For Caitlin Kilcoin, living in RVA is all about bringing people together. As the coordinator for the YRichmond program at the Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce, Kilcoin connects businesses and organizations with the brightest and most creative minds around. However, her new venture, Kitchensurfing allows her to dig deeper into her passion — and feed people too.
Launched in 2012 in Brooklyn, Kitchensurfing is a way to bring talented chefs to unique venues for a truly original dining experience. Imagine you want to host a dinner party, for example. You clean your house and invite a few choice guests, but soon your stress begins to mount as you realize your culinary chops aren’t as fine-tuned as you would hope. No problem, just log onto Kitchensurfing.com. Through the website you’ll find the profiles of local chefs and their tasty, handcrafted menus. Simply find a menu you like, and contact the chef to coordinate your event. With costs as low as $20 a head, it’s often more affordable than a dinner out.
“The idea is that people and ideas always seem to come together over great food,” explains Kilcoin. “So I wanted to learn more about Kitchensurfing and see if they had any interest in testing out the Richmond market. After contacting them and expressing my passion for this city and all the culinary success it has seen in the past couple years, I was beyond excited when they agreed that hosting an event in Richmond would be a great opportunity to test-drive Kitchensurfing.”
As the idea began to take shape, Kilcoin knew she needed to bring in some of her favorite local businesses, along with other foodies, contacts in the restaurant industry, and members of the media. In collaboration with Pizza Tonight, and a little help from Tumblr, Kilcoin’s passion for bringing together community quickly sprang to life. On the night of the debut event, Stephanie Lebow, of Pizza Tonight, dished up a three-course menu priced at $15 per person as the New York Kitchensurfing crew observed how RVA digs its local eats.
After the event, the first Richmonders to experience Kitchensurfing agreed — this tasty model offers chefs an opportunity to show off their talents in new places while diners get an opportunity to come together in a new and entertaining way.
Having moved to the River City six years ago, Kilcoin knows firsthand how many new friends can be made over such experiences. Positioned as the next iteration of the traditional potluck, Kitchensurfing appears to have all of the ingredients to bring people together over the long haul. Best of all, Kilcoin says that the Kitchensurfing model enables RVA to support its local chefs while fostering relationships that add to the creative bedrock of Greater Richmond. Kilcoin hopes to encourage others to host Richmondbased events while increasing the number of local chef profiles involved.
The recipe, she says, is easy: Just pick a unique location, invite a diverse “The idea is that people and ideas crowd, and enjoy local food. always seem to come together over great food. So I wanted to learn more about Kitchensurfing and see if they had any interest in testing out the Richmond market.”