Sunday, February 9, 2025
The distance between Crossroads Farm at Grossmann’s and the newly opened Harvest House Tavern restaurant in Malverne is barely longer than the stretch of space from its kitchen to the dining area.
And that’s what the restaurant’s owners — Ross Gollub, Stephen LaSpina and Chris Meyer — are aiming for. The eatery’s trio, along with executive chef Ronaldo Morales and Michael D’Angelo, Crossroads operations manager, want to expand the concept of farm-to-table — when food goes directly from a farm to a consumer’s plate without going through a store or distributor — to in LaSpina’s words “farm-to-tavern.”
Meyer, a co-owner of the popular and successful Frank’s Steaks restaurant in Rockville Centre, said the time was right for this type of Malverne eatery, which officially opened at 352 Hempstead Ave. on Dec. 9.
“We want to utilize the local farm here in Malverne, which is literally up the block, less than half a mile away,” Meyer said. “We love this community — Malverne — we believe in it, and the fact is we want to differentiate ourselves from many of the other standard restaurants out there.”
Meyer noted that the menu created by Morales is full of proteins — beef, chicken, fish and duck — complemented by Crossroads Farm’s vegetables. A mezze platter has several different spreads, and the newly opened eatery already has a popular dish — broccolini hummus, Meyer said.
“We’re priding ourselves on literally nothing coming into this restaurant frozen, every hing is fresh, clean,” he said. “Nothing frozen, nothing fried. Desserts, pastries also made in-house.”
Morales said that 70 percent of the produce used by the restaurant is grown at the 5.5-acre Crossroads Farm, at 480 Hempstead Ave. The current menu reflects the winter season, with citrus being a top flavor and root vegetables, such as beets, carrots and celery, a huge part of the menu. Putting Morales’ four-star restaurant background to work, Harvest House’s menu is akin to globetrotting.
“It’s more of the new school kind of chefs, new American concept, where pieces of every country are put into my spirits and all in one plate,” Morales said. “We have various types of cuisines here — Mexican, Italian, Asian, French — all around. A modern twist where I limit using cream and butter and try to use the freshest ingredients, everything from the mayo, to the juices, to the sauces.”
Crossroads Farm is also supplying butternut squash, fennel and winter radishes. D’Angelo said that in April mixed greens would be harvested, which leads to strawberries in June and tomatoes in July, then eggplant and peppers.
“Being able to supply a restaurant like this is everything, it’s very special,” he said.
Though Harvest House is in a small space, Gollub said it was designed to optimize the diners’ experience. He said the design incorporates a rustic/modern vibe to create a “vast appeal.”
“I think we nailed it, I’m pretty damn happy about the way it came out,” Gollub said, adding that the details matter. “It’s not just about the food that you are eating, the drinks you’re drinking, it’s what you’re eating it with, drinking it out of, the whole picture really.”
Because of that appeal and vibe, LaSpina, who is excited for the community to experience Harvest House, believes the new eatery has “a little bit of something for everybody.”
“This is a place to bring your family to for all types of things,” he said. “We touch on a lot of things with our menu. It’s a big spin on things here in Malverne.”
Many community members attended a Dec. 27 ribbon-cutting ceremony for the restaurant, and joining them were State Sen. Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick, Malverne Mayor Tim Sullivan and members of the Malverne Chamber of Commerce.
“Welcome to the Malverne family,” Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick said as she presented the three owners with a proclamation. “We will support you. We want you to be successful.”
Sullivan noted that he met with the owners, introduced them to the building’s landlord and credited the efforts of village trustees for moving the project along.
“I’m thankful for our village board who worked so hard,” he said, noting that expediting business applications is changing the tone of Malverne. “We want people to feel welcome.”
