What Do "Grass Fed" and "Burgers" Both Have In Common?

* This piece is the first of what I hope to be many in my series of profiling local, small business owners and learning about their story and craft in the process. *

When you hear the term "grass-fed," your mind may jump to a vegetarian spot literally serving up grass on a plate. Or, if you happen to have an extensive knowledge of the meat industry, your mind might connect the phrase with a way in which beef is raised.

Dan Campeas owns Stuffed Grass-Fed Burgers in Montclair, a burger joint that aims to reinvent your "typical" burger. Campeas cares about the quality of his products, including everything from the grass fed beef I mentioned to the homemade (and also grass fed) chili, brisket, and pastrami. He also sources his bread and ice cream locally; he has made lasting connections with Montclair Bread Co and Gelotti to serve up other quality local products.

Campeas had an interesting and inspiring start to his life in the restaurant business: he started out studying phys-ed for two years at a school in Massachusetts, until he got an offer to go down to Austin, Texas and be a part of a food truck business. It was during his time in Austin that he learned the beginnings of how to run a business and the importance of quality ingredients, specifically grass-fed beef. Texas is a state known for raising its cattle, and to them, "grass fed" is a term that means excellent quality.

At one point, Dan was pushed out of the business he went to Texas for in the first place, which led him to the realization that a gourmet burger joint is just what his hometown of Montclair, New Jersey needed. He moved back home and set out to look for locations to open what he imagined to be a boomin' burger business. His two investors, his parents, supported his vision and wanted to help see it come to life. After looking at a few locations, he found the present location on Valley road, and has been serving up grass-fed and stuffed burgers since 2014.

The menu first started as five burger combinations; Campeas is all about a simple burger, so the menu reflected that. However, as this business and the team grew, the menu grew to 11 burgers and other offerings such as sandwiches, veggie burgers, and even hot dogs. The menu is a reflection of Campeas' own visions, but also those of his staff members, who Campeas holds as a very important aspect to growing and maintaining a good business. Though Campeas is overseeing everything from taking orders to social media to the kitchen process, he has a team that is there for him even when he is having an off day. He also credits his team for coming up with some of the combinations and expanding the menu.

Clearly, Campeas is a big supporter of all things local; not only did he want to open a gourmet burger joint in his hometown because he knew it would thrive there, he also credits his inspiration to wanting to use it as a tool to give back to the community. Campeas works with Montclair High School sporting teams to hold fundraisers, offers discounts to high school students, teachers, and uniformed police, fire, and EMS workers. He has gotten to know some of the homeless people in the area and always offers them free food, which has gotten him recognized on television for his service to give back to others. And to him, that is a big part of why he does what he does.

Campeas sees himself as extremely lucky; though he disclosed that when he was first starting out he was much more ambitious about where Stuffed would be at this point than it actually is, he feels that he is so lucky and blessed that he sees his business as more than just work, and that it is an extension of of himself, which is why he is as involved as he is to make sure Stuffed is growing everyday, and not just surviving.

So... the food? I have worked with Stuffed before at this time last year, where I had help from a friend devouring the Mac & Cheese burger with a side of Bacon Jam Fries and I still think about that day even today. You can just taste the quality that Campeas is so passionate about reflected in the dishes. After my latest talk with Campeas, we split Berlin's Doughnut Burger; it was also my first burger in between a doughnut (yes I know, late to the trend) and I don't think I ever want to have a doughnut burger from anywhere else but Stuffed. I also decided to ~balance~ the doughnut burger with a salad, which is named after and designed by Bobbi Brown herself, so I was able to taste the quality that is put in to dishes across the board.

In my non-professional, Hungrygrl opinion, Campeas is a man with a vision of making sure people can enjoy a burger but also get the best quality while eating one. Especially in such a fast-paced world where everyone is rushing to be somewhere, it is worth going slightly out of your way for a stuffed burger on Montclair Bread Co bread (or doughnut), fries, and a milkshake made with Gelotti ice cream. Campeas is devoted to not only serving up great food, but also bettering the community in which he grew up in in the process. And that, to me, is what a great restaurant stands for; great food, great company, and going above and beyond than what the next spot does from a genuine desire to make a change.