William Gilson, chef of Inman Square restaurant Puritan & Company, credited Cambridge’s unique intellectual environment in the success of the revolutionary farm-to-table movement.
“It’s the fact that two of the best schools in the country if not the world are on either end of the street that we’re on,” Gilson said. “With Harvard and MIT, we get to be exposed to different cultures that appreciate what we do here, and that’s one of the things that makes it possible.”
BRATTLE ST. AND BEYOND
Since Himmel and his ownership group took over Harvest in 1998, the restaurant has gone through two renovations, with a third planned for Jan. 2015. Along with a revamped bar menu, Harvest has continued to evolve, adding service on Thanksgiving Day and business lunch, among other changes.
Harvest has continued to attract a celebrity clientele—including Neil Patrick Harris, Justin Timberlake, and John Malkovich as patrons of the restaurant over the years. A scene at Harvest was even featured in Walter Isaacson’s biography of Steve Jobs.
“We give people a lot of privacy and they’ve really enjoyed themselves,” Dumont said. “Our celebrities are actually leaders of the world.... The Secret Service is actually kind of a regular presence here.”
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Though tucked away in Harvard Square, Harvest enjoys the constant influx of prospective students, tourists, and visiting dignitaries. According to Freedman, these patrons foster an open-minded environment, one that is especially receptive to the innovative approaches of these restaurants.
“How many restaurants can you say are on the way to nowhere.... I think that plays into part of the appeal of it, you have to seek the restaurant out,” Himmel said
Dumont, who was recently made a partner at Harvest, has not stopped pushing boundaries beyond the walls of the restaurant. With an interest in food policy and the local community, Dumont and Harvest have worked with numerous youth groups including “Future Chefs,” which teaches urban children skills for work in the restaurant industry. Dumont has hired several graduates of the program.
“We try to look at the restaurant from a big picture.... It does affect the food world certainly and the things that I look forward to in the future are really working with organizations that give back and give back to the community and give back to Harvard Square,” Dumont said. “People look up to this restaurant [so] really just walking the walk.”
—Staff writer Ivan B. K. Levingston can be reached at Ivan.Levingston@thecrimson.com. Follow him on Twitter @IvanLevingston.
—Staff writer Celeste M. Mendoza can be reached at Celeste.Mendoza@thecrimson.com. Follow her on Twitter @CelesteMMendoza.