Chef-driven menu. Made from scratch dishes. Quality ingredients. Those three phrases are the essence of inspirational culinary creations at Verbena BYOB in Kennett Square.
Like a winning race car driver spends ample time finetuning an engine's performance before revving the power for flying starts, Verbena's owner and Executive Chef Scott Morozin prepares meticulously for each cooking shift. "I view each evening as an opportunity to introduce more people to what I know to be the best foods. I'm the vessel to concise dishes, and I aim not to miss. It's great to do what you love."
"Verbena is the platform for me to express an unwavering desire for new ideas, new flavor combinations, new methods and new people," says Scott. "Removing barriers, breaking old habits and restructuring the existing into something better is the goal. It’s not just a piece of fish, a cup of coffee, any mundane day of the week. It’s something special. Always."
He also intonates, “Cook with heart and soul, and everything else will fall in place.”
This hands-on chef enjoys using food as a way to help people open back up after the COVID-19 pandemic. He also savors working with the range of products that local farmers share. "When I'm cooking, an emotional sense takes over. I'm always in a better mood when cooking, happy really," he adds.
Verbena customer reviews often cite Scott’s attention to detail and creativity as what makes a meal there a memorable experience.
His culinary capabilities commenced in earnest at age 24, where he attended the Culinary Institute of America. He then studied with several prestigious chefs in the Philadelphia region. Now he offers a seasonally inspired menu so diners can take their taste buds on genuine journeys each and every meal.
Verbena's intimate setting includes 36 seats on the dining room floor, making it an excellent ambiance for romantic dates, as noted by customers. The eatery's ever-evolving menu includes prix fixe three-courses, six-course tasting options and family-style meals.
Scott dedicates himself to changing the way his guests see food through his artistic gastronomic plates, including his catering choices. Similar to his eclectic musical tastes, his cuisine is steeped in local culinary dialect. "Cuisine is regional and relative. Our restaurant dishes are authentic, and as close to Chester County's culture as possible. Why not celebrate that and make the restaurant a destination in itself? Why would you not?" he poses.
With a pro-smaller theory approach to food that isn't confined to predetermined menus, this chef proclaims he stays in the present, focused on quality, not mass productions. He says he loves it when guests tell me his unique dishes inched them out of their comfort zones to try food they don't believe they typically would have chosen from menus.
He proclaims Verbena servers also are second to none, with dedication and determination to engaging with diners in respectful yet high-caliber ways.
Examples of food purveyors with whom Chef Scott partners are:
- Flying Plow Farms (organic seasonal vegetables)
- Coverdale Farm Preserve (lettuces/salad mixes, herbs, kales)
- Creekstone Farms (premium Black Angus Beef and Duroc pork products)
- Conebella Farm (Cheddar, Colby and 14 varieties of raw milk cheeses)
- Keiser’s Pheasantry (ducks, hens, turkeys)
- Bright Spot Urban Farms
- Fiddle Creek Dairy (yogurt and other milk products)
- High Point Roaster (Jumping Goat Coffee)
- Rex Farm Orchard (apples, berries, peaches, hard cider)
- Cool Breeze Gourmet Greens (edible flowers, vegetables, gourmet greens)
"Summer at Verbena is like I'm a kid in a candy store. This area's bounty is so good, I don't take any ingredient as a side step," says Scott.
Verbena BYOB hours are 6-9 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays; closed Mondays and Sundays.
484.732.7932
VerbenaBYOB.com
