New offerings abound as Taste of Buffalo festival begins Saturday

Pierogi caught Cathy Olszewski’s attention.

Walking into the 41st Taste of Buffalo festival, which kicked off Saturday morning, Babcia’s Pierogi’s Greek chicken pierogi immediately caught her eye. She and her friend, Dawn McCarthy, live in Buffalo and attend every year. It’s a chance to sample dishes, like this pierogi dish, and appreciate the culinary scene.

“We take pictures of all the food, we take pictures of ourselves,” Olszewski said. “It’s like a nice souvenir.”

Taste of Buffalo, which continues Sunday, celebrates Buffalo Niagara’s culinary scene. Attendees stop by tents and food trucks dotted along Delaware Avenue and around Niagara Square, sampling menus from local restaurants in what is the largest two-day culinary event in the United States, according to organizers.

This year, the festival welcomes 43 restaurants. Ten of them are newcomers, including Lime House Sushi & Ramen, Sto Lat Bar and Carrubba’s Chicken Pit.

For vendors, participating in the festival can be a way to get new customers.

“The more we get our name out there, the more we hope it will bring customers into our physical store,” said Angela Stark, who works the front of the house at Carrubba’s.

Anchi A La Carte, a Vietnamese restaurant in Amherst, felt that impact when it participated in the festival last year.

“After that, we had customers who saw us at Taste of Buffalo and they also came to our restaurant,” owner Anh Pham said.

The festival also allows visitors to experience the different cuisines that make up Buffalo’s culinary community. Tom Mahoney, president of Taste of Buffalo, says the “diversity of dishes” keeps visitors coming back year after year.

“The culinary scene here is incredible. We can accommodate a lot of restaurants with a wide variety of dishes,” he said.

While many restaurants have participated in the festival before, this year’s edition encouraged them to collectively propose a selection of new dishes, presented as part of a competition. Twenty-four restaurants already present add a new dish to their menu to compete for a new dish award. Participants can vote by scanning QR codes located at the stands.

The festival also features three Rockstar Kitchen pop-up booths, where renowned local chefs spend two hours each offering small portions of their culinary creations. The booths are a way to showcase “new chefs in the area (who) have exceptional culinary talent,” Mahoney said.

As the festival continues, vendors are working hard to meet the high demand.

“We ran out of stock (last year), but we were able to restock,” said Intisar Mohamed, owner of Golden Hour Treats & Things, a dessert restaurant that offers treats like banana pudding and crepes. “This year, our goal is to not run out of stock and to make sure everything is always available.”

The lively atmosphere can be seen as a testament to people’s enthusiasm for feasting on mouth-watering dishes.

“You give people food, they’re happy,” Matt Brooder said.

The festival will run from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday along Delaware Avenue from Niagara Square to Chippewa Street. Admission is free, but attendees must purchase food with tickets, which are available at ticket booths. For a festival map and other information, visit tasteofbuffalo.com.