Karma- Northampton

“The whole idea is to make people feel good,” said Brian Aussant as he sat beside me on a barstool. “That’s where the name Karma comes from. What you put in is what you get out.”

Brian opened Karma Restaurant in Northampton in August of 2010 with the help of his wife. Among the incentives other restaurant owners have listed for buying locally, it seems Brian’s primary motivation is health. Karma is 100 percent vegan, and half of the dishes are raw. The restaurant is also soy and gluten-free and offers one of the only elixir bars is the country (meaning if you find yourself with a sore throat, you can order up a “5^th Chakra Tea” made from licorice, marshmallow, echinacea purpea, fennel, cinnamon bark, orange peel, ginger, and clove).

“People get turned off by words like ‘raw’ and ‘vegan,’ so we try to keep it out of the advertising,” Brian said. “They don't think vegan food can taste so good.”

Hope and Olive- Greenfield

When I first walked in to Hope and Olive, I was greeted by a blackboard advertising the names of all the local farms that sell to the restaurant. Clearly, I thought, supporting local agriculture is not simply an afterthought for a restaurant like this—it is the very core of their operation.

Jim Zaccara, his sister Maggie Zaccara, and Evelyn Wulfkuhle, opened Greenfield’s Hope and Olive in September of 2007. From the very beginning, they were committed to sustaining their values of good, quality food and community by offering seasonal dishes made with local ingredients. 

“We do have a reputation as being ‘farm to table’ in our approach to the menus, and people respond really well to this,” said Jim. “Some are even okay with the occasional bug in their salad greens because they appreciate that it was cut and delivered so recently that the little sucker is still alive!”

GoBerry- Northampton

 

Regardless of whether it’s a hot summer’s day or a chilly winter’s night, GoBerry always seems to be packed. Alex and Molly Feinstein opened the frozen yogurt joint in May of 2010, and it has since become one of Northamptonites’ favorite places to grab a refreshing treat. And in a long list of similarly formatted fro-yo vendors such as Pinkberry and Red Mango, GoBerry has established itself as unique in its commitment to using local ingredients.

“Our mentality is one of ‘if we don’t, who will?’” Molly explained.
            GoBerry buys its dairy from Stonehill Farm in Ashfield and Mapeline Farm in Hadley, both of which are located within twenty miles of Northampton. “From an environmental standpoint,” Molly said, "local just makes a lot more sense.”

Local Burger- Northampton

When I stepped into Local Burger to talk to co-owner Jeff Igneri, I found him in the back of the house, frying and flipping busily and racing to deliver orders. But the packed lunch hour didn’t stop him from serving the meals with a smile and taking time chat with his customers. And when he finally found time to sit down with me, I learned that Jeff doesn’t just know the people that eat his food—he knows the people that grow it. The family-run burger joint, which opened in December of 2008, lives up to its name by maintaining close ties with the community and buying produce and grass-fed beef from local farms.

“Our buy local philosophy wasn’t in the works until we came to the area,” he said. “Out there local isn’t as important. But coming out here and seeing farms everywhere— it makes sense. All the resources are here.”