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.”