BIO MICHEAL SPARKS. through fashion, art and design, work that revitalizes brands, attracts new customers and retains loyal ones.

Transcription

1

2 BIO MICHEAL SPARKS Micheal Sparks is an internationally known design and branding expert, counting among his clients a range of high-end retail and fashion establishments, well-known celebrities and world-class organizations including Louis Vuitton, FashionistaTea, International Council of Fine Arts Deans, Virginia Commonwealth University and Institute for Contemporary Art. Micheal Sparks is an internationally known design and branding expert, counting among his clients a range of high-end retail and fashion establishments, well-known celebrities and world-class organizations including Louis Vuitton, FashionistaTea, International Council of Fine Arts Deans, Virginia Commonwealth University and Institute for Contemporary Art. The founder and president of Micheal Sparks Design, a luxury branding and design business in Richmond, Virginia, brings more than 35 years of experience marked by continual innovation, creativity, long-lasting economic impact and international connections that give him access to resources around the world. Micheal and his team o er a distinctive international focus on multimedia, branding and design that elevates clients to the next level. The essence of Micheal Sparks Design is to create through fashion, art and design, work that revitalizes brands, attracts new customers and retains loyal ones. Sparks began his career over 30 years ago as an assistant designer for the high end eye wear designer Lugene Optical in New York City. Inspired by his passion for design, he launched Artistic Eye, which specialized in luxury lifestyle products with flagship stores in Beverly Hills and San Francisco. It is through those early ventures Sparks built a distinguished clientele in numerous cities including New York City, London, Paris, Madrid and Osaka with prominent figures such as Halle Berry, Barbara Streisand, Brad Pitt, Janet Jackson, Robert Redford and Oprah Winfrey. Later, Micheal moved to London where he concentrated on design, working as creative consultant for a number of British brands. With his

3 success in Great Britain he was o ered a freelance position in Madrid working with LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy) and their Spanish brand Loewe where he worked over eight years before returning to New York and creating Micheal Sparks Design. Since his arrival in Richmond, Micheal has formed partnerships within the City s arts community, helping local artisans and designers create bespoke housewares and mid-century modern furniture that he sells at MSDModern, a Manchester warehouse that he renovated and designed. In 2013, Micheal created the framework for a pop-up revolution, beginning with his co-founding of The Underground Kitchen, a pop-up dining society in Richmond featuring buzzed about local chefs tickets routinely sell out within minutes. Micheal is now working with the city of Richmond and Virginia Commonwealth University to take retail and restaurant pop-ups to the next level, integrating the concept into the 2015 UCI Road World Championship to further capitalize on burgeoning economic development opportunities. and restaurant pop-ups to the next level, integrating the concept into the 2015 UCI Road World Championship to further capitalize on burgeoning economic development opportunities. Micheal has been featured in the San Francisco Chronicle, New York Times, Women s Wear Daily, GQ Magazine, Travel and Leisure and numerous Richmond region publications. His company is also providing graphic design work that was part of the marketing package for Virginia Commonwealth University s Institute for Contemporary Art opened in 2015.

4 The Underground Kitchen: The most exclusive dining ticket in town. R I C H M O N D T I M E S - D I S PAT C H The Underground Kitchen is a supper club that Part of the allure of UGK events is their gives members access to a one night only, 5-7 intimacy only people get a ticket, but course gourmet meal prepared by a premier local anyone can register to receive the invitation that chef in an undisclosed location. Each chef prepares goes out a few days before tickets go on sale. As a food that pushes their limits of culinary creativity result of the intimate setting, conversation with your and is uniquely different than anything on their dinner partners is as much a part of these meals as restaurant s menu. Each event s theme is intricately anything else. What better way to meet interesting woven through the menu and atmosphere so no people than over the course of a fabulous, one of a two experiences are ever similar. Unique locations kind meal? add to the overall experience by utilizing art studios, local restaurants, farms, or anywhere else In the invitation that is sent out a few days before representing UGK s holistic vision. These venues the event, only three pieces of information are enhance the themes, and generate dialogue about divulged: the date of the dinner, the date and time food sources, culinary preparation, and eating. when tickets will go on sale, and a clue about the location of the event. That s it. The menu, chef, and An understanding of food, as an economy, location are kept secret until the last possible profession, and source of enjoyment is one of the moment. The tickets are all inclusive, covering the founding principles of UGK. The Underground meal, wine, and gratuity, and the prices vary based Kitchen offers members an exceptional culinary on the location/theme of the event. Tickets are first experience, while getting them in touch with come, first served, and sales are limited to two like-minded individuals and teaching them about tickets per member. the roots of various cuisines. These meals I hesitate to call them meals because they are so much more these meals are unified in concept and immaculate in their execution.

5

6

7 UG K EXPANSION In 2014, Underground Kitchen (theundergroundkitchen.org), the celebrated southern pop up dining society, was founded in Richmond, Virginia. Now, the secret(ive), roving supper club is coming to a destination near you with a whirlwind nationwide tour, kicking off in Florida in March Underground Kitchen is known throughout the Mid-Atlantic for hosting extravagant, multi-course dinners in secret locations with world-renowned and up-and-coming chefs. Since its founding, it has traveled to cities like Washington, DC, Raleigh, NC, Columbia SC and Pittsburgh, PA. Now, Underground Kitchen co-creator Micheal Sparks is bringing his dinner series to a city near you. The Richmond Times-Dispatch has called Underground Kitchen the most exclusive dining ticket in town. Why is Underground Kitchen so secretive? Details are limited to create a heightened aura of suspense. The dinner series releases minimal details the date, theme, chef and a clue about where the event will be held. THAT S IT. The exact menu and location are kept under wraps until a few days before the event. ug k public e vents ugk corpor ate e vents environmental ugk

8 UND ER G R OUND K ITCHEN POPUP DINNER TOUR DATES Fort Lauderdale, Florida St. Louis, Missouri Colorado Springs, Colorado MARCH 2 4 S E P T M A R C H Orlando, Florida Columbus, Ohio Denver, Colorado M A R C H 9 11 S E P T APRIL 5 7 Charlotte, North Carolina Nashville, Tennessee Las Vegas, Nevada M ARCH S E P T A P R I L Atlanta, Georgia Oklahoma City, Oklahoma San Francisco, California MARCH 30 APRIL 1 OCT 5 7 M AY 3 5 Washington D.C. Dallas, Texas Portland, Oregon APRIL 6 8 O C T M AY Baltimore, Maryland Austin, Texas Seattle, Washington A P R I L O C T M AY Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Houston, Texas A P R I L O C T New York, New York New Orleans, Louisiana A P R I L NOV 2 4 Boston, Massachusetts Los Angeles, California M AY 4 6 MARCH 1 3 Portland, Maine San Diego, California M AY M A R C H 8 10 Minneapolis, Minnesota Phoenix, Arizona AU G 31 S E P T 2 M A R C H Chicago, Illinois Albuquerque, New Mexico SEPT 7 9 M A R C H 22 24

9 Get up close and personal with your favorite chefs as they push culinary boundaries and relish community with your fellow foodies. E XPER IENCE UG K COMMUNIT Y

10

11 UGK CHEFS Underground Kitchen has worked with some of the best chefs on the East Coast, including Matthew Tlusty, former executive chef at Julep's in Richmond, VA, Joy Crump, former "Top Chef" contestant and executive chef at FoodE in Fredericksburg, VA, award-winning New York City chef Giovanna Delli Compagni and chef J. Ponder, an alum of Food Network's "Chopped" and "Cutthroat Kitchen. chef delli campagni As a child, Delli Compagni watched her grandmother prepare traditional South American meals from scratch and soon took over the cooking responsibilities while her mother worked. At just nineteen, chef Delli Compagni and her mother moved from Venezuela to Arizona where she quickly found her calling at the East Valley Institute of Technology culinary program. It was there, she was introduced to C-CAP (Careers through Culinary Arts Program) where she excelled to the top of her class and was awarded one of 25 statewide scholarships. Her scholarship gave her a once unfathomable opportunity to attend the Culinary Institute of America. In 2016, Delli Compagni became the first female to win the prestigious Institut Paul Bocuse Scholarship from the Daniel Boulud Scholarship Fund and was featured on the hit Food Network show Chopped. At just 33, Delli Compagni is now the sous chef of Asiate at the Mandarin Oriental in New York. chef j ponder A native of Monroe, GA, chef Ponder draws his cooking pedigree from a food-loving community that cherishes family recipes. Later, he honed his cooking prowess as a culinary specialist in the U.S. Navy, where he was frequently hand-selected to prepare meals for military and political dignitaries. He now owns Norfolk Kitchen Lab, with outposts in Hampton Roads, VA and Atlanta, GA. In 2013, chef Ponder appeared on Food Network s Chopped, and in 2015, he won Food Network's Cutthroat Kitchen. chef joy crump Chef Crump started her culinary profession on the west coast working for the president of Capitol Records in Los Angeles. Her career soon blossomed after hosting several large events for executives and musicians in the area. She became a private chef for top executives and actors under Warner Bros. Television. In 2005, Joy relocated to Atlanta, Georgia to study under Chef Bradley Rouse, the executive chef for the Atlanta Hawks. Shortly after graduating from the Art Insitute of Atlanta with her culinary degree, she began an apprenticeship under Chef Michael Touhy at Woodfire Grill. It was here, Chef Crump perfected her skills in butchery, meat curing, sauce-making, fruit preserving, and wine-pairing. In 2008, Joy started her own private event and catering business aptly named FOODE in Atlanta. In 2010, she relocated to Fredericksburg, Va, where she obtained a store front for her business. FOODE is now located on the historic Caroline Street in Fredericksburg.

12 UGK PRESS Air, Land and Sea in Pittsburgh 2017 NEXT PITTSBURGH Local Mystery Location VIRGINIA FIRST Mangia Bene! from Underground Kitchen Pop-Up Return to the Kitchen FORKS OVER HIPSTERS NORTHERN VIRGINIA Inside Virginia s Secret Dinner Club Coming to Secret Location THE ROANOKE TIMES THE PIEDMONT VIRGINIAN La Vie En Rose UGK Adds Pop of Surprise C-VILLE.COM PEN + KNIFE Farm to Table Cuisine CHARLOTTESVILLE WINE & COUNTRY LIVING Once You Pop RICHMOND MAGAZINE Bike Race Pop-Up Menu THE RICHMOND TIMES DISPATCH UGK Wow Foodies D.C. Diners Going Off-Menu THE WASHINGTON POST Cooking Underground STYLE WEEKLY Richmond's UGK Pops Up WASHINGTONIAN Most Exclusive Ticket in Town RICHMOND TIMES DISPATCH NEWS & ADVANCE