Mark Your Calendar: Kemcho’s First Public Pop-Up
On July 19, I’m serving iced chai, baked goods, and a piece of my heart at Elysian Park.
Dreams Do Come True
I’m a dreamer. Always have been, always will be.
I daydream constantly about business ideas, the life I want to build, the kind of space I want to hold in the world. I sketch ideas in my head all day long, often before I even realize I’m doing it.
For years, I’ve had menus fully formed in my head. Ingredient lists, plating, even packaging concepts. My mom and I have been dreaming about opening a café for over 15 years. She even had a dream recently where we quit our jobs and ran a food truck across LA. (Foreshadowing?)
I’d walk into coffee shops and imagine the Kemcho version. What the chai would taste like. Which pastry would sit beside it. I want to do everything, make everything, be everything, all at once.
Go big or go home, that’s how I move.
This summer, I’m doing something even bigger: I’m putting it all out there.
On Saturday, July 19, I’m hosting my first public pop-up at Elysian Park here in LA, starting at 11AM until I sell out. Just me, a table, a few dishes, and a whole lot of hope.
Come through and RSVP below to get the deets. Family, friends, kids, pets, all are welcome.
The Menu: Summer Edition
For this first public menu, I wanted to keep things focused, intentional, and seasonal. These are the flavors I keep coming back to rooted in tradition, with just enough room to color outside the lines. Here’s what you’ll find on the menu:
Drinks:
Iced Masala Chai — brewed using traditional masala chai technique, then chilled. All the bold spice and depth you expect, just served untraditionally over ice.
Iced Rose Matcha — floral meets earthy. A lush balance of rose and matcha that’s refreshing.
Cold Brew with Cardamom Cream Top — silky smooth cold brew crowned with sweet cardamom cream.
Baked Goodies:
Brown Butter Cardamom Chocolate Chip Cookie — nutty from the brown butter, gently spiced with cardamom, loaded with melty chocolate, topped with flaky salt. Crispy edges, chewy center.
Strawberry Cardamom Pop Over — bright strawberry, airy pastry, a touch of spice.
Mango Pop Over — buttery, golden, bursting with ripe mango, and an ode to India’s favorite fruit.
Each item has been tested and refined in my home kitchen with care. Narrowing the menu to just three drinks and three pastries has taken real discipline. There’s so much more I want to try. So there might be a surprise or two if I can swing it but for now, I’m focusing on getting these right. Patience is part of the process.
What It Takes (And What It Gives Back)
The week before the pop-up, I’m starting a new job after six months of being funemployed.
Nothing ever happens gracefully with me. Everything shows up all at once, and it’s usually a little chaotic. So of course I’m diving into a demanding new role while prepping to potentially serve hundreds of people at my first public pop-up, all in the same week. Lol.
At the same time, I’m recipe testing, sourcing ingredients, organizing prep, and finalizing setup. Every detail, from spice ratios to packaging, needs attention.
I want everything to be perfect, but I’m reminding myself that perfect is the enemy of progress. I’m learning to let go of a few things. I won’t have a fully branded setup. I won’t have a generator for power. And that’s okay.
It’s a lot to carry. Amidst the chaos I still feel grounded.
Cooking connects me to where I come from. It demands presence. It pulls me out of my head and into my hands. This is how I stay close to the parts of myself that get flattened during the week.
I’ve made the masala for chai many different ways. Baked more cookies than I can count. I have a running notes list on my phone that gets edited and edited day after day. I’ve personally responded to hundreds of dm’s and comments. This is the work, unglamorous and repetitive, that builds something worth sharing.
And the response has already moved me. When I started writing this draft on Monday I had over 50 RSVPs and I was floored. Now I have over 250, which is beyond my wildest dreams. Support from friends, family, and people I haven’t even met yet. That kind of belief in what I’m building means more than I can express.
To see this kind of response, to feel a community forming in real time, is something I’ll never forget and will carry this momentum with me. I should probably feel intimidated, but I don’t yet. That might change the night before, but for now I feel grateful.
I feel energized. The entrepreneur in me is using this to keep building. I can’t wait to meet many of you in person for the first time. A time will be had!
Come Early. Come Hungry. Come Hang.
This pop-up is a beginning.
It’s the first time I’m sharing this food, these ideas, with the wider world. Just real ingredients, made with care, served in a public park under the L.A. sun.
If you’ve been following along through this newsletter or social media, thank you. If you’re new here, welcome. If you’re planning to show up, come early. Bring friends. Bring an appetite. Bring a blanket to sit on. Stay and hang.
Everything will be first come, first served, until it sells out.
Friends, family, pets, children, all are welcome.
📍 Elysian Park
📅 Saturday, July 19
🕚 11AM until sold out
✨ RSVP Here
This is the beginning of something I’ve dreamed about for years. I can’t wait to serve you.
Stay Connected
If this resonated with you, follow along on all the things:
Instagram @kemchocafe
TikTok @kennarymacwan
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And help me spread the word!