Heirloom's owners are opening 2 new restaurants in Fresno

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A locally-owned restaurant is thriving with local produce and food.

The grill is being fired up at Heirloom in Northeast Fresno, as employees get ready to cook fresh meat and produce at their farm-to-table restaurant.

"We really wanted to use what the Central Valley offers, which is an abundance of produce, vegetables, lots of fruits in season. Pretty much everything that grows here, we use," said Justin Shannon, Heirloom chef and partner.

About 65% of its produce is local and farmers drop off whatever is in season.

Shannon is the chef and partner of the restaurant in Park Crossing shopping center.

He and his team are constantly changing their menu to stay seasonal, whether it's citrus in winter or peaches in the summer.

Shannon says their dining concept is unique here in the Valley.

"We are kind of in between. You come up and order, you go sit down, we bring you the food, we bring you cocktails. You can order from the people around. A full service experience in a fast casual setting," Shannon said.

They use technology to track an order and tablets help people order other items as well.

In the kitchen, about 50 employees work to make food from scratch.

Their agnolotti pasta is made with local eggs too. Even cocktails are made with local produce like peaches and figs. Owners say the freshness is what's drawing people to dine in.

Heirloom opened January 31 and has taken off. In fact, they're already growing again.

"We're expanding so in about three to four months we're building this big beautiful patio, it'll be about 50, 60 more seats to help the line flow a little bit," Shannon said.

The space will allow more people to dine on their local cuisine.

On average, they serve about 700 people a day.

Because Heirloom has been so successful, the partners say they're looking to expand to two new concept restaurants in Fresno in the future.