Patrick and Chong Boivin of Jay closed Boivin’s Harvest House Restaurant in Farmington on Sunday. (Ann Bryant/Franklin Journal)

Boivin’s Harvest House at 367 Wilton Road in Farmington has closed. (Ann Bryant/Franklin Journal)

FARMINGTON — Boivin’s Harvest House has closed after 11 years as one of the area’s popular eateries.

Owners Patrick and Chong Boivin of Jay closed the restaurant at 367 Wilton Road on Sunday.

Customers have been calling all day asking why, Chong Boivin said Monday.

She said the decision to close was not for a lack of business. It is just time for a change.

After a cooking career that has spanned 33 years, Patrick Boivin said he is changing careers. Chong Boivin, meantime, is retiring.

Boivin will become a food service distributor for a company in Bangor. He will maintain accounts in southern Maine and New Hampshire.

And after all those years, 16 years cooking at Irving in Farmington before opening the Harvest House, he will enjoy weekends off, he said.

As for the business site the couple owns, he said they are ready to sell or lease it.

“It is a turnkey operation,” he said. “They can open the door and start making money.”

The couple have developed a strong, loyal customer base over the years, highlighting dishes such as Boivin’s seafood chowder, steak tips and the best burger in town, she said. Chong baked all the pastries and desserts, including seasonal pies.

“It will be sad not to serve our customers,” she said, “but perhaps another restaurant will come in.”

The couple refrained from telling customers before Sunday. They thought it would be hard to plan for and have people coming in for the last bowl of chowder.

They stopped selling gift cards in late November. People have been upset that they were not selling cards for the holidays as they normally do, Chong said.

Calzolaio’s Pasta Co. in Wilton will honor any gift cards to Boivin’s Harvest House for those who have them, she said.  

When the couple started, they were open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, seven days a week, and employed up to 28 people. The last few years, they have closed on Mondays and only served lunch and dinner. The present 15 employees were understanding about their desire to move on, she said.

“We are thankful for all our dedicated employees over the years and the loyal customers,” Chong Boivin said. “It was not an easy decision, but now we’re happy. We’ve done very well, but we need a change.”

abryant@sunmediagroup.net