Harvest Park opening this week on the Northside

It's been one of the most anticipated new local developments in recent memory, and this week Harvest Park, home of Hub City Farmers' Market and the Butterfly Foundation's Monarch Cafe, opens at 458 Howard St. on the Northside. The opening celebration gets started on November 6 at 10 a.m. with a ribbon cutting and tours of the new facility. Then on Nov. 8 at 8 a.m. it's time for a grand opening celebration as Hub City Farmers' Market hosts their first market in the new location. Festivities include cooking demonstrations at the Monarch Cafe and Fresh Food Store, artisan crafts, music, kids activities, and much more. As the first completed project of the the Northside Initiative, Harvest Park will provide Northside residents with access to fresh, locally grown foods, something crucial in an area of the city classified as a food desert, with a convenience store currently serving as the only place in the neighborhood for food. Harvest Park isn't just for grabbing some veggies to take back home to the kitchen though. With the Monarch Cafe, the facility becomes a true Spartanburg farm-to-fork hot spot. Graduates of the Butterfly Foundation's culinary job training program will serve up fresh, local foods at the for customers Monday–Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Breakfast offerings will include grits and eggs, quiche, oatmeal, and muffins, and at lunch time the menu includes salmon, fried or baked chicken, barbecue ribs, and paninis, all offered with a selection of delicious side dishes.