Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristian Allen
Hi Kristian, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Dancing Cricket began as an idea when Kristian and Misa saw the need and desire for people to enjoy a meal just as creative and thoughtful as eating at a restaurant, all in the comfort of their own homes.
Kristian Allen, a born and raised Austinite, started in the food scene as a dishwasher back in 2009. His identity grew alongside the city’s own changing food landscape as he became a leader in the kitchen at top restaurants in Austin such as Vox Table, Uchi, & Justine’s.
In 2016 While working as a Sous Chef Kristian met Misa who was getting her masters degree in Media studies at UT Austin. It was love at first sight and not even a year later they moved to the Bay Area for Misa’s job, and so that Kristian could work in one of the best chef cities in the world.
Kristian got to work at many different restaurants in the Bay Area such as Spruce, Kronnerburger, and Del Popolo and began honing in his techniques and working with the seasons. After 4 years in in San Francisco, he and Misa returned to Austin in 2021 to be closer to family, while bringing his inspiration of local produce and farm to table cooking back to his Austin roots.
Upon getting back to Austin Kristian spent over 2 years back at Justine’s as the Chef de Cuisine helping to revamp the menu and push the French restaurant to new heights.
Now, Kristian and Misa work together as Dancing Cricket to bring farm to table cuisine of Texas to peoples homes in the form of curated dinners, serving guests in a special and intimate service that feels like he is sitting at the table with you.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Dancing Cricket runs best when we’re working together, creating food, and executing events, Starting a business though, has been rewarding and humbling. Just when we think we know enough, there is a new lesson to learn.
Some of our biggest challenges along the way have been learning all the details that go into running a successful small business.; we’ve worn all the hats – chef, accounts payable, sales, marketing, web design, and found that some fit better than others.
We’ve been impressed with Dancing Cricket, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Our Work:
Dancing Cricket is a private dining company that focuses on bringing local produce and farm to table cooking to a curated dining experience. The majority of events we do are in-home private dining – whether it’s celebrating a 50th birthday or a family reunion. Each in-home dining menu and event is custom, and has ranged from an 8 course French tasting menu, cooking bananas foster for a wedding, and serving pizzas during an eclipse festival.
Along with in-home dining events, Dancing Cricket also offers cooking classes and pizza parties. For the cooking classes, Kristian will walk a group through a recipe and demonstrate the final result.
What we’re most known for though is our pizza parties. Kristian worked at a Neapolitan restaurant in San Francisco and brought his skills back to Austin. When he’s not working in the kitchen, he does pizza pop-ups around town – serving up whole pizzas at Austin staples like White Horse, Cape Bottle Room, and Kitty Cohens. We host private pizza parties and bring ovens to people’s homes to make homemade pies to order.
We are most proud of seeing Dancing Cricket come to life. What began as small talk about the future has morphed into something that we can share with others. And sharing our lives with everyone who works with us – sharing ingredients from our garden and sharing our love of food.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
Dancing Cricket is a childhood name given to Misa by her great grandmother, but only the real ones get to hear the whole story
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.dancingcricketatx.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dancingcricket_atx
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dancingcricketatx
