Lesbian-centered spaces and events across the states aren’t just rare. They also often suffer from cisgender men flooding the crowds once designed for women – a problem Connie Hartsock, a local chef, dreamed of remedying. 

Hartsock is the lead chef for Poco Pop-Ups: a pop-up kitchen touring Louisville, hosting events at various bars, and giving back to the community. One of her most popular events is Behind the Pink Door, a sapphic meet up in Louisville at The Pearl of Germantown. As a chef, Hartsock says she aims to “cross-pollinate traditional preparations with local ingredients for dishes that are authentic to both their worldly origins and our Kentucky setting” – just like how she fuses elements of both queer and culinary culture.

The Pearl has hosted Hartsock and her Poco collaborator and bartender Bri Hlava since Behind The Pink Door’s creation in March of 2024, supported by a longtime friendship with bartender Susie Hoyt. On the last Thursday of the month, The Pearl invites lesbians and queer partygoers to spend an exciting night complete with dancing to music curated by DJ Slim Thicc (also known as Kayla Meisner), drinking cocktails designed by Hlava, and savoring dishes cooked by Hartsock. 

Chef Connie Hartsock of Poco Pop-Ups prepares food at an outdoor event in Louisville. Hartsock is the creator of Behind the Pink Door, a monthly lesbian-centered event at The Pearl that celebrates queer community through food and music. Photo by Taylor Cochran

“[Behind the Pink Door is] a space for people to show up and be themselves and not have to worry about any kind of constraints. You’re not having to code-switch for coworkers or family,” Hartsock says. “You could just be authentically yourself and not have to worry about anything like that.”

Hartsock remembers “wild nights of dancing on top of the bar… only to have it end abruptly” – a pattern that’s been seen in the ending of many queer events across Louisville. These losses include Magnolia Bar’s unofficial ‘gay night’ and the closing of noodle and tea shop Pink Door, which inspired the name of Behind The Pink Door as well the tradition of reserving weeknights for queer empowerment and enjoyment. 

“A lot of lesbian driven bars or pockets of bars typically get overrun with men,” Hartstock says. “The Pearl has done a really good job to try and diminish that… People feel comfortable to come here and be themselves.” 

On the final Thursday of each month, crowds surge through The Pearl to experience exactly that.

“Have fun. Dance. Get some food. You could just come hang out by the fire. You don’t have to drink,” Hartsock advises. “Just have fun and be yourself.”

In her experience, Behind The Pink Door doesn’t just empower your current self: it helps inspire self-improvement and exploration as well. She credits running Behind The Pink Door’s social media pages for improving her relationship with the local queer community, and prides herself and her project for its recent community outreach initiatives.

“We’ve brought in Volunteers of America to do free HIV testing and sex education at events, held fundraisers for gender affirming care, and [gave] complimentary massages,” she said.

For over a year now, Behind The Pink Door has also boosted Poco Pop-Ups’ success. 

Hartstock has been asked to do a cooking show for Louisville pride, teaching easy and affordable meals geared towards those who may have been lost or disconnected from their families and never had someone to teach them basic cooking skills. 

“We also provide those meals and others to the Louisville Pride Food Pantry, which is an awesome program for queer people to get free meals, no questions asked,” she said. “We also just got funding for our partnership with Louisville Youth Group and The LEE Initiative to do youth culinary classes … to queer kids ages 5 through 24.”

These community contributions and outreach initiatives are all thanks to Hartsock’s original dream: to continue meaningful traditions and curate safe spaces for the lesbian community. 

“I love Behind The Pink Door because there are so few lesbian and queer spaces,” Gabrielle L., a local student and an avid supporter of the event, said. “Being there feels like pure queer joy. I’m looking forward to it every month.”

Gabrielle and their queer friends have dubbed the final Thursday of each month as “the lesbian holiday” – a night of unrivaled fun, freedom, and queer community. 

“Behind The Pink Door is unlike anything I’ve ever been to,” Gabrielle said. “I am so grateful for it.”

Lesbians, sapphic women, and trans and nonbinary people interested in a truly inclusive, colorful, and queer night can experience Behind The Pink Door this month on October 30th. The Pearl opens at 4 p.m., Hartsock serves stunning dishes at 6 p.m., DJ Slim Thicc kicks off her set at 9 p.m., and unabashed queer joy flows free until the event ends at 1 a.m.