Food for the Soul

Lots of love can be tasted in each morsel of food prepared and served in a bowl. Chef/owner Jamie Harson wants diners to feel the love of a mother in all her health dishes.

Every day, Jamie Harson walks into her restaurant, located in a strip mall on Johnston Street in Lafayette, and her food lover journey comes full circle.

In the not too distant past, Harson was selling food she grew and grilled under a tent to people who visited Moncus Park on open market days.

All she really wanted to do was share food she and her friends grew and harvested. She started preparing meals — for a small fee — for the public.

“It was just me with a baby on the hip and a grill,” she recalls.

Harson had no intention of opening a brick-and-mortar restaurant, but her passion, strength, and focus — along with an ever-growing fan base — led to the  opening of Scratch Farm Kitchen at 2918 Johnston St.

Harson regards the eatery, that’s packed minutes before closing on the Saturday we visited, as part of a life journey.

“I never intended to do this at all. I was farming. I love food,” the 44-year-old — who once was a pig farmer — explains.“It just happened to me. Then I opened a food truck,” she says.

Word got around that Harson and her team were mobile and still preparing delicious dishes. The lines of fans got longer. Get this. It was veggies that drove eaters wild.

“People want vegetables!” she notes. “They want good food, too.”

Last summer, Harson moved away from her first four-walled restaurant on Garfield Street in Lafayette, to the present location.

Her menu is an active exercise in culinary genius. Visitors order from a board next to the cash register.

Hash-based bowls, grit-based bowls and hamburgers (beef, pork or vegetable) are regularly ordered by customers.

The flavors of fresh and locally sourced ingredients keep Scratch Farm Kitchen fans coming back. Chef Harson’s menu has some regular items on it, but do not be surprised to see something new. Harson relishes the chance to display seasonal foods.

By the way, Harson’s grit bowl consists of Hopi blue corn grits, a protein (chicken, beef, pork, boudin, mushrooms, tofu, bacon, or egg), agrodolce, butternut squash and sorghum yogurt.

Based on what is in the eatery’s pantry, the soups her kitchen team prepares  range from chicken tortilla to milk and potatoes with tomato and green beans.

Harson likes each plate of food prepared in the kitchen to be appealing to the eyes, with exciting aromas, and palate-pleasing deliciousness.

“People leave here feeling good. Their souls feel good. They are satisfied. I love it and I feel proud. Seeing customers leave happy satisfies me,” she says.

It does not matter if it is a hamburger, salad, grit bowl, curry bowl or even wine, understand that the team at Scratch Farm Kitchen is interested in feeding patrons food that inspires their souls and satisfies appetites. Chef Harson views herself as an artist and her canvas is the table.

Asked what her cooking style is, Harson responds, “Street food. It is bright and intentional. Street food, because it is made on grills. All the grills from our food truck are used in here.”

Harson views herself as an artist. Her intention is to create by supporting local and regional farmers, cook good food, and get people to appreciate everything being made from scratch.

All the while, she happily admits her culinary journey has included lots of lines (customers) and circles.

Harson is right back where she started…albeit, on the other side of Johnston Street.

Scratch Farm Kitchen
2918 Johnston St., Lafayette
337-295-4769
@scratch_that_midcity

TRY THIS!

1 | Boudini

A biscuit with boudin, mayo, cheese, farm egg, pesto and kimchi. One bite, and you will wonder why it took so long to locate this version of kitchen goodness.

2 | Hash It Out

One of Harson’s bowls made with hash potatoes, cheese, a protein, farm egg, vegetables and pickled peppers. This dish is one of the standby selections for restaurant regulars.

3 | Scratch Burger

Simple, to the point, but nothing on this burger is processed. Beef or pork patty, cheese, lettuce, pickles and mayo. There is a veggie version that the staff wants you to try.