The Kitchen in Columbus, Ohio, hosts team-building sessions, client dinners, meetings, holiday parties, rehearsal dinners and wedding celebrations for up to 140 seated guests or 150 at a cocktail reception. The main room is at 231 E. Livingston Avenue in German Village, just south of downtown, and a second space, The Studio, is a few doors down at number 237.
Seminars and company events
The format that sets the venue apart is what it calls a Participatory Dining Experience. Instead of being served, the group cooks the meal together under the guidance of the kitchen team, then sits down to eat it. Companies book it as a team-building activity on its own or as the second half of a working day. Shorter competitive formats are also offered, including a Flatbread Challenge, a Sauce Boss contest and a dessert bake-off, and these can be added before or after a meeting.
For more conventional business days, the venue runs half-day meetings and full-day retreats with breakout sessions and a coffee and tea bar. The Studio is the room suggested for this kind of work, with natural light and a floor plan that can be rearranged, and breakfast, lunch and afternoon snacks can be served there. Client and staff appreciation dinners, networking evenings, post-meeting happy hours and holiday parties complete the corporate offer. Holiday parties can take the form of a cocktail party, a buffet or a cook-together dinner. Board meetings and fundraisers are also on the list.
Weddings and receptions
Weddings, rehearsal dinners and related events are a regular part of the calendar. The venue suggests several formats: a small family dinner that opens into a welcome party for the full guest list, an engagement party with hors d'oeuvres, a brunch-style shower with a mimosa bar, or a cooking evening for a bachelor or bachelorette party. The Studio is offered for micro weddings and elopement ceremonies.
Rooms and capacities
The Kitchen covers 3,600 square feet built around an open kitchen, with exposed brick walls, plants and architectural details reclaimed from the early twentieth century. It seats 140 guests or holds 150 for a standing reception, and it has a full audio-visual setup with surround sound. The Studio, at 237 E. Livingston Avenue, has its own entrance, daylight and a flexible layout. The website does not publish its capacity.
Catering
All food is prepared in house. Menus are written for each event, draw on local suppliers and are cooked from scratch. A full bar serves wine, cocktails, mocktails and local beer and spirits. Menus for the cooking experience are sent on request.
History and setting
German Village is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Columbus, with brick houses and narrow streets. The venue occupies a historic building there, and its interiors keep the brick and salvaged details of that period. Because both rooms sit on the same block of E. Livingston Avenue, a group can split a day between a working session in The Studio and dinner in The Kitchen.
Getting there
The venue is a short drive from downtown Columbus, and the two rooms are a short walk from each other. John Glenn Columbus International Airport is the nearest airport.
