Read Design

Notes: On The Road With Rivian’s New Travel Kitchen

The auto brand’s culinary operations specialist, Alexandra Doody, on elevating the glamping and tailgating experiences

Emily Gerard

22 August 2024

For adventurous spirits whose tastes are a little more elevated than camping in a tent, the concept of “glamping” has opened up a whole new way to enjoy the great outdoors. I like to think of myself as a low-ish maintenance type, but the truth is, this New Yorker wants creature comforts even when she’s out in nature. I can only endure so much oatmeal stirred in a coffee cup, especially when I’m hiking all day. So when I got wind of Rivian’s new Travel Kitchen accessory, which is designed to enable the preparation of gourmet meals wherever your vehicle takes you, I couldn’t wait to see how it could enhance my summer vacation.

“My favorite part about the travel kitchen is simply that it can go wherever,” Rivian’s culinary operations specialist, Alexandra Doody, tells me. “As long as you have a 120 volt outlet, you’re golden.” Doody had a hand in developing the Travel Kitchen, a cooktop that features two induction burners and can fit on any tabletop surface, although it’s of course optimized for Rivian’s own tailgates. “I think it’s a wonderful accessory for people to still be a part of the Rivian brand even if they don’t have a Rivian,” she continues. Made of eco-friendly materials, “it’s a really nice way to be able to cook sustainably and safely. It’s great for sporting events, or grilling at the park without the need for coal and firewood. It makes it easy to bring people together over meals pretty much anywhere.”

I was eager to put it to the test out in the wild, but I wanted to minimize my margin for error. I headed to the gorgeous Under Canvas glamping outpost near Acadia National Park, which has a full-service restaurant on site—just in case the Travel Kitchen failed me. It folded up easily in a carrying case like a veritable Mary Poppins bag of handy extras, including dimmable string lights and retractable poles for nighttime cooking, a cutting board and drawers and inserts to help keep utensils organized.

I had Doody to thank for that thoughtful touch. When the Travel Kitchen was in early stages of development, she was asked to use it in a parking lot and weigh in on the design. “In any regular kitchen you have all your tools and extra things that you don’t have when you’re on the road in the middle of nowhere,” she says. “So I was like, maybe we should have some holders so that when we fold this up people can store their knives, silverware, can openers and corkscrews. I got to feel it out and give the engineers the input of the little things that are really, really necessary when it comes to this portable kitchen.” The end result is impressively streamlined and fits in any trunk. I personally enjoyed the option to store it in the Rivian’s “frunk,” or front trunk, a convenient storage space.

It was almost time to watch the sun set over the Maine coastline by the time I was ready to make my first meal. Doody shared a delicious one-bowl recipe for zucchini corn fritters with avocado chipotle sauce—which we’ve included down below. “It is something that’s a little more elevated than your regular camping dish,” she says. “I try to create recipes that are approachable and not too much prep but are surprising to have in an outdoor or remote area where you just don’t expect something like that.” Indeed, not many campers cobbling together meals out of trail mix and granola bars are used to feasting on hot veggie fritters outside their tent. The Travel Kitchen is a game-changer for us glampers.

Over the course of my trip, I found myself reaching for it often. I picked up a grilled cheese to go for a hike on Cadillac Mountain, but by the time I reached the summit, the sandwich had gone a bit soggy and I only ate half. Returning to Under Canvas, I pulled out the Travel Kitchen and reheated it in the pan, grateful to enjoy it in all its gooey, golden splendor. Leftover fries got the same treatment, crisping back up beautifully on the cooktop. I found the setup as easy as promised, and appreciated features like the prep space that’s designed to remain level and stable. Plus, not needing propane or an open flame to make my meals reduced carbon emissions and minimized the risk of a cooking fire.

My efforts had been rewarding and satisfying. But for my last meal of the trip, it was time to heed the siren call of a lobster roll. I packed up the Travel Kitchen once more and headed to the bustling restaurant I’d been doing my best to ignore in the main gathering area of the Under Canvas campus. My lobster roll became a complete meal with an appetizer of local mussels in a chorizo broth that my lovely server brought me and cleared away while I didn’t lift a finger except, you know, to put food in my mouth. 

The Travel Kitchen is available now for $1,400. Look out for Rivian’s expanding Adventure Gear assortment coming soon.

Alexandra Doody’s Zucchini Corn Fritters with Avocado Chipotle Sauce

Fritter
4 large eggs
4 cups shredded zucchini-squeeze water out in cheese cloth
3/4 cup yellow onion-shaved thinly
4 cups corn kernels
1.5 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp black pepper
4 tsp salt
2 cups Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free all-purpose flour (have additional on the side in case needed)
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Sauce
½ cup mayonnaise
1 cup avocado, mashed
2 tsp chipotle powder
2 tsp dried oregano
1 garlic cloves, minced
4 tsp lime juice
1 bunch Cilantro, finely chopped
Lime zest
Salt and Pepper to taste

In a large bowl, add the egg and beat them until combined. Add the shredded zucchini, onion, and sweet corn, and mix to combine all the ingredients. Add the garlic powder, cayenne pepper, black pepper, flour, salt, baking powder, and Parmesan cheese. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet to form a wet batter.

Heat 3 tbsp of avocado oil over medium heat in a skillet. Once the oil is hot, scoop 1-ounce (or 2 tbsp) dollops of batter into the skillet. Press the batter out into roughly 3-inch round fritters, leaving at least 1-inch between each fritter. Pan fry the fritters, flipping once until they are golden brown on both sides, 3-4 minutes per side.

Once the fritters are finished, place them on a serving platter and sprinkle with a little bit more salt.

For the chipotle sauce:

Combine the mayonnaise, avocado, chipotle powder, dried oregano, salt, cilantro, minced garlic, and lime juice. Whisk until smooth and serve with fritters.