This secret dinner series is coming to Charlotte
Over the past 7 years, Micheal Sparks has taken his experiential dining society to more than 30 cities across the country. The Underground Kitchen, based in Richmond, Virginia, will make its eighth visit to Charlotte on Jan. 10.
“Charlotte is a sister city to Richmond,” Sparks, co-founder of The Underground Kitchen, told CharlotteFive. “We got a ton of requests to bring the concept to Charlotte, so we did — and they have done really well.”
This year’s tour theme is “Cast Iron & Comfort,” which will aim to marry the idea of cooking in a traditional cast iron skillet with a modern culinary approach. Chef Natascha “Taz” Bowles of EAT Restaurant Partners, also in Richmond, will be the featured chef of the night.
Taz, who has Jewish-German and Caribbean roots, is known for weaving the cultures into her cooking.
Sparks and The Underground Kitchen team aim to bring in minority chefs with unique stories and those who don’t always get the credit and shine they deserve. The series serves as a finishing school for chefs who have completed culinary school but are trying to break out in the industry. During the meals, the chefs are challenged to tell their life stories through the courses they prepare.
“It’s really important for guests to feel like they are at a chef’s table dinner,” Sparks said.
The last “Cast Iron & Comfort” dinner was held on Dec. 7, and Chef Jean Lorestil curated the menu. He created dishes like curried rabbit and black truffle potato rolls, all in a cast iron skillet.
What makes this society even more unique is that everything is a secret. Other than the theme, date and featured chef, guests have no idea what to expect. The location, time and menu are revealed within 48 hours of the experience as a way to heighten the suspense.
Tickets for the event include a six- or seven-course dinner with special small batch wine pairings that are curated by a third generation winemaker from France’s Bordeaux region. There will only be 50 seats available as a way to keep everything intimate and to give guests the opportunity to interact with the chef.
To purchase tickets to the Charlotte event on Jan. 10, you can visit theundergroundkitchen.org/events.
This story was originally published January 6, 2020 at 9:30 AM.
