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Featured Articles

How We Started

Learn more about UGK pre-pandemic

A photograph of a UGK dining event

This Black-Owned Fine Dining Experience Could Pop-Up In A Secret Location Near You

The Underground Kitchen is a unique Black-owned fine dining experience not to be missed. Popping-up in secret locations across the country, the true success of the experience is found in the combination of the intimate with the luxurious. The Underground Kitchen has even been hailed as the “most exclusive dining ticket in town.” 
A photo of UGK chefs

Fashion-designer-turned-culinary-entrepreneur Turns Food Industry Upside Down With Underground, Pop-up Supper Club

Micheal Sparks, CEO of Underground Kitchen, is a fashion-designer-turned-culinary-entrepreneur who created a pop-up supper club that offers its members unique fine dining experiences, set in unexpected, secret locations within their city.
A photograph of a table at a UGK event

High-End Cuisine Goes Underground in Virginia

If you’re looking for the best dining experience around Richmond, VA, you have to go underground. Since 2013, The Underground Kitchen has been creating one-of-a-kind pop-up events highlighting the best in local ingredients and talent. With customized menus and secret locations, these luxury experiences are not repeated and not to be missed. No wonder tickets sell out in minutes.

UGK Today

Read about what we're doing to fight food insecurity

UGK Soup poster

Underground Kitchen’s New Food Relief Nonprofit Surpasses 10K Meals Distributed

In less than two months, the UGK Community First Project – officially registered as 501(c)(3) nonprofit in early May – has provided more than 10,000 nourishing meals to people...
A photograph of UGK founder Micheal Sparks

Underground Kitchen’s Community First: Feeding the Community

In 2020, Underground Kitchen (UGK), “a roving experiential dining and event company,” was forced to close due to the pandemic. As restaurants closed and many societal inequalities...
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How this Richmond resident went from upscale dinner parties to serving meals to those in need

During the first week, they served 150 meals, all delivered by Houck and chefs who volunteered their services. They didn’t stop there, establishing the UGK Community First in April 2020...
A photo of UGK Co-founders Micheal and Kate

Underground Kitchen combines faith and food to serve the community

The business partners teamed up with several Episcopal churches to make soup and bake bread, and deliver them to people in need across metro Richmond...
A still from an interview with UGK co-founders

[Watch] How UGK Community First Served 275,000 Meals Since COVID Started

And it was just really, and I, I, Kate and I delivered the food the first week ourselves to 175 houses and people around, all around Virginia. I can’t even tell you how many miles we put on our cars...
A screenshot of a news segment on UGK

Richmond restaurant provides more than 10,000 meals to people throughout metro area

The Underground Kitchen prides itself on luxury dining.  CEO Michael Sparks said the company was on pace for one of their most successful years yet, but the coronavirus pandemic changed...
An image of UGK co-founders Micheal and Kate

Something to Celebrate 

Roslyn Retreat Center is the largest financial gift ever received by the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia. And a gift it is, resplendent with the kind of calm, rolling beauty the likes of which we city folks may only dream of....
Micheal Sparks and Kate Houck

How the pandemic changed The Underground Kitchen: providing free soup, healthy meals for Richmonders in need

During its first week, UGK delivered 175 meals to the public. They began working with agencies around the city to deliver meals to the food-insecure and poverty-stricken areas in the city, especially in the East End. Now, UGK...

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