An acclaimed experimental dinner series that travels the mid-Atlantic, stops in Wilmington this weekend.
Underground Kitchen is a popular Richmond, Virginia-based experimental dining society.
And its co-founder Micheal Sparks says its inaugural dinner in Wilmington is Saturday night.
“The new dinner tour is the new Americana and it’s about a chef’s experience - their American experience - whether their American or have come from another country; about their experience from childhood to exactly now and their career and how it has matured,” Sparks said.
Sparks says the tour was inspired by Netflix’s “Chef Table.”
“So in 6 to 8 courses that chef tells you about their experience. Most of our chefs - in fact all of our chefs - have had amazing experiences in America, like working in New York, or LA or Chicago," sais Sparks. "And then most of them have come back to their home-base to tell their story and try to open restaurants or work as line cooks.”
Underground Kitchen was formed by Sparks and his partner in 2013 after moving south from New York City. It grew out of dinner parties they held to bring their neighbors together and have conversations.
"These dinner parties started getting very, very famous in our neighborhood in the Museum Districtwhere we lived. And our neighbors said, “hey you guys should really should start doing this for - you should do this for a business because you do it so well.”And so we started hiring chefs from around Richmond to come in and cook for us at our home and for groups of people,” said Sparks.
Sparks says six years later, Underground Kitchen has expanded to nearly 30 cities across the Southeast while maintaining its community-driven philosophy.
Sparks says the featured chef in Wilmington will be Danielle Harris. Her resume includes a stint working under Food Network “Iron Chef”/Bravo “Top Chef” winner Stephanie Izard.
Sparks notes that part of the excitement of Underground Kitchen is that it’s a one-night-only event, held at an undisclosed location. And the location is only shared with registered guests a few days prior.
Tickets are still available for Saturday night’s dinner here. And if you miss the event in Wilmington, Underground Kitchen will also be in Philadelphia on Saturday, August 17, 2019.
