AMHERST — An Amherst developer who determined town center needed a restaurant specializing in both hamburgers and ice cream opened Amherst Burger Co. this spring, even with his own limited experience in overseeing the day-to-day operations of such an establishment.

In the weeks since Amherst Burger Co. launched at 104 North Pleasant St., Barry Roberts, with assistance from the Amherst Business Improvement District, led by Gabrielle Gould, has seen the business supported by the community, with occasional issues cropping up, such as having to close early one evening when food ran out.

On Tuesday, the business — which uses grass-fed beef from Echodale Farm in Easthampton and ice cream from Flayvors of Cook Farm in Hadley — announced that it would be going through a resetting phase by having Tony Ferrari, who brings 25 years of hands-on experience in restaurants, including in New York and Miami, become its manager.

In turning over Amherst Burger Co. to a hospitality professional, Roberts had been searching for someone who would ensure quality, consistency, longevity and community. Ferrari has held chef and management positions at Rue 57 NYC, Tavern on the Green, Gramercy Park Hotel, China Grill NY, and Miami, and The Delano Hotel in Miami.

Over the past 11 years, he has worked in the food service design and operational consulting field, collaborating with owners and operators across the region to bring their food and beverage operations to a higher level.

In addition, Ferrari is married to Heather Lattuca Ferrari, who grew up in Amherst and who works professionally as a real estate agent. The couple and their two children, Rocco and Rex, relocated to Amherst in 2021.

His in-laws are familiar to the community from both an Amherst restaurant and catering company and work at the University of Massachusetts.

Nancy Lattuca ran Nancy Jane’s on Main Street from 1989 to 2005. and has also catered functions,. while Fank Lattuca is a professor emeritus, having led the department of hospitality and tourism management.

Among the changes that could be coming to Amherst Burger Co. may be an homage to Nancy Jane’s fresh-squeezed lemonade and cookies, and development of a full bar program, drawing from Heather Ferrari’s career in the wine and spirits industry in New York and Boston.

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