Current Backyard: answering product questions through a taste

Project location: Los Angeles · Williamsburg · Prospect Park · Project context: 2025 · Prepared by POPUP from the project archive in October 2026.

People had practical questions about electric cooking. Current Backyard's Grill-Off placed the answer beside the product, with chefs cooking and visitors tasting within a familiar food-market setting.

How can a live demonstration help people understand a new product?

The campaign recap captures the questions people brought to the experience: how hot electric grills get, what they can cook and where they can be used. Watching a chef and tasting the result made those questions tangible.

Make electric cooking something guests can taste across the market. Participating vendors and a punch-card discovery activity created reasons to explore, while the Current tasting area paired live demonstrations with an optional sign-up.

Current Backyard · The Smorgasburg Grill-Off
Current Backyard · The Smorgasburg Grill-Off

Turn the market into the experience

The program appeared in Downtown Los Angeles, Williamsburg and Prospect Park. Participating food vendors cooked on Current products, while a punch-card activity invited guests to discover the dishes and move through the market.

Answer the product question with a taste

At the Current area, a chef demonstrated the grills, griddles and pizza ovens while visitors sampled the food. Cooking and conversation put practical questions about electric heat, recipes and everyday use directly beside the products.

Connect participation with a next step

Product exploration, games and incentives gave guests ways to engage at the stand. An optional sign-up created a measurable follow-up opportunity, while photographs and edited clips documented the experience beyond the event.

The planning lesson

Choose the questions the demonstration needs to answer. Put the product, expert and result close together so the conversation is grounded in what guests can see and taste. Keep any follow-up invitation optional and clear at the point of interaction.

Who delivered the experience

Brand activation and guest engagement across Smorgasburg market experiences, connecting the demonstration area, sampling, product discovery and content capture.

Created with Current Backyard, Smorgasburg and participating local food vendors. The film documents the Los Angeles activation.

What the experience made possible

Live demonstrations and tasting gave guests an approachable way to explore electric outdoor cooking in the setting of a neighborhood food market.

Project questions

Where did the experience take place?

Current Backyard: Los Angeles · Williamsburg · Prospect Park.

What was the delivery scope?

Brand activation; Product demonstration; Chef-led sampling; Guest engagement; Content capture.

Further reading

For the wider event and campaign context: