Kitchen Surfing
DefunctBrooklyn, US Β· Founded 2012 Β· 3 known investors
KitchenSurfing is a product recommendation resource for cooking and kitchen items, reviewing products from manufacturers based on quality checks, manufacturer reputation, and user feedback.
Also known as Kitchensurfing Β· KitchenSurfing.com
Founders & leadership
Kitchen Surfing was founded in 2012 by Borahm Cho.
Investors Β· 3
Reported raises Β· per SEC filings
Form D private placements$14.9M disclosed across 1 of 3 rounds Β· 2013β2014
βΆ$14.9MraisedApr 2014 Β· 10 investors Β· Other TechnologyRule 506(b)
- Andrew WeissmanDirector
- Moshe KoyfmanDirector
- Chris MuscarellaExecutive Officer, Director
- Offering amount
- $15M
- Amount sold
- $14.9M
- First sale
- Mar 2014
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware, 2012
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
Source: SEC EDGAR Form D. Amounts as filed; amended filings shown once at their latest values.
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Kitchensurfing operated an online marketplace that connected people with professional and amateur chefs who would cook meals in a host's kitchen. Members could book a chef, arrange cooking lessons, offer their own kitchen as a venue, or barter β for example, a kitchen owner might host a chef in exchange for a seat at the table. Listed spaces ranged from loft apartments to airplane hangars. The company described itself as making the arrangements online so that the cooking and eating could happen in person.
The service was initially built around bookings made days in advance for at-home dinner parties. In 2015 it shifted to an on-demand model. Neither model generated sustainable demand for a venture-backed business, and the company competed against better-capitalized meal-kit firms such as Blue Apron and Plated and restaurant-delivery services including DoorDash, Postmates and Caviar. Kitchensurfing discontinued operations after April 15, 2016.
The kitchensurfing.com domain is currently used for an unrelated content site publishing cooking-product reviews, buying guides and recipes, alongside articles on unrelated topics such as finance, gaming and travel; that site describes itself as a research resource that screens products by manufacturer reputation, customer feedback and suitability, and attributes editorial work to Joe Hughes.
Founding story
Four founders in New York City started the company: Wendel Davis, a serial entrepreneur; Chris Muscarella, a tech company founder and Brooklyn restaurateur; Lars Kluge, a web developer; and Borahm Cho, a product designer. Muscarella and Cho met during one of Cho's visits to New York while Cho was living in Berlin, shortly after Cho purchased the kitchensurfing.com domain, and agreed to start the company over a couple of beers. The team began work in earnest in January and tested the concept before an official launch planned for April/May, with the company founded in 2012.
Business model
Two-sided marketplace matching chefs with hosts/customers for in-home meals, cooking lessons and events; hosts could also offer their kitchens, including on a barter basis rather than for cash.
Marketplace commission on bookings. A chef quoted in a 2014 blog comment thread said Kitchensurfing's cut was 10% of the booking, with the model structured as food cost plus the chef's charge; this figure is an unverified third-party comment.
Traction
By 2014 the company had expanded from New York to Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and Berlin. An aggregator profile listed 11-50 employees and roughly 15.7K monthly website visits as of late 2014. Investor Fred Wilson published a first-hand account of a Kitchensurfing dinner in August 2014. Demand ultimately proved insufficient to sustain the venture-backed business.
Latest developments
The service shut down on April 15, 2016. The kitchensurfing.com domain now hosts an unrelated cooking-product review and content website, with product roundups dated 2021 and later articles spanning food, home and non-food topics.
βΈFull profile β market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history, risks & controversies
Market position
One of several venture-funded entrants in the on-demand food and private-chef category. It was described as a well-funded startup in a crowded market that also included in-home chef services such as La Belle Assiette abroad and, more broadly, meal-kit and restaurant-delivery companies.
Positioned around in-person, in-home cooking experiences rather than food delivery, with flexibility on who could participate β any skill level of cook and any type of kitchen β and support for non-cash barter arrangements.
Technology
A web marketplace with chef profile pages and published menus that customers could browse, book and customize; the founding team included a web developer and a product designer.
Go-to-market
Launched with pre-launch testing in early 2012 and concentrated first on New York City, using its own and friends' kitchens, meetups, an early event that drew at least 50 chefs and more than a dozen food photographers, plus Facebook, Twitter and blogging. Later expanded city by city after raising Series B capital.
Consumers hosting dinner parties or wanting restaurant-quality meals at home, people seeking cooking instruction, owners of underused kitchens, and chefs of varying skill levels β from culinary-school graduates to home cooks β seeking work or venues.
Geography
Headquartered in New York City, with early operations in Brooklyn (Gowanus) and a Berlin presence; after the 2014 Series B it expanded to Boston, Chicago and Los Angeles as well as Berlin.
History
Founded in 2012 in New York City, Kitchensurfing raised $3.5 million led by Union Square Ventures in April 2013 and a $15 million Series B led by Tiger Global Management with Union Square Ventures and Spark Capital in April 2014, using the proceeds to expand to Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and Berlin. In December 2014 former Zynga executive Jon Tien replaced co-founder Chris Muscarella as CEO. The business moved to an on-demand model in 2015 and discontinued operations after April 15, 2016, having raised nearly $20 million in total. Muscarella had left the company more than a year before the shutdown and subsequently ran a cast-iron skillet Kickstarter campaign that raised more than $1.6 million.
Risks & controversies
The primary documented risk materialized: neither the advance-booking nor the on-demand model produced enough demand to sustain a venture-backed company, and the firm faced competition from better-capitalized meal-kit and restaurant-delivery players. The company initially posted a maintenance message on its site, changing it to a shutdown notice only after press inquiries; the founder and the sitting CEO declined or did not respond to requests for comment.
Compiled by commissioned research from 6 cited public sources β announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed β not independently audited.
Timeline Β· 6
launches, deals, and filingsThe company shut down after April 15, 2016; a site notice cited ending service and discontinuing operations after four years of operation.
The company moved from advance bookings of chefs for at-home dinner parties to an on-demand service model.
Kitchensurfing brought on Jon Tien from Zynga as chief executive, replacing co-founder Chris Muscarella in the CEO role.
Series B led by Tiger Global Management with participation from existing investors Union Square Ventures and Spark Capital; funds used to expand from New York to Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and Berlin.
$15M source β
Following the $15M Series B, the company expanded operations from New York to Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and Berlin.
Per an S.E.C. filing, the NYC- and Berlin-based marketplace for finding professional chefs raised $3.5 million in a round led by Union Square Ventures.
$3.5M source β
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
In the news
βΈResearch sources Β· 6
primary sources listed
- Kitchen Surfingkitchensurfing.com Β· web
6 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Kitchen Surfing do?
- Kitchensurfing was a New York-based marketplace for booking private chefs to cook in customers' homes; it shut down in April 2016.
- Who founded Kitchen Surfing?
- Kitchen Surfing was founded by Borahm Cho in 2012.
- Who are Kitchen Surfing's investors?
- Kitchen Surfing's investors include Union Square Ventures (USV), Spark Capital, Tiger Global Management.
- How much funding has Kitchen Surfing raised?
- Kitchen Surfing has disclosed $14.9M raised across 1 of its 3 known rounds.
- Where is Kitchen Surfing headquartered?
- Kitchen Surfing is headquartered in Brooklyn, US.