Shirley pop-up kitchen owner/operator Chef Kat Bayle.

By Fernando Cervantes Jr.

Chef Kat Bayle has worked in kitchens from San Francisco to Slovenia to Paris. For almost a year now, Bayle has been running a weekly pop-up kitchen in restaurants around Somerville and now plans to do a soft opening.

Shirley, a pop-up kitchen, which was formerly known as Blueberries for Sal, is set for a soft opening on October 16 at Union Square’s Bow Market.

According to Bayle, the pop-up revolves around locally sourced ingredients from nearby farms.

“The concept behind it is farm to table, so everything is super local and with farmers and producers and purveyors that I have a personal relationship with and have gotten to know in the past few years of living in New England,” she said.

Bayle also spoke on her reasoning behind starting this project, citing a wish to try something new due to the COVID-19 pandemic shutting most of society down.

“I started because it was something I have been thinking about doing for quite a while and I think everybody’s world got turned kind of upside down due to the pandemic. I wound up having some more time and space to do something like this,” she said.

The very spot at Bow Market where Shirley will be located.

After about a year of operating with irregular hours, the restaurant is now transitioning to a more stable schedule, opening six days a week at Bow Market.

“Everything is shifting with the seasons and shifting with the COVID, the newest part of it has been transitioning to Bow Market,” Bayle said, “I’ve been there through the summer and will be there six days a week, starting in October.”

According to Bayle, the reception from the community has been very positive, with some regulars coming to her various pop-up dinners regularly.

“It’s been great, so I’ve had some people who have been following me since the very beginning and have literally come to every single sit-down dinner that I do,” she said.

Transitioning to a permanent schedule at Bow Market will bring its benefits, not only for the operation as a whole but also for guests that have been wanting to visit the pop-up kitchen for a while. “So, I think for guests that’s going to be nice, and then for me too, that I’ll be in the same place doing the same sort of menu for five to six days a week,” Bayle said.

When asked why people should stop by and visit the kitchen, she emphasized the central role local ingredients play in the running of the kitchen. “I think because it’s super local, that’s one of the central concepts. Is that the ingredients I’m getting are super local and super seasonal and I’m also trying to be really welcoming to all dietary situations,” Bayle said.

Shirley will begin service at Bow Market on October 16, with service six days a week beginning on October 19.