A restaurant dream that started on the soccer field among three dads watching their daughters play has now become a reality with the April 5 opening of Bia Kitchen on North 21st Street in Purcellville.
Eric Major, John Wolff and Shane O’Connor first met while their daughters played soccer together. They and their wives Lara Major, Lisa Wolff and Liz O’Connor became good friends and discussed how they would love to one day open a European-style restaurant, with O’Connor as the head chef.
At the time, O’Connor owned and was the chef at the Blackthorne Inn in Upperville, which he eventually sold in 2016. Major has since sold his company, K2M, a global medical device company based in Leesburg. Wolff is co-owner of Loudoun Insurance Group.
As their plans evolved beyond discussions on the soccer field, they decided to take a trip to Ireland, where O’Connor grew up before moving to the United States at the age of 16. In the fall of 2018, their vision took shape.
In November 2019, they found the perfect space in a historic building, dating to about 1910, located at 108 N. 21st St. in downtown Purcellville. The building housed Shamrock Music Shoppe, then Jack’s Run Brewery.
They began construction on the building one month before the COVID-19 pandemic began in February 2020. A renovation which was slated to take about six to eight months ended up lasting over two years.
The building was a “major reconstruction,”which involved taking the building down to the studs and even below the flooring level, O’Connor said.
“Everything is new except for the bricks,” he said.
Bia Kitchen’s concept is European throughout and accented with handmade woodwork shipped directly from Ireland. The floors have been replaced with white oak hardwood. Other materials include fabric from Belgium on the dining chairs, Oxford leather on the bench seats, Silestone from Amalfi, Italy, and hand painted tile from Spain.
Providing a local touch, Purcellville artists Patricia Taylor and Tanya Cochran have their artwork on display around the restaurant.
O’Connor has created a team of trusted former colleagues including Nick Forlano, who previously owned Forlano’s in The Plains and will serve as co-executive chef, and Chad Crumley, who previously worked at The Ashby Inn in Paris, Va. The team also includes his sister, Sharon O’Connor, who worked with him at The Blackthorne Inn.
The creative, rustic menu will change weekly and is designed around what locally-sourced produce, meats, poultry and fish are seasonally available, O’Connor said.
The menu includes small plates and featured entrees for dinner. For lunch, there will be sandwiches and salads and some smaller entree items. The restaurant will also serve Sunday brunch, he said. Everything on the menu is homemade, including most of the breads. The dessert selections will be made in-house and will change weekly.
Upstairs, there is a separate cocktail lounge area for guests waiting for a table in the 48-seat dining room.
The main attraction and gathering space is the long bar which serves a centerpiece in the room and is surrounded by banquette style seating along the walls and front windows, providing a New Orleans or French-style vibe.
The wine list includes about 90 bottles, most European and some from the West Coast. On tap, there are four signature beers and ciders including from Guinness, Magnus, Smithwicks Ale and Boddingtons Ale.
Overall, their vision is designed to serve as a generational destination for many years to come.
“A lot of thought was put into this. It’s a vision we have had for many years,” O’Connor said.
