As St. Louis Magazine’s George Mahe reported, the executive chef at Harvest, Nick Miller, signed an asset purchase agreement yesterday, making the sale of the Richmond Heights restaurant official. Despite an earlier statement from owner Steve Gontram that “that there is no imminent activity to sell,” Gontram told Sauce this morning that the deal “all seemed to come together yesterday.”
The agreement takes effect in 30 days, meaning Miller will assume ownership on Sept. 8. While Miller and his wife, Krissie, will be majority owners of the restaurant, Gontram – who is owner-financing some of the sale – will not leave Harvest entirely. “He has financial interest, and he loves Harvest,” Miller said. “He has been nurturing Harvest for so long that he’s got emotional interest, as well.” Gontram will, however, relinquish his role in the restaurant’s day-to-day operations.
While there will be some staff changes (Miller will search for a new general manager while his wife takes on the bookkeeping), Miller said he doesn’t foresee any changes in the Harvest kitchen. “We took Brendan [Noonan] on in the beginning of June, and the two of us have been working very well together,” he said.
Both Gontram and Miller expect a smooth transition. “The plan is to be a seamless transition of ownership in which Harvest remains Harvest,” stated Miller, who has spent the last eight years at Harvest and has worked in the restaurant industry since he was 16 years old.
As for Gontram, he’s looking forward to taking some time to relax once the sale is complete, he said, especially in fine dining settings – where he can be “served instead of doing the serving.”
This article appears in Aug 1-31, 2010.