Author: Evan Thompson

Fists pumping into the cool rocky mountain air to the beat of the shout song… this is still Buffalo country. I’ve now been to Bills Backer bars in London, Budapest, Miami, Chicago, NYC, and LA… But I’m not sure I have ever seen a Mafia turn out like Denver. Opening week 2020, the world is on fire. I drove past two separate mountain fires on my way from Wyoming to Denver. It was 90 degrees when I showed up in the Mile High City. The next two days it snowed ash and on the third day it snowed… well… snow.…

From Colorado to Hawaii to Napa to Buffalo, the soft spoken Dino DeBell has walked the walk in each and every role that he has been in. Raised in kitchens, mentored by the best, and ground to the bone by the ins and outs of the industry, yet he’s still in love with it. When asked why? Through all the hot hours in all of the kitchens, all of the long nights away from family, all of the uncertainty in a business that is known for a low success level, and now a freaking pandemic? He just leans back and…

 Man, it makes me so sad to write this. I went to the protest yesterday. While I was riding my bike down to Niagara Square, so many things went through my head. How bad would it get? How many people would actually be there? There were talks of the KKK coming, what would that look like? What I saw was amazing, a diverse group of citizens who are concerned about the state of our nation and the people it belongs to. Chants of “No Justice, No Peace!” “People Over Property!” “Hands Up Don’t Shoot!” People spoke their piece on…

Chances are, you’ve been to the charming little Italian restaurant in the middle of downtown Buffalo that has won numerous awards, throws street festivals and never fails to make you feel like one of the family. That’s exactly what owner Nick Pitillo was going for. Opening its doors six years ago, Osteria 166 was one of the first new institutions to take a chance on a once forgotten neighborhood. Sitting just across from the Convention Center on Franklin and West Mohawk, it has become a lively venue for anyone looking to grab a quick delicious downtown lunch with healthy portions…

You likely know someone who Prish Moran has helped out throughout the years, whether it be hosting an event, hiring someone in need, or giving a young man, who has never painted before, the opportunity of a lifetime. Prish is a magnet for anyone willing to show up and take a shot. Bio: The 63 year old mother of three is originally from Boston MA.  Her supportive, though hands off, parents taught her to follow through on all of her ideas, nothing was impossible. She was raised to fix cars and build everything. She became a young entrepreneur, putting panels…

Too often it is overlooked that in order for a community to recover and move forward there needs to be risks taken and investments procured, both large and small. Nick Sinatra was rejected time and time again when looking for investors – just mentioning Buffalo led to “let me give you some advice kid” or “don’t waste your time”… some even laughed in his face. But the opportunity was there and Nick’s love for his hometown wasn’t going to let him be discouraged.  So, when he got his chance, he made it stick. Bio: Nick Sinatra is a Buffalo native…

“Music is something that can only be experienced live.” Bio: Buffalo-based saxophonist Steve Baczkowski performs solo, in trio with drummer Ravi Padmanabha & bassist Brian DeJesus, and in frequent collaborations with guitarist Bill Nace and drummer Chris Corsano. A new trio LP Mystic Beings with Corsano & Nace was just released to wide acclaim by Open Mouth Records and Old Smoke, a new live trio recording with Corsano and bassist Brandon Lopez will be released on CD by Relative Pitch Records in Spring 2019. A new recording highlighting Baczkowski’s 20-year duo collaboration with Ravi Padmanabha will be released on Astral Spirits in the summer. Baczkowski began playing alto saxophone at age…

A fifth generation Buffalonian, Kevin Gardner has made a lifestyle and a business out of making use of his resources and not wasting materials. A process that has proven to be a success in beauty and in trade. Spending a few years hitchhiking around the country, Kevin juggled his way to all four corners of America meeting people and paying his way though street performing.  When he returned home he kept up his trade by juggling outside the arena downtown while squatting in abandoned houses for a few years. It wasn’t until he met his wife Melissa that he began…

In the seventh grade she held a hunger strike.  For three weeks she and 11 of her classmates refused to eat their lunch. Their demands? The single use styrofoam trays that had taken the place of the re-usable plastic trays be done away with. And, the dishwasher that had lost his job because there were no more trays to wash, be given his job back. The school folded and both demands were met. Spend thirty seconds with Rahwa Ghirmatzion and you will be compelled to make a change. Born during the civil war in Eritrea, Rahwa’s family fled the violence by…

You may not know it but you’ve definitely seen this man around town. Whether it’s riding his bike through a snowstorm, managing the booking of a hip hop show, or simply having a dark beer at the end of the bar… Anthony “Tone” Caferro is very much around. Born in Mercy Hospital, Anthony is a local man of the world. “I collect passport stamps and tattoos,” he told me. From managing music tours through Europe,  leading youth adventure tours stateside, and riding his bike cross-country Anthony’s passport is full, and he certainly has the tattoos to prove it. But his…