By Monica Thompson Fragale
Contributing Writer

Kennett Square’s Open Up Supper Club lives up to its name, opening up conversations between its attendees and opening up their palates to five courses of vegetarian food inspired by the theme of the month.

“You’re opening up your mind, and you’re opening up to eat,” said founder and Kennett Square resident Julie Hazzard. A description on the supper club’s Instagram page (@openupsupperclubllc) invites people to “connect, converse, and create community over a shared meal and a thought-provoking topic.”

Whether it’s the dinner or the new brunch, also offered monthly, Open Up lives up to the vision that Hazzard and co-founder Louise Hastings had when they started.

“We hope to create connection and community among people who may not otherwise have crossed paths, and in doing so help people feel seen and heard and valued,” according to the supper club’s Vision Statement. “Our goal is to have the guests leave feeling full physically from their meal and full emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.”

On a recent Saturday night in mid-March, Kennett Square Borough resident Patty Hillkirk joined seven other people around a long table at Chaikhana Chai in Kennett Square. The theme of the night was Ireland, and the five courses celebrated the Emerald Isle.

Hillkirk praised the “great food and the connections” that are present at each gathering of the Open Up Supper Club.

As each course was brought out, Hazzard explained what it was. The meal, which lasted more than two hours, began with parsnip and oregano fritters, followed by caramelized rutabaga and honey soup, and a third course of an Irish Flag salad.

At that point she offered the eight people at the meal a chance to change spots to get to know new people, saying in an interview the response to that suggestion has been surprisingly good at previous meals.

“People are always a little unsure of it but grateful after the fact that after the third course I offer to switch four people in their seats so that if you didn’t get a chance to talk to somebody at the other end, you will by the end,” Hazzard said.

The main course at March’s dinner were garlic roasted cabbage steaks and Colcannon potatoes. The literal icing on the cake was the dessert of chocolate Irish cream cake, complete with a green, sugar-formed shamrock on top of each slice.

Robin and Bruce Chipman spent their 39th wedding anniversary at the supper club. Robin had been three times before, and Jeff once before, most recently for Valentine’s Day.

“I was pretty blown away by the way Julie serves,” Robin said, snapping pictures of each course. “The presentation is gorgeous.”

“I love the creative aspect,” Hazzard said, and it’s obvious by the meticulously plated meals and the courses centered around the theme, as well as by the excitement in her voice as she describes scouring cookbooks and online recipes to try.

Hastings, who lives in Doylestown and attends about every other month, “has a big part in theme and menu planning and also cooking,” Hazzard said.

It’s also evident in the way the table is set for each event.

For the monthly dinners, held at Chaikhana Chai and featuring a different theme, Hazzard sets a long table with her mother’s white-colored Wedgewood china, a tablecloth corresponding to the theme, and conversation starters written on small pieces of chalkboard at each setting.

For Hazzard, using her mother’s china is a way to honor her and the table settings the latter received as a wedding gift.

“It makes me really happy to use those,” Hazzard said. “It’s decorative on the outside but it goes with any tables. It makes my mom really happy that we use it.”

Mary and Chris Palermo attended for the first time in March along with another couple and appreciated the ambiance that Hazzard created.

“The atmosphere and ambiance is different than going out to a restaurant with friends,” Mary said after dinner. “This is more intimate.”

Another couple, the Laus, came with the Palermos and discovered workplace connections in common with the other patrons.

“I didn’t realize all these connections,” Michael Lau said. “It’s a small world.”

He said they also appreciated the food.

“It’s the first time I’ve ever really had a full vegetarian-type meal,” Michael said. “I enjoyed it.”

The cost to attend the monthly dinner is $65 per person, and tickets can be purchased through the Open Up Instagram page (@openupsupperclubllc). Invitees can bring their own drinks as well.

April’s dinner is on April 26 and features a five-course meal centered around Erik Larson’s book, “Devil in the White City.” The courses include a Deviled Egg Trio, White Asparagus Soup, White City Pear and Gorgonzola Salad, Pinwheel Caprese Pasta, and a Cracker Jack Black and White Parfait.

Hazzard said she hopes to open up the dinners for book clubs, possibly centering a meal around books like she is with “Devil in the White City.” 

“There’s a lot of potential for exciting things,” Hazzard said. “Tell me the book, and then I could do a little research and figure out ways to make it fun and interesting for them.”

Monthly brunches are now held at Fairville Friends School, where Hazzard previously worked. Information about all the meals can be found on the Instagram page.

March’s brunch commemorated the awakening of spring, with dishes like herbed parmesan muffins, a wild mushroom and gouda tarts, and a cinnamon bundt cake. The featured speaker was horticultural enthusiast Laura Judd.

For folks who have wanted to travel to try foods from other cultures, look no further than Open Up Supper Club, according to previous attendees.

Hillkirk first came to the November dinner which featured “A Celebration of Italy.”

“I had never been to Italy, but it really felt like I had been,” said Hillkirk, reminiscing about her first visit to friend Julie Hazzard’s supper club, which featured Italian-inspired vegetarian fare, wine pairings, and a speaker. “I absolutely loved it.”

It usually takes Julie several days prior to the event to prepare what she’ll need. Often aided by husband Barrie, and with printed recipes in hand, she packs up their camper with the table settings and kitchen cookware and buys the groceries the day before. They arrive at Chaikhana Chai by 2:30 p.m. the day of, shortly after the establishment closes, and gets to work preparing the food and cleaning up and laying out the space.

Often it takes several hours after the evening meal ends for Julie and crew to clean and pack up. It’s a good problem, she says, when the dinner guests linger after and talk more with each other. That’s one of the reasons why she starts the dinner a half-hour earlier, at 6 p.m.

“Yes, we’re hosting it but it’s everybody’s community who shows up,” she said. “I love the thought of bringing people together like that.”

For more information on Open Up Supper Club, search for @OpenUpSupperClubLLC on Instagram.