FARMINGDALE — Providing fresh, simple and wholesome food to the community is what owners Daniel and Anthony Vrgoc are doing at Harvest restaurant.
Harvest, 83 Main St., Farmingdale, opened on Nov. 1. The Vrgoc brothers grew up in Manalapan. Daniel now lives in Point Pleasant, and Anthony resides in Jackson.
Daniel said he has always had a passion for food, especially cuisine that is freshly made.
“After spending the last 13 years in residential construction, I knew I had to follow my love for freshly prepared food. In the past, I traveled to Napa Valley, Calif., and fell in love with the seasonal food they have there,” he said.
“One of my goals with Harvest is to bring the northern California feel of fresh food to New Jersey and to provide food from farmers markets to patrons.”
The name Harvest was inspired by seasonal food items that people only get to experience at certain times of the year.
“My brother and I got the name Harvest from knowing that certain local seasonal items come out at particular times in the year. We are looking forward to having seasonal items. … The name lets people know we have those seasonal selections available,” Daniel said.
“We chose Farmingdale because of the area’s surrounding agricultural industry and because it is a great location near several major highways. We were able to contact several large farms in the area for our products.”
He said the restaurant’s grass-fed beef comes from Skillman, and the chicken is hormone- and antibiotic-free from Bell and Evans in Pennsylvania.
“Fruits and vegetables are tough to get during this time of the year in New Jersey, but as spring and summer roll around, we will source our product from local farms,” Daniel said.
Highlights on the menu include seasonal items such as pumpkin soup; pork chops dressed in cranberry and red onion; beef short ribs; and “zoodles,” a dish of yellow and green zucchini noodles with an asparagus pesto sauce.
Desserts are made at the restaurant.
“We make our own ice cream, and one of our desserts right now is the Harvest Napoleon, which is slices of Granny Smith and Red Delicious apples with mascarpone cheese, cinnamon, pecans and a drizzle of honey,” he said.
Individuals with special dietary needs can be accommodated, and the owners expect to offer additional gluten-free items in the future.
Harvest is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner. For more information, visit Harvest Local Seasonal Cuisine on Facebook or call 732-919-3276.
Contact Taylor M. Lier at [email protected].