BIO

MICHEALSPARKSMicheal 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

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.

The Underground Kitchen:The most exclusive diningticket in town.RICHMOND TIMES -DISPATCH

The Underground Kitchen is a supper club that

gives members access to a one night only, 5-7

course gourmet meal prepared by a premier local

chef in an undisclosed location. Each chef prepares

food that pushes their limits of culinary creativity

and is uniquely di�erent than anything on their

restaurant’s menu. Each event’s theme is intricately

woven through the menu and atmosphere so no

two experiences are ever similar. Unique locations

add to the overall experience by utilizing art

studios, local restaurants, farms, or anywhere else

representing UGK’s holistic vision. These venues

enhance the themes, and generate dialogue about

food sources, culinary preparation, and eating.

An understanding of food, as an economy,

profession, and source of enjoyment is one of the

founding principles of UGK. The Underground

Kitchen o�ers members an exceptional culinary

experience, while getting them in touch with

like-minded individuals and teaching them about

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.

Part of the allure of UGK events is their

intimacy—only 25-40 people get a ticket, but

anyone can register to receive the invitation that

goes out a few days before tickets go on sale. As a

result of the intimate setting, conversation with your

dinner partners is as much a part of these meals as

anything else. What better way to meet interesting

people than over the course of a fabulous, one of a

kind meal?

In the invitation that is sent out a few days before

the event, only three pieces of information are

divulged: the date of the dinner, the date and time

when tickets will go on sale, and a clue about the

location of the event. That’s it. The menu, chef, and

location are kept secret until the last possible

moment. The tickets are all inclusive, covering the

meal, wine, and gratuity, and the prices vary based

on the location/theme of the event. Tickets are first

come, first served, and sales are limited to two

tickets per member.

UGK

EXPANSIONIn 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 2018.

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.

ugk public eventshttps://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oh43gZZAeUw

ugk corporate eventshttp://theundergroundkitchen.org/Videos/UGK021717H.mp4

environmental ugkhttp://theundergroundkitchen.org/Videos/UGK062117H.mp4

Fort Lauderdale, Florida MARCH 2 – 4

Orlando, FloridaMARCH 9 – 11

Charlotte, North Carolina MARCH 23 – 25

Atlanta, GeorgiaMARCH 30 – APRIL 1

Washington D.C.APRIL 6 – 8

Baltimore, MarylandAPRIL 13 – 15

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania APRIL 20 – 22

New York, New YorkAPRIL 27 – 29

Boston, MassachusettsMAY 4 – 6

Portland, MaineMAY 11 – 13

Minneapolis, MinnesotaAUG 31 – SEPT 2

Chicago, IllinoisSEPT 7 – 9

2018 - 2019 UNDERGROUND KITCHEN

POPUP DINNERTOUR DATES

St. Louis, MissouriSEPT 14 – 16

Columbus, OhioSEPT 21 – 23

Nashville, TennesseeSEPT 28 – 30

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma OCT 5 – 7

Dallas, TexasOCT 12 – 14

Austin, TexasOCT 19 – 21

Houston, TexasOCT 26 – 28

New Orleans, LouisianaNOV 2 – 4

Los Angeles, CaliforniaMARCH 1 – 3

San Diego, CaliforniaMARCH 8 – 10

Phoenix, ArizonaMARCH 15 – 17

Albuquerque, New MexicoMARCH 22 – 24

Colorado Springs, Colorado

MARCH 29 – 31

Denver, Colorado

APRIL 5 – 7

Las Vegas, Nevada

APRIL 26 – 28

San Francisco, California

MAY 3 – 5

Portland, Oregon

MAY 10 – 12

Seattle, Washington

MAY 17 – 19

EXPERIENCE UGK COMMUNITY

Get up close andpersonal with your

favorite chefs as theypush culinary boundaries

and relish communitywith your fellow foodies.

UGK

CHEFSUnderground 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 campagniAs 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 ponderA 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 crumpChef 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.

Air, Land and Sea in Pittsburgh 2017NEXT PITTSBURGH

Mangia Bene! from Underground Kitchen Pop-UpNORTHERN VIRGINIA

Inside Virginia’s Secret Dinner ClubTHE PIEDMONT VIRGINIAN

La Vie En RosePEN + KNIFE

Farm to Table CuisineCHARLOTTESVILLE WINE & COUNTRY

LIVING

Once You PopRICHMOND MAGAZINE

Bike Race Pop-Up MenuTHE RICHMOND TIMES DISPATCH

UGK Wow FoodiesNEWS & ADVANCE

UGK

PRESSLocal Mystery LocationVIRGINIA FIRST

Return to the KitchenFORKS OVER HIPSTERS

Coming to Secret LocationTHE ROANOKE TIMES

UGK Adds Pop of SurpriseC-VILLE.COM

D.C. Diners Going Off-MenuTHE WASHINGTON POST

Cooking UndergroundSTYLE WEEKLY

Richmond's UGK Pops UpWASHINGTONIAN

Most Exclusive Ticket in TownRICHMOND TIMES DISPATCH