Scenes: Taste of Diversity brings the flavors, in all senses of the word
By Lindsay DePietro
There were pieces of Persia, the Caribbean, Ethiopia, Jamaica, Mexican, Vietnam, Thailand, the Phillipines and Poland available along Grant Street Saturday (June 28), and that was just the food.
Saturday’s annual Taste of Diversity Festival was buzzing. The day was filled with tasty food, multicultural music, dancing in the streets and shopping.
The festival took place on Grant Street, stretching from Auburn Avenue to West Delaware Avenue, with Lafayette Avenue being the middle point.
Food trucks and vendors featuring cuisine from a variety of different cultures lined the street, along with small business owners selling their own homemade foods and desserts.
“I got some Mexican corn, which was really good with all the fixings,” said Tammy Lee, an event-goer.
Both Tammy and Stephanie Lee have been attending the annual festival for three years now.
Tammy Lee said the festival “Introduces you to other cultures, and one of the main things about the food, you get to try different things.
People swarmed the area, not only for a savory or sweet treat, but to browse vendors, listen to the entertainment, and even dance along to music in groups.
A DJ was set up in a booth alongside the vendors, and there were two separate entertainment stages. One was by Auburn Avenue and the other near Lafayette Avenue.
Moving from one side of the street to the next, different music could be heard in every section. The melodies from the entertainment stages blended into the music blasting from the DJ station, which featured Jamaican music, Hispanic music and Afrobeats.
Groups of people gathered in front of the DJ booth to vibe to the music, singing along and dancing together to well-loved songs.
At one point, a belly dancer who wore a purple jeweled bra paired with a purple flowy skirt with slits in the sides could be seen dancing in front of the stage near the Auburn Avenue end of the festival. The dancer interacted with the crowd and tried to get others to join in on her fun. One woman happily took her up on the offer, dancing around with her in a circle.
At the other stage near Lafayette Avenue a singer could be heard performing with his band, featuring multiple guitarists and a drummer. A group of kids took the stage at one point, dancing, and a group of women danced to the vocals of their lead singer.
In one section of the festival, children could be seen playing in the sun for hours, dowsing each other with hose water and chasing each other with water guns.
Small business owners set up their tents filled with items ranging from clothing to cosmetics such as lip-gloss, body oils, hair and skin products to children’s toys, jewelry (including hand beaded waist beads) and art.
Many of the items being sold,whether food or goods, were homemade.
One business owner, Jamila Gittens, said she started her at-home baking business, Mila’s Sweet Treats, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I got laid off from my job. I always had a passion for baking when I was younger, but after getting laid off I was stuck in my house bored,” Gittens said. “I started baking and everyone loved my treats, so I kept it going.”
It was her first year at the festival. “It’s a nice crowd out here,” she said.
Novi Paluch, owner of Sasmita Batik, a boutique that sells handmade Indonesian Batik, along with other accessories and home decor items, works with disabled people, elderly and homeless kids from Indonesia. For every sale she makes, 10% of the profits is donated to Indonesia to help homeless kids.
“After the pandemic it’s been really difficult, not only for me, but for everyone else around, but now it’s getting better,” Paluch said.
She has owned her business for 15 years and has been to the Taste of Diversity Festival many times. This year she said, “It’s been busy. I mean the wind has made me crazy, but the other parts are good. I’m so happy.”
Although the sun was beating down on the festival-goers, the wind picked up heavily at some points during the day.
A few vendors struggled with their tents at one point, having to hold them down in place. Some could be seen holding their merchandise in place so it wouldn’t be swept away. One vendor owner looked away for a minute, and their products went flying.
The wind did not stop anyone’s fun though, and the business owners stayed in high spirits, happy to be out with the community.
A lot of folks not only came to the festival to have a fun time, but to support the community and these small businesses.
Tiffany Lewis, who is running for Cheektowaga Town Council, said she saw the festival when she was driving by earlier in the day on the way to another event that she was sponsoring, Family Fishing Day, and decided to come back to support the Taste of Diversity Festival.
“I’m just looking to just have a great experience, I’m looking to vibe with the different people. I’m willing to just learn a little bit more about what everyone is doing, and how we can take part of, and how we can be a support and overall I’m just looking to have a good time,” said Lewis.
