What is Calypso?
Fresh local ingredients, prepared daily for your new favorite sandwich. With bread baked each morning at Le Petit Outre and Boar’s Head meats and cheeses sliced in-house every day, it’s not about complexity but about simple ingredients made really well. Food has always been what brings people together, and with the new space now it really feels like we have the potential to be able to hopefully give back to the community as much as they’ve given to us.
On campus…
We started with just Kayla making cold sandwiches in a kiosk in the University Center, and then a couple months later we threw one in an oven. We got a press and the hot sandwiches were born. When the original owner moved on from the project, Kayla stayed on and eventually we had enough a name for ourselves on campus and a fantastic following of student and faculty regulars to hire on Gretchen (who later became our general manager). It took off even further from there, we had to hire even more people, and eventually we got the opportunity to open our second location downtown.
and now on Front Street!
We knew it was going to be difficult, but it was also going to be necessary. We’ve been trying to expand into a second location for a while, and we finally found the one that felt right. It was a very long process, but we really believe that it’s been 100 percent worth it, and we have a solid crew and a solid kitchen, and we’ve also been able to expand our offerings into including coffee at our downtown location with a little help from Ally Pickeral (formerly of Odd Fellows Coffee House in Columbia Falls).
Our story
Kayla Jasmin, Kitchen Manager
Brought on at Calypso’s inception by original owner Abe Risho, Kayla’s been crafting the flavors you know and love since day 1. Cooking since the age 15 and after 10 years downtown in Missoula’s restaurant scene, she took the leap into running the sandwich kiosk on campus alone and has shaped it into what it is today.
Gretchen Taylor, General Manager
Joining the Calypso team in 2023, Gretchen has been cooking in downtown Missoula since 2016. Since Kayla brought her on to the team, Gretchen’s been working closely with owner Andrew Stickle to keep the administrative wheels of the business turning.
And we can’t forget…
Abraham Risho and his family as well as all of the friends and family who have been there from the beginning constantly supporting us, coming in, and spreading the word. We wouldn’t be here in this position without any of them. The university students and faculty, as well as the downtown family at James Bar and Iron Horse.