 << Back to all Puget Sound Ambassadors
 Dominique Calle
Private Dining Manager, El Gaucho
Manager, Inn At El Gaucho
Marketing Manager for MacKay Restaurants
Dominique Calle has worked for Seattle area restaurant companies for two decades, the latter with MacKay Restaurants where she started work in the cigar room at the venerable El Gaucho restaurant. She moved up to manage the restaurant's private dining and set up private dining programs for MacKay restaurants in Seattle and Portland. She also manages the company's 18-room inn, called Inn At El Gaucho.
How did your title get to be so long?
[laughs] I guess the MacKays trusted me. They didn't have anyone else to do it. But, they lucked out too! I'm not about the title, I'm about the action. If something needs to be done, I'm the type of person to just do it. What makes me happy at the end of the day is to hear a customer say what a great time they had.
What was it like to build a hotel "from the restaurant up?"
When Paul and Chad MacKay said they wanted to build an inn atop El Gaucho, I thought, "The only hotel experience I have is staying at a hotel." But, I got to work with designers, ordered amenities, set up the reservation system and hired staff. I learned a lot and made some amazing contacts and friends along the way.
The Washington Restaurant Association named Paul MacKay and MacKay Restaurants Humanitarian of the Year last year. What does that mean to you?
We contribute to causes that are important, such as social services and women's and children's issues. But, from a business standpoint, we also work with small companies in fledgling industries. We're firm believers in supporting the small guy because we were small once. We've been working more with Washington wineries the past three years. We do wine events, dinners and I'm currently putting together a private dining program with a Washington wine focus. So, they help us, but we help them too.
Why does tourism matter?
Tourism is what has made our city grow. Seattle is what it is because of the tourism dollars that come in every year. Our restaurant depends on it. The inn depends on it. Without the tourism dollar, we wouldn't be here.
Why does tourism matter to you?
Tourism has afforded me the life I want to have and the chance to give back to the community. It's also a great way to meet people from other areas of the country and world. In this industry, you can do anything you want to do.
<< Back to all Puget Sound Ambassadors
|
