Courtesy of Agricola
The Harvest Restaurant Group started in New Jersey in 1996, and since then, has amassed a total of 14 restaurants across the state. Family-owned and -operated by the Grabowski family, the Harvest Restaurant Group is dedicated to hospitality, including at their newest location in Morristown.
The group acquired the Princeton-based farm-to-table restaurant, Agricola, in 2019. After a flooding incident at Urban Table in Morristown this year, the group decided to open a second Agricola location in its place.
Agricola, which means “farmer” in Latin, highlights local ingredients in all of their dishes, and will continue to do so in their second location. Although Urban Table of Morristown will be closed for good, its other location in Basking Ridge (temporarily closed due to dining restrictions) will remain. Its sister restaurant, 3 West, is located next door and is using Urban Table’s outdoor space for the time being.
Jackie Wills, director of public relations at the Harvest Restaurant Group, says the group hopes to continue replicating restaurant models like this in the future.
“We believe if we have a successful concept, it’s great to share that with other communities,” says Wills.
Although the ongoing pandemic has devastated the restaurant industry, Harvest focused on keeping two of their 14 restaurants open. Beyond donating meals to first responders and local community services, Harvest continued serving guests through take-out. With the reintroduction of (limited) outdoor dining, many restaurants under the Harvest umbrella were able to reopen.
Agricola is slated to open in Morristown in early 2021. Guests can expect the same experience as the Princeton location, including sourcing ingredients from local farms, fresh seafood from the Jersey shore, and other ingredients sourced from local poultry, meat and cheese purveyors.
“We are driven by quality local ingredients, genuine hospitality, and detailed service,” says Wills. “We believe in the responsibility to continue feeding all our loyal guests.”