Dining trends have reached an exciting level. Once, frozen foods were the mainstay of menus, from diners to steakhouses, but today’s chefs not only focus on fresh ingredients, but also local and often sustainable food options. It’s hard to imagine reverting to a time when people don’t care about the food they are being served. Today, the entire dining experience has been reprogrammed. Diners crave knowledge and one-on-one interaction with food producers and chefs, learning about how and why their meals are created.
At Underground West, this concept has moved beyond the “farm to table” dinner to an intimate, underground, private chef’s table. The host, Chef Sean Arnold, is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and currently finishing his master’s degree in Sustainable Food Systems.
To experience this chef’s table, one must be on the list or referred by a friend, creating a much-sought-after, exclusive, supper-club dynamic.
After discovering similar underground dining in cities around the world, Chef Arnold and his wife fell in love with the concept.
“I wanted to explore a variety of dishes and sourcing with a hyper local and sustainable philosophy, which requires much flexibility and nontraditional thinking. This gives me that opportunity and flexibility,” says Arnold.
Chef Arnold’s experience includes chair of Healthy World Café, where he assisted in defining its menu philosophy.
With Underground West, Arnold is able to create an intimate, personal dining experience, “while showcasing best practices in sustainable food system management on a small scale,” he says. “I also get the chance to educate diners on sustainable food sourcing while giving them amazingly memorable food experiences.”
To attend a dinner, one must be “on the list,” which you can do by signing up on the Underground West website. When a new dinner become available—typically just two per month—guests are notified and given the opportunity to sign up.
Seats are incredibly limited. In fact, the dinners are hosted in an undisclosed location—the Arnolds’ home—and guests are asked to keep this address private and not “check in” on any social media (though sharing photos and tweets is encouraged).
Directions are emailed to guests, along with any other details including dress code, Chef’s notes to match B.Y.O. beer or wine pairings, and the like. Guests park in an otherwise unmarked lot and find their destination by identifying a subtle white arrow over the door of a brick building.
Inside, the Arnolds’ home is pristine. Guests first gather in the living room to meet other guests, crack open the first beverage and enjoy passed hors d’oeuvres. Typically, Arnold’s wife, Mandy, serves as host while Chef works busily in the kitchen. Guests may peek inside and even snap photos of the chef in action. Before dinner (and afterwards), they’re encouraged to tour the Arnolds’ home freely.
“Having the exclusive, private dining experience in my home adds to the personal nature of the Chef’s Table and menu that is offered,” Arnold said. “We have a very unique home in York City, and we love sharing our space to encourage support and exploration of downtown. Our space is hidden, unexpected, and expansive. It helps to create a true foodie experience.”
The couple has curated an inviting and interesting space that showcases their interests and lives without being overly personal.
“My wife and I travel quite extensively, and sharing our home gives us the opportunity to tell the story behind the pieces we’ve acquired through our own foodie and exploration experiences. From art to architectural finds to items from the set of House of Cards that we recently acquired, which led to Kevin Spacey following my wife on Twitter. She hopes he’ll eventually show up at a Chef’s Table,” Arnold said.
Chef Arnold doesn’t subscribe to one particular style of cooking, but rather enjoys creating a food experience “based on a philosophy of harvesting locally, reducing waste and making everything delicious.” Menus are themed and have varied from "Wild Game" to “Nordic Cuisine Invades York” to a Chef’s Table featuring Caputo Brothers Creamery, focusing on the local harvest availability at each time. Menus for late summer and fall will include both a vegan dinner and an offal (innards) dinner.
Arnold said it was important for him “to create something so different for our City that would attract guests from all over,” and it has. Underground West has hosted guests from Philadelphia, Harrisburg, Lancaster, Baltimore, and beyond.
“Once people experience our private Chef’s Table, they tell everyone. And once people learn that it’s a hidden dining experience, they want in,” Arnold said. “Many foodies have read about similar popular pop-up experiences, and they want to take on a food adventure. It’s very limited seating, and if you’re not on the list or were referred by a friend, it’s often difficult to score a seat at the table.”
Ultimately, Arnold sees Underground West as his opportunity to hone his skills, experiment and further define his personal style.
“We’re exploring the potential of a restaurant based on the response we’ve had from diners, but for now, one or two limited seating Chef’s Tables a month is perfect.”
Underground West / York / www.undergroundwestchef.com
By Sara Bozich / Photography by Donovan Roberts Witmer
