T-R PHOTO BY SARA JORDAN-HEINTZ Husband/wife team John Pieters and Melissa Sharer-Pieters have opened Laurel’s only eatery, called Pitchfork Primitives & Fodder, located at 203 S. Main St. The restaurant is a farm-to-table concept, and will not have set hours, but rather, “pop-up” dates and times for dining. Reservations are currently being accepted, and the space is available to rent for special occasions.

LAUREL — Pitchfork Primitives & Fodder, located at 203 S. Main St. in Laurel, is soon to become the only restaurant in the small town. Over two years in the works, the eatery is owned and operated by husband/wife team John Pieters and Melissa Sharer-Pieters.

The couple purchased the building, the former location of J & K Diner, in 2015. They spent the subsequent time renovating and revamping the space, in order to transform it into a rustic chic area with exposed brick walls and the original high ceilings.

The restaurant will have no set hours, but rather, will function with “pop-up” dates and times, and by reservation. The menu, which will change each day the establishment is open, will offer seasonal selections based on local availability.

“It’s a farm-to-table concept, fresh and never frozen. There is so much good food around us, why not utilize the farmers here [for the meats, fruits and vegetables],” Sharer-Pieters said,

Meals will be served family-style, and the restaurant can seat around 16-18 per dining session.

“We’ll serve a four course meal: appetizers, salad, main dish and sides, plus dessert,” Pieters said.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner time slots will be available.

By day, Pieters works as a welder for Fisher Controls, and Sharer-Pieters operates Messy Missy’s art studio and gallery in Marshalltown. The restaurant was devised out of a shared passion for the culinary arts.

“We like entertaining large groups of people, and we’ve gotten suggestions about opening our own restaurant,” Pieters said. “I like to take recipes I find, change and few things, and make them better.”

Sharer-Pieters said her interest in cooking is rooted in childhood, having come from a family of cooks and belonging to 4-H. Her husband has experience grilling and smoking meats.

The couple sees the space as being ideal for private parties and other social get-togethers.

“I host painting parties with my business, and would like to offer those here too,” Sharer-Pieters added.

“We just want a good atmosphere where we can feed people good food,” Pieters said. “So far, we’ve gotten good feedback from the people we’ve had come try the food, and we just want to keep growing the business.”

Reservations are currently being accepted, with meal service beginning in the fall. The eatery also has a gift shop inside. To learn more, contact Sharer-Pieters at: 641-691-5205 or laurelpitchfork@yahoo.com and on Facebook.

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Contact Sara Jordan-Heintz at 641-753-6611 or sjordan@timesrepublican.com