Old E.B. favorite finds a new home in N.B.
Harvest Specialty Deli & Catering comes to Maple Meade Shopping Plaza
BY JENNIFER AMATO Staff Writer

PHOTOS BY JENNIFER AMATO Above: The sign hanging at the North Brunswick location of Harvest Specialty Deli & Catering is the original one from the East Brunswick building of American Harvest. Nolan and Ginny Lewin have relocated their deli after 15 years from Route 18 to the Maple Meade Shopping Plaza in North Brunswick. Right: Harvest Specialty offers a variety of homemade specialties, Boar's Head cold cuts and Pastosa products.

NORTH BRUNSWICK — Pig roasts are not common, especially in parking lots, but Harvest Specialty Deli & Catering is trying to change that.

Nolan and Ginny Lewin, who owned American Harvest on Route 18 in East Brunswick for 15 years, have relocated to the Maple Meade Shopping Center on Route 130. As of Feb. 6 their homemade prepared foods, volcano cake, ruggelah, sauces, soups, bruschetta, fresh mozzarella, in addition to the Boar's Head and Pastosa lines — and their signature weekend pig roast — became available to North Brunswick residents.

"I hope [residents] know us and if they don't know us, eventually they'll come to love us and our food and the wonderful people who work here, and they'll keep coming back," said Ginny Lewin. "I hope we give them a wonderful feeling when they come in and they'll want to come back more."

The Lewins, who live in Old Bridge, were both working in satisfying yet unsatisfying jobs about 20 years ago when they decided to enter the food business, "so we could put our own signatures on food, and have our own image," Ginny Nolan said.

They opened Oak Tree Foods in South Plainfield, featuring a butcher shop, deli, groceries and produce in 1987, with Nolan becoming a full butcher.

While attending food shows and classes to learn about the food trade, the Lewins then opened American Harvest 15 years ago. When their lease ran out at the end of this past January, they learned from a friend that the former Mezzaluna Deli location was available, so they made the transition to North Brunswick in about two weeks.

"North Brunswick was very welcoming when they found out we were coming. They were very happy, and of course that makes us feel welcomed," Ginny Nolan said.

Now, although they have downsized from 7,000 square feet to 1,300 square feet, the specialty store still features the old menu in addition to some former Mezzaluna sandwiches, gift baskets, fruit platters and baked goods from their neighbor Scala Bakery.

"We cut back on space, not quality," Ginny Lewin said.

The Lewins instead plan to focus more on catering and the prepared food case, versus their previous salad bar.

They also are moving toward a Webbased business. Their son, Michael, is designing a new Web site, which can currently be found at www.americanharvestgourmet. com.

Orders, which are faxed or placed online, can be delivered generally anywhere, including ruggelah, which can be shipped out, and onsite pig roasts. Nolan Lewin can also cook goat and lamb meat, based on his mother Tammy's European background.

In the future, the Lewins — who include sons Jason and Morgan — would like to create a picnic area in front of the deli and hope to offer special discounts with the other stores in the Maple Meade shopping center.

Harvest Specialty is open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, but the hours could expand toward the summer.

For more information, call 732-821- 4747.