In just 6 months, Carissa Borraggine will be celebrating 10 YEARS of being in business in Newark with her restaurant Harvest Table (read her story about her fifth anniversary in 2012). But with new things on the horizon, 2017 will be bigger than ever for Carissa and the Harvest Table brand.

This summer, Harvest Table will open a second location – we asked Carissa to give us some insight on her plans.

Where is the second location?

We’ll be opening at 550 Broad Street – you can enter through the lobby or through the entrance on Lombardy Place.



Tell us about the new space.

The space is much bigger, which will give us room to spread out a bit. No more dancing with the cashier while trying to make a smoothie. We'll have 2 registers to help move people through the line faster--one for drinks, grab-n-go, and pick-ups, and another for people coming through the food line.

We will have some hot food options in our steam table, and a display case with some pre-made salads, sandwiches, and snacks for people on the go. Behind the scenes, we'll have a much bigger kitchen, which will be great for prep and catering, and more storage, which is always a plus!

What does a second location mean to Harvest Table brand?

Having another location will give people at this end of town the opportunity to come for lunch more often! I know it's not far from our current spot, but it's just far enough that people from the Newark Museum or Rutgers Business School won't walk over on their lunch break. There are a lot of office buildings around Washington Park with limited healthy food options, so we hope fill that void.

It also means growth and advancement for our dedicated team members! In a small operation like ours, there isn't much room for upward mobility. This expansion means more opportunities for management and supervisor positions, as well as more job openings, in general.



Rumor Mill has you closing the original Harvest Table location and posters are up in Teacher’s Village - care to address?

Our original (current) location isn’t going anywhere. We’re staying on Halsey - it's the heart of our business! All of what we are doing could not have been done without the loyal support of our customers, some of whom have been coming since Day 1! We've seen a lot of positive changes in the neighborhood in the last 10 years, and we're thrilled to be part of it all!

Teacher’s Village is still on the horizon, we just had some unexpected hold-ups. We're still moving forward, but with a slightly different concept. Stay tuned for details!

Congrats to Carissa and Harvest Table! We look forward to the double or triple 10 year celebrations in 2017!