This Thursday, The Underground Kitchen will make its official debut in Charlottesville. This contemporary supper club has taken off over the past two years, expanding from its birthplace in Richmond to Washington, D.C.; Fredericksburg; Virginia Beach; Williamsburg; and now Charlottesville. Its members love UGK’s one-of-a-kind dining experiences, set in unusual locations, with unparalleled food. It has garnered press throughout Virginia and beyond for its quick-selling, perfectly executed events. But at its heart, The Underground Kitchen remains fixed on its original calling: creating connections.
Those connections could be a new friendship, a business partnership, or simply a memorable conversation. “After two-and-a-half years, we’re responsible for two engagements, one marriage, some great business contacts, and great friendships,” says Micheal Sparks, UGK’s co-founder and chief executive. “Those relationships have gone far beyond The Underground Kitchen. We’re just the catalyst that helps them get together.”
This desire for meaningful connection was at the heart of UGK’s creation. When Micheal, a 35-year veteran fashion designer for iconic fashion houses like Calvin Klein and Louis Vuitton — moved to Richmond from New York City in 2009, the city was just beginning to see its food scene flourish. As an avid home cook and food enthusiast, Micheal relished the discovery of the city’s epicurean gems. He wanted to share those discoveries, but found it challenging to forge friendships with other professionals who were, like him, constantly on the go from work to home and back again. Luckily, he did find kindred culinary spirits in several of his neighbors; eventually, four of them struck upon the concept for The Underground Kitchen: a supper club that would offer its members truly unique fine dining experiences, set in unexpected locations right within their city — providing just the kind of social experience Micheal had found himself craving.
“Those relationships have gone far beyond The Underground Kitchen. We’re just the catalyst that helps them get together.”
The first event was held in Richmond in January 2014. Themed “Winter Solstice,” it was hosted at Micheal’s design studio. Before it even happened word had gotten out: in its first month, UGK membership swelled from 70 to 800 people. At the dinner, Chef Mike Yavorsky of Belmont Food Shop stunned guests with an eight-course menu, including roasted venison. Once the caliber of a UGK dinner was known, it became the hottest ticket in town. Subsequent UGK dinners in Richmond have sold out in mere minutes.
To become a a UGK member, interested individuals simply register to be added to the mailing list for upcoming events in their area. When an event is announced, they buy an all-inclusive ticket knowing only the most vital of facts: the date and time of the event and the city where it will be held. To retain a feeling of intimacy, the events are kept small, at no more than 75 members. A couple days in advance, UGK shares the exact location, which is typically somewhere you would never otherwise have the opportunity to dine — like an art gallery, a courtyard, a train station, or a private residence. The menu, and the chef preparing it, remain a secret until guests arrive.
“We bring the whole kitchen — we bring everything — and we make it happen,” Micheal explains. “And it’s just magical.”
While this approach certainly builds suspense, it serves to keep the events experience-driven, rather than chef- or location-driven. Once you buy your ticket, you are along for the adventure — one you are sharing with everyone else in the room. Because the chef typically hails from a different city, guests get to experience different culinary talent, while the chef gains exposure to a new audience.
“It opens up food markets for everybody else to see what other cities are doing,” he says.
In 2015, UGK expanded beyond its original forays in Richmond and Washington, D.C., adding Fredericksburg, Virginia Beach, Williamsburg, and Charlottesville to its roster. There are now an average of five UGK events each month across its various cities. In 2016, Micheal plans to open UGK in yet more markets, including Baltimore and Charlotte, North Carolina, with the goal of having 15 to 20 UGK cities by year-end.
While this approach certainly builds suspense, it serves to keep the events experience-driven, rather than chef- or location-driven. Once you buy your ticket, you are along for the adventure — one you are sharing with everyone else in the room.
As UGK expands, Micheal is also looking to deepen two other connections. The first is the farm-to-fork relationship between its members and the local farmers and retailers who provide the ingredients for its meals. The second is between UGK and the communities where it hosts its dinners, where widespread food equity is often lacking. Since its inception, UGK has donated its profits in support of organizations that seek to address urban food deserts. In 2016, Micheal wants to expand those efforts through UGK’s own burgeoning nonprofit arm.
Micheal sees all these connections as part of a continuum — one that centers on a shared meal and ripples out to touch the lives of everyone connected to that table, including the farmers, chefs, event organizers, guests, and the communities they all call home.
“In so many ways, it’s really like fashion,” Micheal observes. “We’d go to the silk mills in Asia, or the lace manufacturers in Nottingham, England, and we’d actually bring these products back for the designers to use in the collection, because it was part of the whole story. It’s not too far away from that, it’s just one is fashion and one is food. And I think food is, by necessity, much more important than what you put on your back.”
Micheal sees all these connections as part of a continuum — one that centers on a shared meal and ripples out to touch the lives of everyone connected to that table, including the farmers, chefs, event organizers, guests, and the communities they all call home.
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There are a few tickets left for Ports of Indulgence, the upcoming UGK dinner in Charlottesville on Dec. 3. Grab them before they are gone! Team OLC will be in attendance, and we look forward to spending the evening with you.
Story by Jenny Paurys. Portrait by Sarah Cramer Shields.
The post Meet Micheal Sparks + The Underground Kitchen appeared first on Our Local Commons.