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Home > Leadership > Mayor > Archive Press Releases > 2007 Archives > July 2007 > Mayor Honors Restaurants for Offering Healthy Options at Taste of Buffalo

Mayor Honors Restaurants for Offering Healthy Options at Taste of Buffalo

Source/Contact
Office of the Mayor
Peter K. Cutler
Director of Communications
716-851-4841

Or

Independent Health
Frank J. Sava
716-635-3885
716-572-9979


Popular Buffalo event is first food festival in the country to require a healthy option from all food vendors.

BUFFALO, N.Y., (July 6, 2007) – Mayor Byron W. Brown with the Independent Health Foundation on Friday honored Taste of Buffalo restaurants for their efforts in providing a Healthy Option for this year’s food festival, July 7-8 in downtown Buffalo.

The Taste of Buffalo, one of the largest food festivals in the nation attracting more than 500,000 participants annually, is the first food festival in the United States to require all participating restaurants to offer a healthy menu option. Each of the 55 restaurants taking part in what will be the largest event in the festival’s 23 year history will receive a proclamation from the Mayor for offering their own signature healthy dish.

"For more than two decades, the Taste of Buffalo has done a wonderful job of promoting downtown Buffalo," said Mayor Byron W. Brown. "We already had a great-tasting food festival, and now we have a nutritious one, too. I applaud the event organizers' increased emphasis on healthier menu selections, and all 55 restaurants for providing a unique Healthy Option item."

Mayor Brown also will serve as a Healthy Options judge on Saturday. Awards presented by the Independent Health Foundation at the Taste of Buffalo will recognize the best-tasting Healthy Options recipe. Cash prizes of $1,000, $500 and $250 will be awarded to the top three menu items as decided by a panel of judges.

“We are seeking to change commonly-held perceptions about the Taste of Buffalo,” said Louis Izzo, board president, Taste of Buffalo. “We still want people to have fun and to try a variety of foods. But by asking all of our restaurants to offer at least one healthy item, we’re going to prove that healthier choices can be delicious, too.”

“We are so pleased with the positive response from the vendors and the wonderful recipes they’ve created for their Healthy Option,” said Carrie Meyer, executive director, Independent Health Foundation. “We want them to know we appreciate their efforts to help make our community healthier. The Independent Health Foundation is dedicated to

improving the health of the communities we serve, and partnering with the Taste of Buffalo to encourage healthier eating, food or nutrition choices complements our ongoing grassroots efforts. Our region has a well known love affair with fatty fare such as chicken wings and beef on weck, which is why the Healthy Options program offers a sensible alternative.”

Family-owned bakery, E.M. Chrusciki, has offered its’ sugarcoated “angel wings” and other pastry treats at the festival for more than 20 years. To meet the new healthy mandate, they created a chewy spice cookie using applesauce to make it moist and sweet.

“People ask for fat-free, sugar-free everything these days,” said bakery owner Ania Gurnari. “Sometimes we look at them like, `OK, wrong place.' But now, at least we can say we have this healthy choice item."

Healthy Options, founded in 2004 by the Independent Health Foundation, works with local restaurants to prepare heart-healthy menu options for their customers to make healthier choices while dining out. Consumers can visit www.healthyoptionsbuffalo.com to view a list of participating restaurants and their healthy menu items. The Healthy Options program is offered in more than 50 Buffalo area restaurants and all items contain no more than 30% of calories from fat, and 10% or fewer calories from saturated fat and are lower in cholesterol and sodium.

Taste of Buffalo
Established in 1984, the not-for-profit Taste of Buffalo is one of the nation's largest food festivals, attracting nearly 500,000 people annually. Presented by Tops Markets, the Taste of Buffalo will take place July 7-8 on Delaware Avenue in downtown Buffalo. It has been voted Western New York's premier outdoor festival.

Independent Health Foundation
Established in 1992, the Independent Health Foundation works to improve the health and well being of Western New York residents through health awareness, prevention, wellness education and other programs focused on community health priorities. For more information on the Foundation’s activities, visit www.independenthealth.com.