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“If I say you, I’m going to have to kill you,” quips Brandon Lindsley about the recipe for Calvin’s Bocage Market’s famous chicken salad.
Brandon has run his family owned and operated Jefferson Highway grocery store since 1996. He is known locally for his homemade items — his chicken salad is a top seller.
And earlier this year, he gained worldwide fame after Real Housewives of New York star Bethenny Frankel previewed him on TikTok.
“That’s good stuff,” declared the self-proclaimed chicken salad influencer.
The video garnered about 1.3 million views and tripled sales of the already beloved local chicken dish in the month Frankel posted.
Brandon remembers the chicken salad first becoming popular in 1998. His father, Calvin Lindsley, co-owner of the market, developed the secret recipe for more than two years before cracking the code to his signature salad, which is flying off the shelves today.
Since going viral, Calvin has been arriving at the store an hour earlier than years ago, as early as 3:30 a.m. to get ready. Although sales have started to level off, the extra time helps the team get a head start on the meticulous process. He, Brandon and a staff member or two cook the chicken for two hours, grind the meat and mix the rest of the ingredients by hand until it reaches a smooth, pureed texture. On some days, he cooks over 400 pounds of chicken—and when Frankel’s TikTok was at its viral peak, that number was more than 1,200 pounds a day.
Brandon says that even with the big influx of sales, the store still hasn’t run out of chicken salad. Nor has its characteristic smoothness changed.
“The chicken salad is consistent every time,” he says. “There are no pieces in it. Everyone knows what they’re going to get.”
And it’s not the only fan favorite on the market. Since 2013, Calvin shoppers have been able to squeeze their own orange juice in the store’s produce section. A large shiny metal juicer cuts small oranges in half, strains them, and pours fresh OJ on demand. The store also sells pre-poured bottles for grab-and-go.
“(People) don’t want any extras,” Brandon says. “When you take orange juice off the shelf and read the ingredients, there’s a paragraph. It should only be one word. “
Other popular foods include locally baked bread, pecans, and frozen cream cheese cake. And Kalyn’s Pimento cheese, named after Brandon’s sister, is climbing the store’s best-selling list. However, his recipe is not kept so close to the chest. calvinsbocage.com
This article was originally published in the November 2024 issue 225 Magazine.
