By Anne Levin

Jim Nawn, owner of Fenwick Hospitality Group, announced last week that he is selling the Princeton restaurants Agricola, The Dinky Bar & Kitchen, Cargot Brasserie, and Fenwick Catering & Events to the New Jersey-based Harvest Restaurant Group. The deal is currently being financed and is expected to take effect mid-year.

According to a statement, the Harvest Group plans to transfer all current restaurant staff and management to the Harvest company. The group, which began in 1996, currently owns several New Jersey restaurants including Trap Rock Restaurant & Brewery in Berkeley Heights, Roots Steakhouse and Huntley Taverne in Summit, and others in Morris Plains, Morristown, Westfield, Ridgewood, and Basking Ridge.

“Like Fenwick, the Harvest Group designs its properties around local, seasonal food and award-winning wine and spirit offerings,” the statement reads. “Owners Chip and Cheryl Grabowski have had eyes on the Princeton area for expansion and are eager to join the Princeton restaurant scene.”

Nawn, a former Panera Bread franchisee, also owns Great Road Farm in Skillman. He bought the long-running Main Street Bistro in Princeton Shopping Center in 2016, and closed it a year later. The Fenwick Group’s most recent venture was Two Sevens Eatery and Cantina, at 277 Witherspoon Street next to the Avalon Bay apartment complex. The restaurant was closed 10 months after opening, and was supposed to reopen this spring.

In the written statement, Nawn said, “I am proud of what my team and I have accomplished since 2013 in establishing these restaurants. Princeton is a special community and it has been a privilege to serve our guests. The Harvest Group is a family-owned restaurant company that shares a commitment to its local communities and serving great dining experiences. The Grabowski family and I share a commitment to a transition of people and restaurants that will continue and build on what we have started.”