A new partnership recently sprouted between Mill Village Farms and the Hartness community on Greenville’s eastside. Mill Village, a local nonprofit dedicated to transforming communities through fresh food and providing jobs and training for Upstate youth, is cultivating two 50-foot-square farm plots at the 444-acre urban village. Not only will the sustainable farm add an agricultural component to the community’s many amenities, it will also give back a selection of its yield to local families through the Mill Village FoodShare program. “We want to leverage this partnership to do good,” declares Sean Hartness, CEO of Hartness Development.
You can sample the farm’s bounty by stopping for lunch or dinner at The Village Kitchen, the new restaurant at the front of the development. Chef Tanner Marino’s all-day menu, which includes a signature salad and vegetables roasted in the centerpiece stone-fired oven, relies on the new farm for much of its fresh produce. “I’m excited to go out and pick vegetables from the garden to use in the restaurant,” the chef says.
The partnership will continue to grow at Fresh Fridays at Hartness, where Mill Village will offer produce from the Hartness plot and their other area farms. This lively farmer’s and artisan’s market spreads out on the community’s Grand Lawn on the third Friday of each month throughout the summer.
Hartness, 2000 Society St, off Hwy 14, Greenville. (864) 920-0375, Village Kitchen open Tues. – Sat. 8am–9pm; closed Sun. and Mon. Fresh Fridays at Hartness: July 16 & August 20, 5:30–8:30pm.
