The Cupertino Courier

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Restaurant has many ties to Cupertino

By Matt Wilson

Behind the quick, casual cuisine at the Harvest Restaurant are stories of friendship that range from the management and chefs to the staff.

Harvest Restaurant is the culmination of a chance friendship between longtime Cupertino residents Scott Carter, an attorney, and chef Gary Kjolhaug, both of whom wanted to give back to the community they've called home for most of their lives.

The two met while Carter negotiated the chef's settlement with a previous employer. Their friendship was sealed after Kjolhaug catered a high school graduation party for Carter's son, which drew rave reviews from those attending.

Not too long after, the duo began considering teaming together in the restaurant business.

With the newly opened Harvest Restaurant, Kjolhaug and Carter wanted to create more than just the standard sit-down eatery. The two envisioned a dining experience that was hassle free, but still offered high quality food and service.

"It was a dream to take away the middlemen," Kjolhaug said. "No hostess, no server, no long drawn-out orders.''

The menus include breakfast, lunch, dinner and desserts. They feature meals with fresh ingredients, homemade pastas, hormone-free dishes and upscale meals served inexpensively and in under 15 minutes.

"We have every kind of food. Everything you can think of, we have," said Carter.

Kjolhaug touts Harvest's ability to be fast, healthy and of a high caliber.

"Our menu is designed to compete with McDonald's, but of a Fairmont Hotel in downtown San Jose quality," Kjolhaug said. "You're gonna get an upscale meal."

Kjolhaug and Carter are aware that the Silicon Valley's demographics have changed considerably over the past 30 years, with a greater Asian and Indian community, as well as many vegans and vegetarians.

Kjolhaug's weekly specialty menus feature limited-time meals, desserts and treats. During Valentine's week, Kjolhaug and his staff prepared dishes such as the heart beet salad, which contained beets cut into the shape of hearts.

With its family-friendly atmosphere, business catering services, and central location to Cupertino and Silicon Valley, Harvest Restaurant can become an important part of the Cupertino community, according to Carter.

"We're trying to reach out to everyone,'' said Carter, who is the restaurant's president and CEO. "We want to be the restaurant for community fundraisers, schools, churches and business meetings. You have to give back to the community that gave you so much."

The duo has also undertaken a grassroots effort to attract business by paying visits to nearby banks and handing out menus and free cookie samples.

Cupertino connections resonate throughout the Harvest Restaurant.

At Monta Vista High School, Carter won National Forensic League competitions, and also excelled in athletics, playing football, basketball, and baseball, where he earned First Team All League honors. In 1988, he was inducted into the Monta Vista High School Hall of Fame. Carter delivered a speech to students and was the guest of honor for an induction "roast" by the faculty.

Carter now runs his own law firm, specializing in estate, trust, and probate law.

"I've seen Cupertino grow from orchard-based to part of a metropolis, but still remain the same," he said.

Kjolhaug's 35-year career began when he was only 15-. He has spent years serving meals throughout the Santa Clara Valley, mainly within an approximate one-mile radius of Harvest Restaurant's location on S. De Anza Boulevard.

In the late 1970s Kjolhaug worked at Gold Creek Mine and Anthony's Pier 9. In the 1980s it was Fontana's and Sports City Café.

Kjolhaug has a unique relationship with the restaurant staff, which has followed him over the last few decades. Many of the same bussers, cooks, and managers are by his side today at Harvest Restaurant.

Managing partner and part owner Moises Montano has worked with Kjolhaug for 13 years.

"I will follow him wherever he goes; he is the best of the best," Montano said. "He gives his heart to everyone, he loves to make customers happy. If he quits, we all quit."

Harvest Restaurant is open daily and located at 10630 S. DeAnza Blvd . Its website is at harvestrestaurantcupertino.com.