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HIGHTSTOWN: New restaurant expected to open soon

By Amy Batista, Special Writer
HIGHTSTOWN — A new restaurant is scheduled to open its doors in the downtown, historic district the beginning of the New Year.
"Construction is underway and we are on target to open at the end of January or the beginning of February depending on when we get our stamps of approval," said Chef Rennie DiLorenzo, of Hightstown, co-owner of the restaurant in an email on Dec. 28.
Chef Paul Burroughs and I went to culinary school together, he said.
"I’m financing the operation but he’s going to have say in the menu choices," he said. "He’ll bring an American flair to the menu."
12 Farms Restaurant is located at 120 North Main Street and is about 1,500 square feet. It is located where the International Roasting Post Café was located until closing in early Oct. 2014.
"12 Farms is my first restaurant and business," he said. "However, my wife ran a successful web design business for over ten years from our home."
He said she opened up a retail space with a dual purpose, web design and art gallery, in 2009.
"When we moved to New York in 2010, the gallery space transitioned to another gallery owner," he said.
He said he has been cooking since he was three-years-old.
"As the youngest child of six, I was expected to join in and participate in preparing the family meals," he said. "My Italian mother taught me the value of fresh food as she fed the family from her own vegetable garden throughout the year. Even as a small child, I was able to knead the dough for bread, help make pasta from scratch, and critique the meals to assess what worked and what didn’t."
He said he grew up in an Italian household with a garden about the size of the restaurant.
"We grew everything in there and it kept us fed year round," he said. "We also had every type of fruit tree and berries. This meant there was always a lot of work, but, there were many hands and it made for light work."
He said they used to have races when we would peel apples or making pasta.
"Our goal was always to make the perfect meal," he said. "We worked together to create the meal, then we would critique each meal and figure out what we had to do to make it better."
He said he started working professionally when he was around 14 or 15 years old.
"I got my first job working a summer in a commercial kitchen," he said. "I remember the chef gave me a 50 pound bag of carrots to peel. I went through them and then started to clean some pots and pans since I was done. He started to look to the trash because he didn’t think I could have peeled them that quickly."
He said after that he went to college and tried to eat in the cafeteria but the food was inedible.
"I lived off of apples for three days and finally I just got a job in a restaurant," he said. "I needed some real food. I paid my way through school, so the extra income helped, and I could finally eat."
Although I worked in restaurants until I was 32, I took some time off when my son was a baby, he added.
"Now that he is 12, I am excited to get back into the kitchen," he said. "I went to culinary school, and graduated in 2013, winning the ICE (Institute of Culinary Education) Leadership award."
He said since he was a small child he always wanted to open his own restaurant.
"Although it took a while to get here, opening a restaurant now is the right time for me and my family, he said.
Our menu is primarily Italian and American offerings and will feature and highlight the foods that we get from the farms that season, he said.
"I feel so lucky to be in an area with so many great farms," he said. "For me, when I look over the menu there are several dishes that catch my eye that I think will become favorites like the lasagna bolognese, the lamb cassoulet, or salmon cooked in parchment. I know that salmon isn’t local, but this dish is so good, my son begs me to make this all the time."
He said the inspiration for 12 Farms came from the community.
"As you drive around you pass by so many beautiful farms," he said. "There is nothing better than fresh food. Whether it’s a fish that’s just caught and cooked or a fresh picked piece of fruit or vegetable, the flavors just taste better."
The name pays homage to the 12 farms that we will partner with to bring you the freshest, best food possible, he said.
"Why 12?," he said. "We want to feature a different farm each month, and hold a reception where folks can meet and learn about that farmer and his or her farm."
He said that the farms haven’t been 100 percent decided on yet.
"Once they are, their information will be available on our website and in our store," he said. "My top preference is to partner with local, organic farms that foster humane treatment of animals."
The farm-to-table genre is a growing trend which is a very good thing for everyone, he added.
"Restaurants that rely heavily on frozen or pre-made ingredients are unable to deliver honest flavors to their customers," he said. "So I’m thrilled to be another farm-to-table restaurant in our community. Our hope is that our commitment to local and fresh food sets us apart to some degree. We hope that by partnering with these farms, and communicating regularly, we have a clearer idea of what is really good."
Being a farm to table restaurant, our menu is going to change with the seasons, he added.
"We will keep some core dishes, or keep some similar, but we will have to switch out the vegetables as they go out of season and others will replace them," he said. "We’ll be very active on social media to keep people aware of changes as they happen."
He said in addition, his Italian mother’s recipes and methods for making fresh pasta and gnocchi are simply awesome.
"Being Italian, I’m heavily influenced by that cuisine and will feature a lot of Italian food," he said. "There are certain dishes that many people have tried, but until you’ve had it as it’s supposed to be prepared, you never knew it could be that good."
He said for example lasagna Bolognese, when prepared using fresh pasta, fresh Ragu, béchamel sauce, and real Parmesan cheese is an amazing experience.
"Or gnocchi, which we will feature as a limited special every night," he said. "Gnocchi should be light and fluffy and it needs to be made fresh that night. However, I really like to cook Thai and Indian cuisine too, and at some point would like to introduce some Asian flavors. But for now, the menu is primarily Italian and American."
One thing I’d like to let folks know is that our hours will only expand, he said.
"Our weekend hours will expand to weekday hours as we gain momentum," he said. "We’re planning to be open from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. or later Friday through Sunday to start and we will take reservations. As soon as we can, we’ll open for brunch on Saturday and Sunday, and then open seven nights a week."
You will also notice something a little different when you step inside the restaurant.
"Something else that stands out about 12 Farms are our communal tables," he said. "We have two large tables, and if we don’t have reservations for large parties, if you’d like, we’ll seat you at the large table, with other people that you may or may not know."
We’re part of the community, so if you don’t know a lot of people in this community, you might make some friends, he said.
"We will also be hosting some special dinners that will be reservation only with a special menu," he said. "This will be the time where we’ll highlight food from a particular region of the world, or we’ll host a farm dinner for one of our farms, a ’get to know your farmer’ event."