Page 23 - The Peorian, Vol 3 Issue 2

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thePeorian.com
To Hugh Higgins, the
word “hearth” has
special meanings
beyond that of a fireplace.
He breaks the word down in
two parts: ‘heart’ and ‘earth’ as
two of the most important ingre-
dients in his new Peoria Heights
restaurant, Hearth, at 4604 N.
Prospect Road.
To know the personality of this
man, an easy going type who
developed a rich taste for good
food and drink, it is easy to con-
nect him to his own definition of
the whole word. “Hearth…cozy,
warm and comforting.”
That also describes the concept
of his restaurant, which is where
French Toast once operated in
the heart of the Peoria Heights
business district: “American Cui-
sine…Local Farm First.”
When Higgins decided to
throw caution to the wind and
open his own place, using a
cooking style and menu choices
he has enjoyed making for his
family and friends through the
years, there was no question he
would embrace the farm-to-table
culture.
“I’ve always been a bit of a tree
hugger anyway. And then what
really changed me when it comes
to food was watching ‘Food Inc.,’
the documentary. It was incred-
ibly eye-opening and more than a
little scary. We’re poisoning our-
selves everyday. So if I can give
my customers healthy food and
help out local farmers and busi-
nesses along the way, so much
the better,” Higgins said.
“The stuff they put in our
foods…we don’t know the long-
term effects of this stuff yet and
frankly, I don’t want to know,”
he added.
At this point, Higgins said he
doesn’t feel he can rightfully
claim to be a farm-to-table restau-
rant because that part of his busi-
ness is still a work in progress.
“I am working real hard to get
there but I’m not real happy with
the quality of some of the ‘clean’
products out there, at this ploint.
I’ve challenged my suppliers to
find it and they are working at
it, also. But I will serve antibi-
otic- and hormone-free organic
food whenever possible. I hope to
someday serve nothing but that,”
he said.
“It has to be of a quality that
I feel good about serving it in a
fine dining restaurant. That is
more costly, yes, but I have to
bite the bullet if I want to serve
my customers the best food I can
get.”
His menu at Hearth consists
largely of classic American food
with a southern twist, learned by
spending a lot of time with family
in Kentucky while growing up.
“I think we needed that kind of
food here and I was looking to of-
fer something unique, something
that will bring in repeat business.
Things like shrimp and grits, col-
lard greens, our oyster po’ boy.
We’re talking very affordable,
very filling dishes. It’s food I like
and I think my instincts were
correct; people love our food,”
Higgins said.
HEARTH BRINGS MEANING
TO FINE DINING
By Paul Gordon
Farm-To-Table: Hearth
Continued on page 24