Recipes, Restaurants + Respite: Meet Kingston’s Lee Kalpakis

Growing up in a Catskills-based foodie family, Lee Kalpakis gained an early understanding and admiration for how good food unites people and communities. Although she went on to refine her own culinary skills in NYC, working in food media and as a private chef for more than a decade, she found herself called back upstate in recent post-pandemic years to the abundant farms, the quietude of the woods, and exciting new businesses anchored by long-standing local favorites. Since moving back to the area with her partner Sean (and dog, Mac), she wrote and published her cookbook Out There: A Camper Cookbook (Weldon Owen), which documents their life living in an off-grid camper while building a house and the gourmet-made-simple recipes she developed. She also helms the kitchen at the popular cafe Camp Kingston and still works as a private chef. But there’s so much more to her story, so we chatted with Kapalkis to learn more about what being Upstate means to her.

INSIDE+OUT: Where are you originally from, and how did you wind up in the Hudson Valley?

Lee Kalpakis: I’m originally from Olivebridge. Like a lot of Hudson Valley kids, I moved to the city for college, stayed for a long while, and then moved back home because I missed having a more peaceful and rural lifestyle.

What inspired you to become a chef and then an author, and what was your journey to where you are now?

I come from a restaurant family. My dad owned a restaurant (first Woodstock Pizza right on the green in Woodstock and then Winchell’s Pizza in Shokan), and his dad owned a few restaurants. His side of the family is Greek and runs quite a few spots in Canada (mostly Montreal, where my parents are from). My mom’s a great cook, so our meals at home were pretty special. She loves cookbooks, cooking shows, and all that beautiful stuff, and that inspired me to start a career in food media. She got me into Ina Garten and Nigella Lawson, gardening, cooking for a crowd. You see all that dreamy lifestyle stuff on TV and in books. Between working at the restaurant with my dad and brothers and the meals my mom was cooking at home, food was pretty much all we ever talked (and still talk) about as a family. I went to school to study English and thought maybe I wanted to be a teacher, got really bored and shifted back to food in my early 20s.

I worked for years in the city as a food stylist, recipe developer, and private chef. I’ve been a culinary producer and cooking show host—I’ve even styled advertisements that were in Times Square and Madison Square Garden. I was really dedicated to working in food media and always wanted to write a cookbook. That felt like an end goal for me. But when my partner and I moved back upstate and into a tiny vintage camper we renovated in the woods, I started posting about it on Instagram, and that’s when I was approached about writing a book.

What makes living in the Hudson Valley special for you? 

Personally, it’s the feeling of experiencing new and exciting things while still having the nostalgia and comfort of home. There are endless things to discover here. Now, living up in the mountains, I’ve had time to explore the Kaaterskill wilderness; I’ve spent more time visiting North-South Lake and learning the history of early tourism up there. I’ve been enjoying so many new hikes and more rugged bodies of water up in the mountains to swim in. It all feels familiar, but really, taking time to learn about the area is new to me. Then, on the other hand, I grew up down in the valley, so I have this deep connection with and emotional reaction to places like the Ashokan Reservoir, Mohonk, and the corn fields on Hurley Mountain Road. I share a lot of history with those places. I’m bouncing back and forth between old memories and making new ones. It feels really special.

What are the most challenging and the most rewarding aspects of what you do for a living?

I love cooking so much. I’m made for it. It makes me happy even when it’s hard… even when it hurts. It can be SO physically demanding. I’m pretty young and in decent shape, but after a big event, it’s pretty hard for me to walk the next day. The stress, combined with the hours and hours on your feet and hunched over, can make you feel like you were hit by a truck. 

The most rewarding aspect is seeing my food enjoyed publicly. Like most cooks, my food has a personal history. Most of the recipes in my book or served at Camp Kingston come from my own personal experiences and memories. The Camp Turkey Hoagie is inspired by the sandwich my family used to pack for the beach when we were on vacation at the Jersey shore. The chicken + orzo soup we serve is my mom’s recipe (she makes it with spinach and lots of lemons and has always called it “Love Soup”). The cabbage dill soup in my book is the same one my dad served for years at the restaurant. The pancakes in my book are technically my partner Sean’s recipe. I could go on and on. So it’s nice to see things like that being shared with the community and well received.  It’s honestly such a trip!

What is one question you’re constantly asked or the biggest misconception about your career?

If someone can buy my book from me! I don’t think people around here realize I’m like… a legit published author and you can buy my book on Amazon, the Barnes & Noble website, pretty much wherever books are sold. I always steer them to amazing local places like Rough Draft to buy a copy, but I’ve had several locals offer me cash on the spot as if I was selling them out of the back of my truck… which I guess would actually be pretty cool. But yeah, it doesn’t work that way.

What impact does your work have on your community?

People want to support locals, shop local, and eat local, and that’s cool because I’m a local. I think a lot of folks move here and want to support local businesses but genuinely don’t know where to start, so they do their research online, where they’ll mostly hear about fancy new places that understand the importance of social media and have a PR team. I’m constantly highlighting legitimate local businesses. The real Hudson Valley places that have been around forever. Whether it’s on Instagram, in an interview, a shout-out in my book, or in conversation, and of course, sourcing from those places for my own cooking (at Camp Kingston, as a private chef, and at home). I always want to share what I know to help those who are new to the area support the places that need and deserve it the most. I will advocate for the old-school Hudson Valley spots until I’m dead.

What local businesses do you rely on to be successful?

Davenport Farm, Adams Fairacre Farms, Sunflower Market, MX Morningstar Farm, Bread Alone, Little Rye Bakehouse, Story Farms, and Fiddlehead Farm, to name a few.

What is missing in the area that you wish we had?

A Chinatown.

Local Love: What local businesses should we know about? 

Eng’s in Kingston, Jimmy O’Connor’s Windham Mountain Inn in Windham, Top Taste in Kingston, Dallas Hot Weiners, Mountain Brauhaus in Gardiner, La Florentina in Kingston… Places like these define the area. 

Who or what inspires you personally?

Honestly? Beavers. They work so hard. It almost brings me to tears when I think about it. Every time I see a beaver dam, I’m like, “Wow, good job, you guys.”

Tell us something about yourself people would be surprised to know.

One time, I saved someone’s life! I was in LA visiting my brother and was out to dinner with my family at a place in Malibu. A man at the table next to us started choking. The woman he was with called out for someone to help. I had received my CPR certification just days before (I had to take the class for credit in school, had just passed, and was now on spring break). I walked over and gave the guy the Heimlich, and a piece of shrimp flew out of his mouth. I don’t really ever tell that story. I think it’s because my brain doesn’t believe it actually happened. I’m sort of this fun and goofy lady but don’t worry… I can save your life if it comes down to it.

What do you do for fun? What are some of your favorite ways to unwind and unplug when you are not working?

I like to take walks in beautiful places and hike up mountains; I have such a thing for looking at meadows. I love to just stare at a big open field, it makes me feel so good. I love to spend time with my dog, Mac, and my partner, Sean. I love to snowboard at Hunter in the winter, but I mostly love the summertime because I can swim. I love swimming in natural bodies of water more than anything, and I swim as often as I can.

If you could have one superpower, what would it be? 

I would like to be immortal, but only if my family and loved ones could be immortal, too.

What is your current state of mind?

Slowing down. Savoring things. Living well. Easy breezy.

Get Lee’s Cookbook HERE!

Follow/Connect with Lee Kalpakis via Website |  Instagram

Follow/Connect with Camp Kingston via Website | Facebook | Instagram

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Photos by Lee Kalpakis

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