Street Meat Shifts from Street Food to Fine Dining with Five-Course Event

The student-run group Street Meat has expanded from casual sidewalk bites to a gourmet dining experience, impressing a select crowd with a five-course dinner on October 19 in the backyard of Hammarskjöld.

The dinner, dubbed “Special Meat,” hosted 20 attendees who savored every course and noted the team’s evolution.

Founded by Robert Kirchenbauer ’25 and Akshay Shah ’25, who connected over a food-focused course, Street Meat started as a way to serve simple dishes like hot dogs outside fraternity houses.

As co-founder Caeden Greene ’25 explained, it was “a way to cook with my best friends and feed the communities that we create.” The group’s initial challenges included handling guests who didn’t want to pay and managing crowds.

By May 2023, they had shifted focus to catering pre-paid events, which quickly gained momentum with gigs like Stanford’s annual Stanny Awards.

At this recent dinner, Street Meat showed off its new direction. The evening kicked off with a butternut squash and pumpkin soup, paired with homemade focaccia bread, which was described by attendee Felix Fonrobert as “delicious, elevated baby food.” Zoe Bumstead ’25 noted its familiar warmth, calling it “a savory version of a pumpkin pie.”

The second course, salmon gravlax crudo, wowed guests with its artful plating. Kealia Victorino ’25 remarked, “The plating is done intentionally and artfully.” Next, a hearty kale and apple salad served family-style caught the eye of attendee Zach Zafran, who appreciated the thoughtful apple-to-cider pairing, calling it “art.”

The fourth dish of beef osso buco with risotto alla Milanese was a crowd-pleaser. Jeremy Merritt ’25 declared it “the one,” while Victorino compared the quality to that of a “Michelin restaurant,” hinting at Kirchenbauer’s own culinary experience at San Francisco’s Michelin-recognized Frances.

The final course, a sweet potato pie from Kirchenbauer’s grandmother’s recipe, rounded out the evening, leaving attendees raving about the “cherry on top of a great dinner.”

Reflecting on their progress, Shah shared, “We wanted to push ourselves,” proving that Street Meat has come a long way from street-side hot dogs to refined culinary experiences.

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