June 12, 2009 - Organizers and sponsors of the Taste of Buffalo, presented by TOPS Friendly Markets, the country's largest annual two-day food festival, gathered this morning to announce this year's festival details and unveiled the official 2009 Taste of Buffalo poster. The event will be held Saturday, July 11th and Sunday, July 12th in downtown Buffalo. Restaurants Grill at the Dome, Applebee's, Torches, Ms Goodies, Wi-tini's and Giacobbi's Pasta and Pizza sampled their featured 2009 Taste menu items at this morning's press conference, which took place at Tops on Maple Road in Amherst.

Thomas P. Muscarella, the 2009 Taste Chairman, gave a rundown of what people can expect at the 26th annual festival, including the entertainment, cooking stage schedules and new restaurants. The 2009 Taste will include a record-setting 60 restaurants from across Western New York.

"This year we will have more than 200 different food items to choose from. If you want a pasta dish, we've got it. Seafood, that too," said Muscarella.

Frank Curci, president and CEO, TOPS, awarded this year's poster contest winner, Jane Lankes, a sophomore at Clarence High School, with a $500 check matched by a $500 check from the Taste of Buffalo for the school's art department. Click here for more information and to view the posters!

"Tops Friendly Markets is proud to sponsor the Taste of Buffalo. We have pledged to support local endeavors and provide long-standing support in the areas we serve including "The Taste," which continues to play a major role as the region's signature event. As western New York's local grocer, we're very happy to be able to help celebrate the culture, traditions, and of course the diverse cuisine that makes Buffalo great," said Curci.

The press conference had a "Cooking with the Stars" theme, and brought together some local "celebrity" chefs, including WIVB's Mary Beth Wrobel, WGRZ's Pete Gallivan, Buffalo Sabre Andrew Peters, and 97 Rock's Rob Lederman. Muscarella and Curci also tied on an apron to take part in the friendly competition. Judged by media personalities WKBW's Aaron Mentkowski, Business First's Elizabeth Carey, Your News Now's Giselle Phelps and Off Beat Cinema Co-host Airborne Eddy Dobosiewicz, the celebrities' kitchen battle was a great kick-off to the popular festival.

The Taste has a history of giving back to the community and money raised is contributed to local charities. The Taste is a not-for-profit corporation, and over the years has given funds to numerous charities including: Compass House, Hospice, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Meals on Wheels of Western New York, National Kidney Foundation, and many more. In recent years, the Taste has raised more than $250,000 for local charities.

This year has the highest number of rookie restaurants in festival history. First-time participants include: Amici Ristorante, The Como Restaurant, Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, Giacobbi's Pasta and Pizza, Jim's Steak Out, Landies Candies Co., Merchant Street Smokehouse, Mr. Bones, Palace of Dosas, Papi's Family Restaurant, Sweet Melody's, Torches Restaurant and Wi-Tini's.

Try TOPS' tailgating menu of Signature Burgers, Frito chips and Hershey S'Mores. Spin the TOPS Wheel of Prizes for a $1 donation to the Buffalo City Mission and win:

• A chance to win Buffalo Bills home game tickets, a tailgating party ($500 value) and a pair of Buffalo Bills home game tickets OR a meet ‘n greet with Brooks and Dunn and a pair of front-row seats for this year's summertime show (if your spin lands on "enter")
• TOPS $5 Gift Cards
• 50th Anniversary logo footballs
• $8.00 in TOPS savings coupon sheets
• 300 Gas Extra Rewards Points
• Plus, visit the new TOPS Pharmacy Wellness tent

Visitors can sign up for the 50 Million Pound Challenge, sponsored by State Farm.
The number one health crisis facing all Americans is being overweight. The Taste of Buffalo and State Farm want to help you shed those excess pounds, achieve a healthier weight, and reduce the risk of life-threatening diseases.

Visit 50millionpounds.com to learn more. Join the Taste of Buffalo team, or sign up a team of your own and get a free gift!

Stop in to see the Taste of Buffalo Mobile Culinary Theatre, presented by the Niagara Food Festival. The theatre made its debut at last year's Niagara Food Festival, and Taste organizers seized the opportunity to showcase it here.

The 25 foot long mobile unit is a fully functional demonstration kitchen, and allows audience to see the action from all angles. It's equipped with up-to-date appliances, video camera and large-screen TVs and a PA system.

Oscar Meyer will bring its Lunchables Lunch Your Tummy Right Tour to this year's festival. This cross-country tour aims to inspire kids to achieve success, and the Taste is just one of eleven stops nationwide. Young tasters will have a chance to climb a giant inflatable wall and take part in interactive educational games inside of the tour bus. The tour will be conducted in partnership with the well-known Camp Woodward, the country's biggest action sports, gymnastics, cheer and digital media camp that offers week-long summer sessions to kids ages seven to 17. Try samples of two new Lunchables at the Taste!

Stop by the Regal Entertainment Group tent and see what's "on our menu!" Donate a $1.00, spin our wheel, and win a prize. Every spin wins and your donation helps the Regal Foundation support numerous national philanthropic groups. Take a spin and you can walk away with a "taste" of what Hollywood...and Regal has to offer!

As of June 1st, the full requirements of the land and sea phase of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) went into effect. In response to Passport Services call for coordinated public outreach, the National Passport Center has established a thriving informational outreach program. Staff from the National Passport Center in Portsmouth, NH will be on hand to answer questions about the U.S. passport and U.S. passport card.

At the conclusion of the festival, the Taste of Buffalo will award $5,000 in scholarships to high school seniors continuing their education in the culinary or hospitality industries. In recent years, the Taste and supporting sponsors have made more than $25,000 in scholarship allocations to area high school students.

Festival hours are Saturday, July 11 from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. and Sunday, July 12 from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m. Event information is available by visiting www.tasteofbuffalo.com.