San Diegan Alexandria Ott brings locals together over beautiful cuisine and conversation through The Blank Table, a local pop-up dinner series that just launched its 2024 season.
PHOTO BY KAMBRIA FISHER
Since founding The Blank Table with chef Frederick Keller in 2019, San Diegan Alexandria Ott has created a place for gourmands to connect through curated four-course dinners. Venues are revealed the night before, and each dinner is led by a unique chef and mixologist. Here, Ott takes us behind the scenes of her delicious passion project.
In addition to creating The Blank Table, Alexandria Ott is the founder and CEO of San Diego’s Chrome City Creative Studio. PHOTO BY CHRISTIAN BLAKE
Since its inception in 2019, The Blank Table has evolved from intimate gatherings among close friends to immersive culinary experiences that captivate audiences across the county. Rooted in the support of cherished friends, alongside co-founder Frederick Keller and myself, the venture has flourished through the exploration of a variety of venues and the forging of strong partnerships, notably with Be Saha Hospitality, which has brought talented chefs from across the country to enrich the culinary landscape. This evolution has resulted in sold-out events teeming with diverse attendees, each gathering infused with unique vibrancy and energy.
After moving back to San Diego from Chicago, I was interested in what was happening with the culinary world out here and how the public was interacting with chefs. I saw a huge opportunity to create something that could truly build the community that I was seeking as a newbie. I love playing host; my parents always hosted people growing up. I love bringing people together, so it was a natural fit after working with chefs and creating multifaceted experiences in Chicago to come back to my hometown, connect with a friend who was an incredible chef and begin to build community through cuisine and cocktails. To this day, it is the most laborious thing I do, and I love every minute of it.
The goal in venue selection is to dine at a place you would never normally dine in. Would it be easier to pop up in places with a full kitchen in a space meant for dining? Absolutely! But we wanted guests to have the experience of not knowing the venue until the day before, driving to this unknown location, and being totally unsure about what they were walking into. We have held dinners on private yacht docks, at Adams Avenue Theater before it opened, at Mission Hills Nursery, within Seaport Village, at Garage Collective surrounded by vintage cars and many more.
The cuisine varies at each dinner because the chefs change, the venues change, and the seasons change. We will always have a four-course dinner with a welcome bite and allow the chef full freedom to try new ideas with our guests. I want the chefs to have full creative freedom and express themselves through each dish and ingredient. We have chefs from a variety of backgrounds, and this season, we are bringing in chefs from different cities across the globe, so you can expect each dish and dinner to bring something you have never tried before.
Why not? When you buy a ticket to dinner, you are giving back to local creators, fishermen and farms. You are buying an experience unlike anything else in San Diego. You have a San Diego native (me) bringing knowledge and experience from one of the country’s culinary capitals to your backyard. You have chef Janina Garay, formerly of Addison, directing and curating the once-in-a-lifetime culinary experience for guests. You have top mixologists, like Marina Ferreira of Botanica, curating cocktails that will blow your mind. You have the perfect evening for a date night, client gathering, birthday and more, and you don’t have to lift a finger. The question isn’t why; it’s why not?
PHOTO BY KAMBRIA FISCHER
Join The Blank Table for its upcoming pop-up dinners—the venue will be revealed the night before you dine.
June 6
On this summer night, culinary master Jonathan Zaragoza of Chicago’s beloved Birrieria Zaragoza and El Oso will lead a flavorful tour of Mexico.
Sept. 26
A surprise guest chef will lead this fall installment featuring The Blank Table’s signature prix fixe four-course dining experience.
Nov. 1
Celebrate Día de los Muertos during the final dinner of the season, a collaboration between Be Saha Hospitality chefs Janina Garay and Carlo Guadarado, Tahona chef Adrian Villarreal and Botanica mixologist Marina Ferreira.
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