Even if you’ve never been to Elke’s Market Cafe in Allen, there’s still a good possibility you’ve experienced the culinary expertise of owner and chef, Gregory Casale. Elke’s has been legendary in Allen for over 22 years, but Chef Gregory’s 30-plus years of culinary experience has crossed the globe and spanned many aspects of the culinary landscape.
From an early age, Gregory was focused on food and all things cooking. Growing up in a second-generation Italian-American household just outside of New York City, he was constantly surrounded by amazing flavors and smells. His strongest memories of childhood involved cooking with his mom and grandma. Being so close to NYC, there was also a world of international restaurants and flavors to explore. Trying new cuisines on trips into the city was a family adventure. While cooking and food was a passion, the value of owning a business was also stressed from a very young age.
After graduating from Syracuse University with a degree in Communications, he could not find the right fit in the business world. Culinary kept calling—specifically the Culinary Institute of America, considered one of the world’s top culinary programs. Gregory excelled in his studies, and this became a springboard into high-end fine dining. Straight out of school, Gregory landed a position at the world-famous River Café in New York City. Almost a year later, a desire for warmer weather and aspirations to be his own boss led him to Scottsdale, Arizona, a place he would call home for 22 years.
In 1993, the Phoenix/Scottsdale restaurant scene was breaking away from the stereotypical cowboy steakhouse and making a name on the national food scene, mostly in high-end resort dining rooms. Gregory worked at some of the Valley’s top resorts such as The Scottsdale Princess and The Royal Palms, serving many celebrities, including President G. W. Bush.
One rare night out, he enjoyed dinner in a quaint and slightly funky neighborhood bistro owned by a husband and wife team, with only a few tables, local art on the walls, and authentic, globally inspired food, made from scratch and served in an urban environment. He literally could not sleep that night, realizing that this was the type of business he needed to own.
Gregory’s Grill, an eight table restaurant, started in 1996 in a slightly sketchy neighborhood. In its first three months, local food critic Howard Seftel named it Phoenix’s “best new restaurant in years” in the café’s first review, calling Gregory “Chef Royalty.” It eventually doubled in size, growing to eighty seats, and moved to nicer digs. Renamed Gregory’s World Bistro, the restaurant went on to garner top accolades from local, national, and even international publications, including Wine Spectator and The New York Times.
Counting many local and national celebrities as regulars, Chef Gregory was a semi-finalist for three years running for the James Beard Award. With the help of his wife, Kim, Gregory’s World Bistro also received much attention for wine, including several Wine Spectator Awards of Excellence.
After eight-plus years of sixteen-hour days, six days a week, and with a new baby on the way, Gregory wanted more work-life balance. The opportunity came from a chance meeting with one of his wife’s former high school classmates. What started for Gregory as a consulting gig on specialty sandwiches for Paradise Bakery turned into a full-time gig. Brought on board to develop the up-and-coming concept to 30 stores in the Southwest, Gregory grew Paradise Bakery to over 90 stores, including six locations in Texas.
As a corporate chef, Gregory created recipes that would translate to palates all over the U.S., learned to source ingredients to ensure consistency in flavor and price, followed food trends, and even invented new ones. His experience with Paradise Bakery ended when Paradise was purchased by Panera Bread. Another regional Southwest chain—Peter Piper Pizza—saw this as an opportunity to elevate their game and snapped up Gregory. The pizza/arcade concept known for their quality pizza was looking to improve on their already solid product.
In 2014, when Peter Piper Pizza was acquired by Dallas-based Chuck E. Cheese, Gregory took a step and moved his family across country. His time as Senior Director of Culinary Innovation for both Peter Piper and Chuck E. Cheese saw the development and implementation of fresh dough made from scratch at every location across the U.S., Unicorn churros, and stuffed crust pizza, among many other accomplishments.
But life has a way of bringing things full circle. As 2020 rolled around and the rest of the world navigated what a post-pandemic restaurant looked like, the culmination of all these skills brought Gregory back to business ownership as the second owner of Elke’s, only three miles from the Paradise Bakery on Stacy Road that he opened.
Today, Elke’s Market Cafe is more than the next chapter in Gregory’s culinary career. It is the culmination of everything that came before it. From the family kitchens of his childhood to the soups, salads, and sandwiches of Paradise Bakery, and from the innovative elegant dinners and special wine events of his fine dining career to the product management and culinary innovation of his corporate training, each step has shaped the business owner he is today. At Elke’s, Gregory brings that depth of experience back to a neighborhood setting, honoring a beloved Allen tradition while adding his own touch. It is a fitting full-circle moment: a chef with a global résumé, now focused on serving the community just a few miles from where his Texas story first began.
Today, Elke’s Market Cafe is more than the next chapter in Gregory’s culinary career. It is the culmination of everything that came before it.