Alison Rowe has always loved food and cooking. Summers in her youth were spent eating out of the family vegetable garden, catching blue crabs in the nearby river, selling lemonade on the street corner and mowing lawns. Her dad's gluten allergy had her baking with gluten-free ingredients since she was a kid.

In 2000, Alison envisioned opening a retail cafe downtown with healthy, gourmet, house-made and locally procured food when she noticed there was no place to grab a quick bite and eat well at the same time. After researching and refining the menu to focus on a meal-size salad concept based on similar restaurants in New York City, harvest & rowe Cafe opened at 55 Second Street in September 2003.