By Andrew Galarneau

Above: Sausage bites from Buffalo’s Best Kielbasa Contest

Buying Polish sausage for Easter dinner is not particularly difficult in Buffalo. From supermarkets to butcher shops, refrigerated shelves are groaning with garlicky links made by companies whose names end in “ski.”

Given the plethora of pork possibilities, it takes a lot of pride to make your own sausage. Even more, it takes a lot of work, a day or two depending on how long you like to smoke your meat.

So it was an honor to get to sample so many home-grown sausage efforts at Saturday’s Buffalo’s Best Kielbasa Contest, held at Pott’s Deli in Cheektowaga.

Congratulations to the wieners, sorry, winners:

Smoked Traditional: Michael Martinez. He loaded his coarsely ground pork mixture with cracked black pepper and enough smoke for one link to flavor a pot of beans.

Non-Traditional, Keith Bednarz. He made a maple-flavored sausage using maple syrup made from sap collected from his own homestead’s maple trees.

Fresh holiday (with marjoram), Andrew House; smoked holiday (with marjoram), Steve Slazak; fresh traditional, Keith Bednarz.

Winners received trophies, bottles of Buffalo Distillery krupnik and gift certificates to The Sausage Maker, a charcuterie supply store in the Niagara Frontier Food Terminal.

REVIEW: Driven by the culinary talent and focused professionalism of chef-owner Stephen Pusateri, Bistro Avera has quietly become the other can’t-miss high-end night dining out in Lewiston. Just down the block from longtime favorite Carmelo’s Coat of Arms, Bistro Avera offers a distinctly different vision of the table, where risk-taking is a more pronounced part of the experience, as entree after small plate after pasta finds a way to stick the landing. (Later this week, for patrons.)

TAKEOUT MANSAF APRIL 2: At reader request, I’ve added a take-out option for my Amira’s Kitchen 101 event April 2.

That’s mansaf, lamb braised in yogurt broth, over rice with toasted almonds; tahini salad; a beef-and-bulgur kibbe fritter; and Amira’s rice pudding for dessert. 

Dinner is $30; order at fourbites.net/shop. 

It’s April 2 at 6 p.m., 1500 Cleveland Drive, Cheektowaga.

ASK THE CRITIC:

Q: I’m trying to make pierogi for the first time and I can’t find farmer’s cheese. Help!

• Sandy B., Depew

A: Check out Euro Deli, 4166 Union Road, Cheektowaga, for a thorough array of Ukrainian, Polish, and Slavic groceries – including several types of farmer’s cheese, found in its cheese cooler. Check out this video for more details.

More reading from Michael Chelus of Nittany Epicurean:

• Mr. Galarneau told us that the farm to table movement is alive and well at The Dapper Goose [Four Bites]
• You only have a short time to enjoy the Broadway Market before its scheduled $45 million renovations [Four Bites]
• Christa wrote about how Jay Manno is expanding his empire under the Frankie Primo’s + 39 umbrella [Buffalo Spree]
• Chef Michael Dimmer wrote about the Brussels Sprouts Tacos at Casa Azul [Buffalo Spree]
• Andrew wrote about the Tacos al Pastor at La Oaxaqueña Taquería in Batavia [Buffalo Spree]
• Christa told us about the Lengua Tacos at Manito Taco Shop in Lockport [Buffalo Spree]
• India wrote about the Chorizo Con Buche from Taquería Los Mayas in Cheektowaga [Buffalo Spree]
• Christa also wrote about the Baja Fish Tacos from Hombre y Lobo [Buffalo Spree]
• Jeff wrote about the Birria Queso from Mazail Mexican Kitchen in East Amherst [Buffalo Spree]
• Seven WNY breweries medaled in the 2026 New York State Craft Beer Competition including New York Beer Project, Eli Fish Brewing and more [Buffalo Beer League]
• BriarBrothers Brewing is collaborating with Canadian nomadic brewers, Nomxd Beer Co. [Buffalo Beer League]
• Christa also gave us a little background on Concord [Buffalo Spree]
• Brian’s Buffalo Beer Buzz told us about a new light lager from New York Beer Project, the expansion of the Citmo line from Resurgence Brewing and more [Buffalo Beer League]
• Andrew gave us a recipe for spanakopita [Four Bites]

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