Green Genius marks third anniversary with plant-based supper club in Kearny

Chef Tori Funn will celebrate three years of Green Genius with an immersive plant-based supper club on Oct. 24 at VFW Post 1302 in Kearny, New Jersey. The event combines a multi-course tasting menu, live music and botanical storytelling as the brand expands its wellness-focused dining concept.

Why it matters: - Green Genius is using its third anniversary to showcase how plant-based dining, wellness and experiential hospitality can work together in one event. - The supper club also signals the next phase for the New Jersey brand, which is expanding into catering, classes, consulting and culinary wellness education. - Seating is limited, so the event is positioned as an intimate experience rather than a standard restaurant dinner.

What happened: - Chef Tori Funn will host Garden Before Grace: The First Blessing Was the Garden on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at VFW Post 1302 in Kearny, New Jersey. - Funn is a Newark chef, U.S. Army veteran and founder of Green Genius. - The event marks three years since Funn named Green Genius on Oct. 21, 2023. - Tickets and event information are available at event details.

The details: - The experience centers on a multi-course plant-based tasting menu, live music by Segdrick Marsh & Band, botanical storytelling and an autumn-themed atmosphere. - Funn said the concept grew from a 21-day detox that changed her understanding of nourishment and helped shape Green Genius. - Funn described the event’s theme this way: “Before we learned to ask for the blessing over the food, the blessing was already growing.” - The menu follows a symbolic progression built around First Fruits, Breaking Bread, Grace, Harvest, Be Still, Gathering and Abundance. - Guests start with two flower-essence welcome mocktails: Eden, made with green apple, pear, key lime and sage; and The Offering, made with cranberry, pomegranate, hibiscus and orange. - Breaking Bread includes sourdough crostini, cultured cashew chèvre, roasted butternut squash, caramelized onions, crispy maitake, smoked maple-balsamic reduction and fresh mint. - The Hidden Jewel turns purple carrot into tartare with black garlic, browned cremini mushrooms, capers, cornichons and tarragon, topped with a plant-based yolk made from yellow tomatoes and pumpkin. - Grace is a roasted cauliflower soup with plant-based bacon lardons, spiced brioche croutons and rosemary oil. - Harvest: Sweet Dirt features golden beetroot, Granny Smith apple, toasted black walnuts, cultured cashew chèvre, peppery garden greens and cider vinaigrette. - Be Still is a lemon sgroppino made with lemon sorbet and chilled sparkling wine. - Gathering: Silk Garden Lasagna layers fresh pasta with shiitake mushrooms, charred leeks, garden greens, lemon-cashew béchamel, preserved lemon and crispy capers. - Abundance: Milk & Honey ends the tasting with vanilla coconut-milk ice cream, salted honeycomb brittle, toasted shortbread and bee-free honey caramel, plus housemade horchata. - Guests will also receive a boxed mini chocolate yule log. - The full experience is plant-based and soy-free. - Live music is intended to run from the first sip through the final course, and garden-inspired attire is encouraged. - Funn’s background includes more than 16 years of service in the U.S. Army, graduation summa cum laude from Hudson County Community College’s Culinary Arts program and later study in integrative health and holistic nutrition.

Between the lines: - Garden Before Grace ties the menu to Funn’s broader story, turning a supper club into a narrative about food, identity and wellness. - The event format also shows how Green Genius is differentiating itself from traditional catering or dinner service by emphasizing atmosphere and storytelling. - The plant-based, soy-free positioning broadens the appeal for diners who want a wellness-oriented tasting menu without sacrificing presentation or technique.

What's next: - Green Genius plans to keep developing elevated plant-forward dining experiences alongside catering, culinary wellness education, classes and consulting. - Advance reservations are required because seating is intentionally limited. - The event takes place at VFW Post 1302, 300 Belgrove Drive, Kearny, NJ 07032.