Let’s talk about the culture of Buffalo. Many are familiar with New York as a true melting pot city with every imaginable ethnicity and race, pockets of ethnic communities within a city, and all of the food influences to match. Buffalo is simply a smaller version of that.
The area known as the First Ward is a thriving Irish community with bars and neighborhood eateries that reflect the heritage of the real “green community”. Allentown, although a mix of ethnicity, is a true bohemian artist community with a national reputation and an ever-changing landscape of bistros and bars. Just down the street on Main is the world famous Anchor Bar, where the chicken wing was born (they still serve the best). The area known as the Fruit Belt is the cities German community with its share of great sausages, pickles and beer. The Lower West Side is home to a deep-rooted Italian neighborhood and a growing Puerto Rican community as well. There is no problem finding some great Italian-American fare or influences from the islands. The Eastside is home to Buffalo’s Polish community. During my youth, the Broadway Market was one of the greatest culinary experiences with sausage makers, pierogi’s, fresh hams and lots of sauerkraut. Finally, the downtown area is encompassed by a vibrant black community with Buffalo soul food at its finest. The general make-up of the city is 52% white, 36% black, 7.5% Hispanic and 1.5% Asian.
The food scene is changing in Buffalo – for the better. It has been many years since I walked through the communities of the Queen City, but I still have vivid memories of uniquely Buffalo foods back when I was young. JaFaFa Hot’s was the best char-grilled, natural casing hot dog with their special sauce to be found anywhere. This was a treat when I finished up with a baseball game down at Grider and Bailey. A Roast Beef on Weck (a unique roll with caraway and coarse ground salt – not to be found anywhere but Buffalo) at Tin Pan Alley (some say it was horse meat) with loads of Weber Horseradish and a touch of au jus was truly to die for. Every Friday was fish fry in a community with heavy Catholic influences. Trautwein’s was the place to go for “takeout” fish fry – I can still smell the fish market. You can’t forget the baked Spaghetti at Chef’s on Seneca, even though it was not in the Italian neighborhood, it certainly was Italian. If you want to talk pizza, it has to be the Bocce Club, hands down, and of course there will always be the Anchor Bar for wings. Finally, let’s not forget the peanut stick donuts from Freddy’s Donuts (long since closed) on Main near Fillmore. You could watch Freddy’s donuts passing through the conveyor fryers pretty much 24 hours a day.
I worked at some great places where I developed my chops at an early age. The Statler Hilton apprenticeship program gave me the chance to work many stations from banquets to saucier, from the butcher shop to garde manger, and from breakfast to the hot line for the Beef Baron Restaurant. I spent a year at Shore’s Orchard Downs in Orchard Park (home to the Bills) and learned from a Greek immigrant who made a name for himself with his food. A short stint at the Cloister where I began to understand what it was like to serve hundreds of people prime rib and lobster, and even that diner where I received my first culinary exposure as an assistant short order cook at the age of 15.
When it comes to my hometown I will always remain a fan and will always stay BUFFALO PROUD!
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well put chef!!! I opened many places in buffalo!! The gentleman that bought and is re-doing the statler is Mark Croce and his younger brother Scott my best friend bought the old cloister. Which he has kept the original building of Mark twains horse stables and re-doing, As for the statler Mark has been remodeling the banquet rooms back to its original!! The Croces have been a big part in my career. Growing up with the family since I was 11 and started working at their family rest. Ottos in Cheektowaga the Croce’s convinced me to go to Culinary School!! Anytime you want to visit Buffalo me and Mike Latona will be more than happy to show you around to the newest and best places!!
Thanks Joe, I will definitely take you up on that. With you and Mike together should we call for police protection first?
Wow! Our soccer team sold Freddy’s doughnuts and we would stack a dozen on a car antenna as we drove around door to door. My grandmother worked at the Broadway Market for about 40 years at Redlinski’s… SO many fond memories and a lot of time spent there, especially at Easter time. How I miss the Friday fish fry… I remember you talking about that phenomenon in class once!
Born in Buffalo, now living in Florida — always love the Ja Fa Fa Hot dogs on Harlem road —I would life to make my own sauce — any way I can get a receipe ?
My father was from Cheektowaga and brought me once to Ja Fa Fa hots. I still have “taste memory” of the sauce, even though my father has been gone for 10 years now. I would love to get even an approximation of the Ja Fa Fa Sauce, if not the real deal, so I can introduce my son to a flavor of the grandfather he never got to meet in person.