Amsterdam Pop-Up Restaurant Serves Meals From Home Cooks’ Kitchens
On 11, 12 and 13 September, Amsterdam’s IJburg district sets the stage for IJburg Serveert, a pop-up restaurant that serves meals from the kitchens of local home cooks.
The latest chapter of the sharing economy’s story is coming to the shores of Amsterdam’s artificial island, IJburg. The city’s youngest district has a lively community of cooking enthusiasts who regularly share their meals with neighbors though peer-to-peer websites like Thuisafgehaald (Shareyourmeal). IJburg Serveert, “the world’s first kitchenless restaurant”, aims to make this community visible to the outside world for one weekend. On three days between 18:00 and 22:00, IJburg Serveert offers three-course meals that are all prepared in the kitchens of local home cooks, and delivered to the diners’ tables by bike messengers.
The project is the oeuvre of urban design and communications agency Golfstromen, who were asked by architecture institute ARCAM to explore the possibility of urban space usage on the currently disused shore of the island. Essentially, their idea sprang up out of the Thuisafgehaald (Shareyourmeal) website, on which enthusiastic, and not to mention extremely competent, home cooks open up their kitchens for those who want to order good food at reasonable prices from their neighbours. IJburg Serveert will take Thuisafgehaald’s concept to the next level. They have rallied a troupe of the district’s finest home cooks, who will prepare their signature dishes, whilst a team of whirlwind TringTring cyclists will pick up and deliver this food to the beach-side abode.
The home cooks of IJburg Serveert
The entire project opens up possibilities for restaurant dining venues in obscure but innovative places, whilst investigating possible uses for unoccupied land. The project will also stimulate local talent and potentially, a local economy, which could reap the currently untapped capacity of sharing economies. Alongside a boost in local entrepreneurship, the project explores new and better standards in sustainable and waste free approaches to dining, whilst generating social cohesion within the community, and a project the locals and beyond can both revel in and enjoy.
For those interesting in dining at IJburg Serveert, a reservation is required. Click here for more information.
