A Great Neighbor

The AZ Republic has a good article on a great neighbor down the street a ways, Joe Johnston:

Joe Johnston's latest business venture involves his own extreme home makeover.

Johnson is tearing down the home he grew up in and turning it into his newest restaurant, Joe's Farm Grill.

His parents' old room? That will be the kitchen.
The former living room and garage? Dining area, of course.

The citrus grove he used to play in with his brothers as a kid? It will become the landscaping leading to the parking lot.

Seeing his old home demolished was a little strange at first, he said. The few walls left standing have scraps of vintage green flowered wallpaper where the laundry room used to be.

The roof was demolished the first day, and the wreckage will soon be gone.

"That was a weird sight," he said.

The success of his other restaurant, Joe's Real BBQ, in downtown Gilbert, gives Johnston confidence that his restaurant at the entrance of Agritopia will win fans when it opens next spring.

But there will be much more than barbecue on the menu at Joe's Farm Grill.

The restaurant's menu will center on grilled items: sandwiches, pizzas, salads topped with grilled meats. The emphasis will be on healthy, nutritious and fresh, with a sense of style and history, Johnston said.

Agritopia kept its agricultural heritage alive when the Johnstons sold their family farm to be developed into the neighborhood at Higley and Ray roads.

Read the entire article. It doesn't mention that Joe also pioneered the Coffee Plantation chain, successfully, before moving on to the barbecue business. The Johnstons are a family with a kindred spirit to the Morrisons, trying to honor their agricultural roots while acknowledging the inevitability of change. I saw Joe last night at a wedding and refrained from asking him what I always ask - "When's the restaurant going to open?" - thinking I wouldn't bug him on this festive occasion. Then I wake up to this article and now I wish I would have asked. I know I'm not the only Morrison Ranch resident looking forward to the opening.