Hopefully this will help her grow fonder of more vegetables... Because right now, at two and a half, anything a bit colourful rather frightens her!
