Two Women ‘Slow Things Down’ at Blue Table Kitchen

An empty building in Millwood got Julia Postlewait thinking. It had a purpose; she just didn’t know what it was—yet. So she started talking to her close friend, Karen Johnson, during one of the many weekly dinners their families shared at their homes. The two women both had a love for from-scratch cooking, taking cues from their gardens and the season’s harvest. They thoroughly enjoyed preparing meals together that their families would linger over, setting the stage for meaningful and often lively conversation, and bonds that would last a lifetime. What came from their dinner discussions was the idea to create a “neighborhood experience” much like what they enjoyed together every week. “Neither of us are afraid to try new things, we both love to eat, we both love to cook, so we thought, why not share our passion with our community?” said Postlewait. The result is Blue Table Kitchen, a multi-purpose communal dining/kitchen facility, which opened the weekend of June 29 just behind the original Rocket Bakery on Argonne Road. Postlewait and Johnson do all the cooking while guests do all the eating, side by side with fellow diners, whom they may or may not know. While communal dining started in the U.S. almost a decade ago, it has been slow to catch on, especially in a restaurant-style setting. On-the-move communal dining events like Wandering Table, 15, and Pop-up, organized by area executive chefs, have just sprung up in Spokane over the past couple of years, piquing adventurous diners’ interest and appetites. What Blue Table Kitchen offers is a little more tamed and economical approach to the concept. “It’s very European, we just want our diners to relax and enjoy,” says Johnson. “We hope to spread the idea of slowing down a bit, being thoughtful about a meal and just enjoying each other’s company,” adds Postlewait. “There’s no worry about what to order or what the prices are because they see the menu and pay for everything when they make their reservation, and they don’t have to worry about what wine or beer will go best with their entrée because we’ve already taken care of that for them.” Consisting simply of a partitioned kitchen and two long blue tables that seat 10 people each, the communal concept even extends to the sparse walls that are slowly but surely filling up with artwork from diners, family and friends. Upon leaving, diners are handed a canvas—if they wish to take it—and are encouraged to offer up their rendition of what “Blue Table” means to them. The results, ranging in style and talent, are a visual essay on how even though we’re all so different, we can come together under one roof and find common ground to build lasting community . The web site provides the upcoming weekend’s menus, which often follow a theme. For example, this Saturday’s menu will focus on Italian Vegetables, featuring white bean bruschetta, Portobello mushroom with breadcrumb salsa, lavender-roasted tomatoes over a bed of baby greens, grilled summer veggies over cheesy polenta and amoretti-stuffed peaches for dessert. “We both love international cooking,” said Johnson. Dinners are served every Friday and Saturday, by reservation only, and consist of four to five courses with beer and/or wine paired with each course, and French Press served with dessert. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and dinner is served at 7 p.m. Interested parties must call and make a reservation, which is held with a credit card. While adding definition to the close-knit community’s profile, Blue Table Kitchen is an exciting addition to Millwood as the only fine-dining restaurant within city limits. “Millwood has grown so much in the last few years and we’re thrilled to serve as yet another facet of the community,” said Johnson. The restaurant/kitchen also offers cooking classes every other Wednesday and rents the space out for group events six days a week. “We didn’t want to limit ourselves to being just a restaurant, that’s where the name “kitchen” comes in,” said Postlewait. “We’re open to lots of suggestions for the space…we hope to offer to-go items—especially during the holidays—we’d like to host dinners for kids going to dances, teach kids how to cook…” Postlewait and Johnson draw from a lifetime of experience when it comes to their cooking, as they both grew up with gardens out their back door and homemade cooking as the norm. Postlewait, who owns the Rocket Bakeries in Spokane with husband Jeff Postlewait, as well as Bottles, a specialty beer and wine shop next to The Rocket in Millwood, has prior experience in operating full-service restaurants as she did with Jeff in the 1980s and 90s—Jeffrie’s Deli & Coffee Bar in Spokane and Postlewait’s Pasta in Seattle. Recently, the Postlewaits were honored at EWU’s Celebration of Entrepreneurship, for their sharp business and marketing skills and for being instrumental in bringing the West Coast coffee culture and top-notch baked goods to Spokane. Johnson received formal education in the kitchen when she spent time teaching English in Iran and put those skills to use when she came home, cooking in the Alaska wild for the 30+ staff of a minerals excavation company. She then taught cooking classes for the Spokane Falls Community College Institute for Extended Learning for five years. It’s when the Postlewaits opened The Rocket Bakery in Millwood that the two women met. Johnson was teaching cooking courses at Spokane Community College and had quickly become a regular at the bakery. She needed some unbiased opinions about her cooking so she asked the Postlewaits to indulge and let her know what they thought. “Working 19-hour days those first few years, we welcomed her invitation to cook for us,” remembers Postlewait. Now the two women couldn’t be more energized about their new venture together, and the possibilities of what the future holds for Blue Table Kitchen. “We’re so excited to share what we have to offer and create this neighborhood experience for people,” said Postlewait. “We’re looking forward to having a lot fun with it.”