Philly Plain Dealer

Jenny Phetxayrat and Quentin Zimbalist are adding to Philadelphia’s culinary scene with their own Thai – Laos influenced pop up dinner series. Objects: In Dinner is a pop up dinner concept that aims to bring the duo’s ability to showcase their cooking skills and commitment to fostering community through dining. 

These two started out by just hosting dinner parties for friends for enjoyment. Over time their food and ability to bring everyone together was well received by the individuals invited. From there, Zimbalist and Phetxayarat had the idea to reach out to different venues to attempt to make this happen on a bigger scale. Zimbalist relayed that the process of attaining a venue is challenging as these two are new to the Philadelphia culinary scene. 

“Our shared passion for cooking for friends creates a strong foundation. Our styles compliment each other, elevating the dining experience. Through collaboration and mutual inspiration, we harmoniously blend our techniques,”  Said Phetxayrat

Their first pop up dinner held at Triple Bottom Brewing received positive feedback and tremendous enthusiasm. Giving Jenny and Quentin a head of steam and motivation to keep the idea going, and further enhance their approach.On September 16th they will be hosting their second dinner pop up at Forin Coffee and Wine shop in East Kensington. Following the dinner there will be a DJ-powered party, by local Philadelphia DJ Baejawn.

Jenny Phetxayrat grew up in a Laos and Thai household learning various recipes and ideas from her mother. She often calls her mother about recipes, ingredients and instructions on how to recreate specific dishes. This translates to dinner guests experiencing Jenny’s cultural history. Jenny and Quentin test the dishes and see whether or not they’re worth running for dinner. 

Phetxayrat further relayed that in the process of recreating these dishes, Quentin is the one who will usually throw his own twist on the dish. However, the goal is to maintain the cultural integrity for all dishes.

“We both just love to cook. We love experimenting and refining our craft, and we are definitely both still learning every day,” Zimbalist

To attend an Objects dinner one must reserve seating through the Resy platform when the dinners are announced via their Instagram page. The Objects: In Dinner pop ups seat around 60 individuals. Jenny and Quentin prefer to have the seatings in incremental time slots. This is so everyone in attendance gets each meal off the 4-course menu at the same time, and can share the experience of each course.

“As we grow, our core values will remain, we’re aiming to have a memorable presence in Philly, while also spreading our concepts to innovation with a bigger audience,” Said Phetxayrat

While the series is relatively young and continues to grow they’re still refining the process. 

That being said, Jenny and Quentin are all in on teaming up with locals in the community , mixing ideas, adapting to different concepts, and fostering connections along their journey. Their vision currently is about crafting food and giving a culinary experience that hits home for all. 

For more information, Visit the @objectsindinner page on Instagram