Homecoming King: Everything Has Prepared Chef Travis Swikard for This Moment

Homecoming King: Everything Has Prepared Chef Travis Swikard for This Moment
A San Diego kid at heart, Swikard's easygoing vibe and childlike curiosity belie a tenacious drive and obsessive attention to detail. (Kelly Wood)
Crystal Shi
1/26/2023
Updated:
1/26/2023

Crowning the open kitchen of Callie, in San Diego’s East Village, is a sheet of glowing, rust-colored steel that comes to a point in the center—like the bow of a ship, said chef-owner Travis Swikard. Working each evening service, “I stand right there, and it’s me at the helm of my ship coming home, bringing back everything I have with me.”

There’s some precious cargo onboard.

Culinary school in New England and a stint in London; a decade working under revered French fine dining chef Daniel Boulud in New York; and a lifetime of dogged hard work, attention to detail, and rabbit-hole-diving curiosity have all led to Swikard’s debut restaurant, opened in June 2021. Here, fine-dining finesse meets surfer-dude casual (flip-flops are welcome), and the Mediterranean flavors he fell in love with during his travels meet his hometown’s home-grown abundance.

Spot prawns at Callie, where local seafood and vegetables shine in what Swikard calls his “light, bright, clean” California-Mediterranean cuisine. (Lucianna McIntosh)
Spot prawns at Callie, where local seafood and vegetables shine in what Swikard calls his “light, bright, clean” California-Mediterranean cuisine. (Lucianna McIntosh)
Callie's spacious interiors, swathed in golden-hour-esque light, include nods to Swikard’s upbringing such as a “breaking wave” over the bar and banquettes inspired by skatepark rails. (Lucianna McIntosh)
Callie's spacious interiors, swathed in golden-hour-esque light, include nods to Swikard’s upbringing such as a “breaking wave” over the bar and banquettes inspired by skatepark rails. (Lucianna McIntosh)
The open kitchen at Callie. (Lucianna McIntosh)
The open kitchen at Callie. (Lucianna McIntosh)

Swikard had his heart set on a culinary career since childhood. But he credits his mentor, chef Gavin Kaysen, with first showing him its true potential: “an endless opportunity for growth and knowledge for the rest of your life.”

“He was able to get into my head at a young age that you need to build a great, strong foundation—learning your tools, how to sharpen your knife, where the fish comes from,” Swikard said. Build a 1-by-1 foundation, Kaysen told him, and you’ll be set up for a 1-by-1 house. But build one “that’s 10 feet deep [and] wide, and you can build the Empire State Building—the sky’s your limit.”

Humility was another early lesson.
“You realize that the faster you can bring humility to yourself, the faster and bigger you’ll be able to grow. You'll open yourself up one, to be vulnerable, but also two, to new knowledge all the time.”

Those understandings were reinforced during a training trip to Japan, which left him in awe of the depth of technique behind the most deceptively simple dishes. Take the nuanced, multi-step process of preparing hirame, a type of flatfish, from proper butchering to hand-plating: “At the end, it’s a bite of umami like you’ve never had before—and there’s nothing on the fish. But the only way you get there is knowing everything that gets you there; you can’t just buy the fish and cut it open. It really made me fall in love with that process of trying to express the best of that ingredient.”

Swikard spent a decade working for Michelin-starred French fine dining chef Daniel Boulud, pictured here together at Gavin Kayser's restaurant Spoon and Stable, before striking out on his own. (Bonjwing Lee)
Swikard spent a decade working for Michelin-starred French fine dining chef Daniel Boulud, pictured here together at Gavin Kayser's restaurant Spoon and Stable, before striking out on his own. (Bonjwing Lee)

With that approach, and San Diego’s unmatched bounty, it’s no wonder that every dish at Callie sings.

“There’s no better place in the world to have a restaurant that is ingredient-focused,” Swikard said. For his vegetables, he works with local farmers “120, 180 days out, planting lettuce from seeds” for the next season. Seafood arrives still breathing from local fishermen; he might not know exactly what he’ll get until the morning of, but “I know exactly where it’s coming from, how it was caught, the guy that pulled it out of the water.”

That freshness is apparent in dishes like the squid ink rigatoni, where the sweetest morsels of spiny lobster tail shine even in the boldly flavored fra diavolo sauce. The sauce is made with the lobster shells, and roasted local peppers and leeks.

Vegetables are also pushed to their best: A “beets and roses” dish elevates the humble roots with rose-infused labneh, fresh herbs, pomegranate seeds, and bits of caramelized pistachio—an unexpected medley of textures and flavors that is a pure delight to eat.

The hummus is a standout among a selection of all-excellent dips. Skinned chickpeas are whizzed with tahini, garlic confit, and California olive oil; spiked with a bright zhug sauce made with local serrano peppers and preserved Bearss limes from Swikard’s father’s backyard; and served with pita made with rye berries milled and ground in-house. Ethereally light but deeply savory, it’s the kind of dish you could eat forever—pita or no pita.

The silky smooth hummus is a must-order. (Kimberly Motos)
The silky smooth hummus is a must-order. (Kimberly Motos)
Pasta, such as this wild nettle caramelle, is made in-house. (Lucianna McIntosh)
Pasta, such as this wild nettle caramelle, is made in-house. (Lucianna McIntosh)

Swikard is excited to explore new opportunities here—catalyzing the city’s burgeoning food scene, expanding his skillset and capacity as a restaurateur, and stepping into a mentor role himself, helping his team members build out their foundations, too.

Running a restaurant is “not just [about] being a great chef,” he said. It’s about understanding “the whole picture of hospitality,” a lesson he learned from Boulud. “How do you take this heartbeat of yours that loves people, and wants to share that with people, how do you make that a reality? How do you share your heart with people [and] build a hospitality system where they can really feel the love in the dining room?”

Callie is only “the first brick” atop his own foundation, he said: “I’ve got a long way to go.”

Meet the Chef: Travis Swikard

Age: 38
Comfort Food: Ramen from Menya Ultra
Underrated Ingredient: “I’m somewhat of a tahini freak.”
Last Meal: “At a round table surrounded with people that I love. Good conversation, a bunch of laughter, and great wine.”
Crystal Shi is the food editor for The Epoch Times. She is a journalist based in New York City.
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