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The Jasper recently hosted Slurp! Ramen, a noodle-based pop-up meant to showcase co-owner Kevin Liu's love of tonkotsu ramen. (Photo courtesy The Jasper)
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Fat Kid Sandwiches, whose dishes are pictured above, is the most recent dining venture from ghost kitchen Dunharrow Concepts. (Photo courtesy Dunharrow Concepts)
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Hummus from the pop-up Susie & Esther, which kicked off The Jasper's Friends and Family kitchen series (Photo courtesy The Jasper)
The phrase "ghost kitchens" may sound like a Halloween special, but it’s a type of food service that has begun to gain traction in the Richmond area and nationally. Foregoing dine-in service, ghost kitchens serve food that is strictly available for delivery and takeout.
Richmond ghost kitchen Dunharrow Concepts is run by Liz Clifford and Jon Martin, two chefs looking to focus solely on food. The husband and wife previously worked in the dining scene in the Washington, D.C., area, both serving as chefs de cuisine who supervised day-to-day operations at professional kitchens. Martin says that the coronavirus pandemic affected his view of food service since the sharp decrease in dine-in customers has changed the way food is shared.
“In order to keep doing our jobs, we had to reinvent our jobs,” he says.
The pair co-founded Dunharrow Concepts and debuted their first concept, Garden Party, June 25 with an entirely vegan and vegetarian menu. The second and latest concept, Fat Kid Sandwiches, offers club and grilled cheese sandwiches and classic subs, along with vegan and gluten-free options. Martin says that when he moved to Richmond in early 2018, he was craving a good sandwich, which motivated the duo to create Fat Kid Sandwiches.
Clifford adds that a lack of storefront comes with unique advantages, such as the ability to expand their cuisine.
“Traditional restaurants have revenue streams from the bar, but because we're not doing that, we can do more than one thing,” Clifford says.
The couple explain that instead of creating a menu of restaurant food that is then delivered, they’ve been able to craft a menu of food built for delivery. How do they test the dishes' staying power? They routinely wrap up food they’re planning to add to the menu, then wait 45 minutes before tasting it.
Operating out of Hatch Kitchen, Clifford and Martin share that they plan to roll out Victory Garden, a menu of salads and wraps, in late August or early September. Customers can order Wednesday through Saturday from 5 to 9 p.m. through the delivery services Grubhub, Uber Eats and the Richmond-based Chop Chop.
Carytown watering hole The Jasper closed in mid-March but began offering a sub sandwich-focused menu dubbed Jasperino’s in late April and a walk-up "lemonade stand" selling mixed drinks in June. (The bar currently offers cocktails to go Wednesday through Saturday.) At the end of July, co-owner Kevin Liu introduced a concept called the “Friends and Family” kitchen series. He says he saw an opportunity for the business to expand its offerings and for industry colleagues, some of whom are unemployed at the moment, to share their cooking.
As of now the food is only available for pickup, but Liu is in the process of setting up delivery through Chop Chop. He says he and his team feel that it’s irresponsible to open the bar to dine-in customers right now amid the pandemic, despite the easing of restrictions by state government.
The kickoff event of the kitchen series saw the debut of the Mediterranean-inspired pop-up Susie & Esther, featuring dishes such as besar, spiced ground lamb, and the soft cheese spread labneh. Liu says they sold out of food the first night and nearly sold out the second, but he’s not surprised by the enthusiasm.
“We’re now competing with the whole city, and [diners are] going to whatever’s new and sexy, and then the interest falls off,” Liu says, explaining why he wants to keep the offerings changing.
Previous pop-up appearances include Pizza Bones and Slurp! Ramen, and future events include a visit from the Filipino food truck Auntie Ning’s.
The kitchen series has given Liu and The Jasper's bartenders a chance to connect with the Richmond community in a way that they haven’t been able to do since in-person service was brought to a halt by COVID-19.
“Ask any bartender, it’s not about what’s in the glass, it’s about coming together as a community,” Liu says.
SmashedRVA, a burger pop-up that launched two and a half months ago, has also made an appearance at The Jasper. Founder Michael Marshall had been planning on starting a pop-up since high school and says he’s found a silver lining in the pandemic.
“I’ve got more time off right now then I’m ever going to have,” says Marshall, who is currently furloughed from his line cook position at Lemaire inside The Jefferson Hotel.
Serving smash-style burgers with a twist, dressing patties with ingredients such as black garlic pimento cheese and sauteed shiitake mushrooms, Marshall cooks the burgers on an outdoor grill, sharing that his favorite is the Big Dog: a classic double cheeseburger with a secret burger sauce.
Having previously appeared with SmashedRVA at The Veil Brewing Co., Marshall says pop-ups and the businesses that host them can help each other gain new customers.
“Pop-ups work so well," he shares. "You get two different crowds that don’t always connect."
