That’s a Spicy Meatball

It’s July again (funny how that works) and that means another culinary and cultural trip over yonder to Italy.  We have such a rich local history in Italian culture, the Sorrento Cheese Buffalo Italian Heritage Festival is a knockout event in one of WNY’s coolest neighborhoods, on Hertel Avenue.  Originally held on the West Side, where many of the region’s Italian families live(d), and now held in the equally ethnic neighborhood off Hertel in North Buffalo, the festival celebrates the food, the wine, the culture, the people and the history of this great lineage.

It’s so freaking hot outside right now, the thought of walking through the streets eating spicy sausages and gulping red wine sounds torturous to me.  But think of it this way:  It might put you in the shoes of someone who does that every day in Italy.  Minus the breathtaking ocean views and ancient architecture.  Okay, so just the temperature part.  But it’s closer to Italy than it is Buffalo’s image of an ice box.

Check out the vendors at this year’s festival here, and make your own list of places you’d like to visit.  Festivals that have food do not always represent an accurate taste of what the participating restaurants would normally sell, but at events smaller in scale like this one, I think it’s a safe bet that every bite and every sip will bring you one step closer to that seaside villa you’ve always dreamed of.  Check it out!

Photo from a past local Italian festival courtesy this guy.

Posted by on 07/18 at 10:57 AM