A Kitchensurfing Expedition

Yesterday I was sitting around the dinner table with nine of my family and friends eating amazing food, listening to Latin American music, drinking Colombian coffee and feeling very thankful. The best part — I barely lifted a finger.

Me & Chef Samm in Kitchensurfing attire

The Setup

One thing that amazed me about the Kitchensurfing experience is how easy it was to book and customize the experience. I picked a Latin American chef, Samm Spice, and a few days later he sent me a sample menu. I was traveling in Colombia during the couple weeks before the dinner so I didn’t have a lot of time or Internet access to coordinate with the chef. Occasionally I’d drop him an email with preferences (e.g. “We have a guest who doesn’t eat beef” or “Can we have a chocolate dessert?”) — he was always accommodating and quick to respond. He also proactively emailed me with ideas telling me about how he had a hook up at a farmer’s market with some cured pork cheek and could work it in or a new seasonal fresh veggie dish idea. The final menu was perfect.

Pre-Dinner Socializing

One nice thing about hosting a larger dinner party is seeing your worlds collide. I intentionally invited friends and family from various groups of my friends — family members, former coworkers, college friends, and a few fellow business school classmates. When Samm arrived he wheeled in a cart of food and a bouquet of flowers and starting setting everything up. It was great to be able to spend time hanging out with my guests instead of worrying about the dinner prep itself.

Worlds colliding — Tia, my lifelong family friend, & Jane, my bschool friend

Dish by Dish

As we sat down to eat, Samm explained the dishes and background to the party. Then we passed them around family style. Everyone went back soon for seconds and thirds.

Delicious street style corn with Red Pepper Lemon Emulsion, Salvadorian Crema, and Cilantro

Homemade salsa and beautiful flowers Samm brought for the table

Quinoa with jalepeno, sautéed radishes,parsley,garlic and parmesan

Roasted Potatoes

Full plate with pork wrapped grilled skirt steak

I had told Samm I wanted to serve some Colombian coffee I’d brought back from my trip, and he was awesome to accommodate it even bringing a french press so it was served up perfectly. It was the best complement to the amazing chocolate mousse he’d made, and it was a great special treat to get to share with my friends.

My guests loved the coffee with dessert

Chocolate Mousse topped w/ local raspberries and mint

Until We Meet Again

At the end of the night we were all totally stuffed and lingering for more food, but eventually it was time to go. Samm had washed up all the dishes and platters and put them away, and even put the leftovers in kitchensurfing tupperware!

Leftovers packed up for the fridge

My friends all raved about how fun the dinner was and were dreaming up dinner clubs and events so we could do it again.

Full disclosure, our dinner was on the house as part of the Kitchensurfing Chicago launch, but I otherwise have no affiliation with the company. At prices ranging from $40-$80/head, I think everyone there felt like it was well worth the experience.