Calgary is a city bursting at the seams with culinary innovation, and one such service leading the charge is Kitchen Collective, a social platform that engages culinary talents and food lovers to converse over creative meals and meet new people…
YYC’s new food experience…
Kelly Lai, a foodie and MBA graduate, has created Kitchen Collective, a social platform that engages culinary talents and food lovers for creative meals and is revolutionizing the way we do dinner parties in YYC. The inspiration for this project was based on a desire to not only expand the culinary culture in the city but to also create a new and viable way to meet people outside the bar scene. For those of you who are new to the city, this is a much more appealing way to make friends than meeting people at the club.
The way it works?
The Kitchen Collective site connects people who want to host, attend or cook for an event. Just answer a few basic questions about what role you’d like to play in the meal and Kelly and the Kitchen Collective team will take care of the rest. With just a few easy clicks you’ll be on your way to throwing a unique event, meeting new friends or showcasing your culinary talents.
Where did your love for cooking come from?
My love for cooking stemmed from my childhood and growing up in a home where love was expressed by home cooked meals around the dinner table. For me, seeing my mom and dad take the time to cook traditional Chinese meals daily, despite busy schedules, was not only a good way for me to stay in touch with my culture but it also made me see the tie between a deeply connected relationship, eating good food, having meaningful conversations, and showing affection.
Tell us about your most exciting dinner party to date.
They’ve all been great dinner parties thus far, but one of the most exciting would have to be a dinner party that was held late January. It very cohesively brought together all the aspects we wanted to provide as Kitchen Collective for everyone involved. The host was a young professional that had recently moved to Calgary for work and was looking for a way to meet new people. He was able to show off his amazing apartment, which provided a great ambience and space for conversation and lively discussion, meet people outside of his normal social circle, and eat delicious food without having the burden of actually organizing and planning the evening. The chef of the night, Jesse Hochhausen, cooked an amazing meal inspired by his travels to the Caribbean. He had full creative reign on the menu and all the guests absolutely adored the food. He was able to talk one-on-one with the guests about where his passion for cooking came from, try out new creations on a willing audience, and get instant feedback on his craft. The attendees were a group of like-minded strangers that were brought together over a great meal. They were able to interact with the chef and enjoyed participating in this new social dining experience that Kitchen Collective is trying to bring to Calgary.
What do you love most about Calgary’s food scene?
I think that this explosion of new restaurants and unique dining experiences (like The Really, Really Long Table Dinner and Dîner en Blanc) that’s happening all over Calgary right now is absolutely fantastic. All these new food-related things are a great testament our growing food culture. I especially like this trend because it means that more and more people are being exposed to good food in a variety of ways and it gets the conversation going around food education, around the importance of what we’re putting into our bodies as nourishment, piquing people’s interest in food, and identifying with others that share the same interest. For young professionals, which is a world that my team and I live and breathe, this means that it’s going to become easier and easier to meet new people and make meaningful connections with strangers because of this shared appreciation for good food.
Are there any recipes that you’re excited to try?
I’ve been dying to try out a Paella recipe. I procured a cast iron skillet over Christmas that needs to be broken in and it just so happens that a good friend of mine recently brought back some fresh saffron from overseas. So it’s just a matter of finding the time at this point!
To join the culinary conversation and find new ways to connect with YPs in the city, visit Kitchen Collective.
#LYNL | (Live Your Notable Life)
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