Kitchen Party: Billings’ busiest pop-up serves hope, humanizing community hunger [Video]

BILLINGS — On the second Friday of every month, Kirk’s Grocery is transformed by chef Ashley Woodward and her team into a pop-up pay-what-you-can restaurant called Kitchen Party.

“Anybody that thinks that food is something that you should have to earn has not been hungry,” said Woodward.

Chef Ashley Woodward’s cutting station after the first service of Friday night’s “London Calling” dinner event.

On Friday, the pop-up was themed “London Calling,” touting a British-inspired menu, and named after the 1979 Clash album; consisting of a three-course meal of the following:

Sesame and curry-crusted carrot with vegan black pudding and peas puree
Butternut squash wellington stuffed with beet nut wrapped in mushroom duck cell with puff pastry, decorated with spicy mint jelly
Florentine lace cookie stuffed with an early grey poached pear slice and vanilla peppercorn cream

“It would behoove a lot of people to, kind of, restructure their ideas about: what is a valuable society member,” said Woodward, about the guests …