October 14, 2008 - Thomas Muscarella, a senior public health sanitarian with the Erie County Department of Health's Division of Public Laboratories, Epidemiology and Environmental Health, has been elected 2009 chairman of the Taste of Buffalo. The Taste of Buffalo, one of the nation's largest food festivals, is set for July 11 and July 12 along Delaware Avenue in downtown Buffalo.

"This is a true honor," Muscarella said. "I look forward to carrying forward the Taste's strong 26-year-old legacy of providing a family-friendly event that showcases many area restaurants and businesses all against the architecturally-rich backdrop that you see in downtown Buffalo."

Muscarella, a Clarence Center resident, is a 1986 graduate of St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute and a 1990 graduate of Canisius College. He and his wife, Karen, have two children, Nicholas and Xander. Muscarella and his family are members of St. Mary's Church in Swormville.

Besides Muscarella, other members of the Taste of Buffalo executive committee include: Mac Hartman, first vice chairman, marketing supervisor with Freed Maxick & Battaglia and Amherst resident; Mark Zawodzinski, second vice chairman, senior financial reporting accountant with Five Star Bank and Alden resident; Patrick Mathews, treasurer, manager of accounting and auditing with Tronconi Segarra & Associates LLP and Cheektowaga resident; Joseph Lane, assistant treasurer, financial consultant with AXA Advisors LLC and Cheektowaga resident; and Chris Hitchcock, secretary, senior sales engineer with Birdair Inc and Pendleton resident.

Other executive committee members include past Taste of Buffalo chairmen: Kevin Cavalieri from M&T Bank; Michael Benzin from Be-A-Friend Program Inc./Big Brothers Big Sisters of Erie County; James Fink from Business First of Buffalo; James Morrell from the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority; and Frank Sardina from First Niagara Bank.

Newly elected to three-year terms on the Taste of Buffalo board are: Erin Collins from the Gelia Wells & Mohr agency and Buffalo resident; Mark Godios from M&T Bank and Hamburg resident; Darcy Hitchcock from Cognigen Corp and Pendleton resident; and Adrienne Schreler from Freed Maxick & Battaglia, a Buffalo resident.

The Taste of Buffalo is presented by Tops Markets. For further information, please visit www.tasteofbuffalo.com.