Kelynn Holenstein named grand-prizewinner of poster art contest for Taste of Buffalo presented By Tops

Submitted by Tops Friendly Markets

Tops Friendly Markets and the Taste of Buffalo announced Kelynn Holenstein, a talented artist from North Tonawanda, is the grand-prizewinner of the 2023 Taste of Buffalo Tops poster art contest.

Kelynn was the winner for artists in the 18-year-old-plus age group. Her artwork will be featured on the festival poster and in the event’s marketing materials. In addition, Kelynn will receive a $1,000 prize.

Samantha Nadeau, a resident of West Seneca, is the winner in the 13-17-year-old age group, and will be presented with $500. The prizes are courtesy of Tops Friendly Markets and The Taste of Buffalo.

“Congratulations to our winners and thank you to everyone who took the time to submit artwork celebrating the Taste of Buffalo’s 40th birthday,” said Elizabeth Mamot, 2023 Taste of Buffalo chair. “Kelynn's artwork is festive, fun and flavorful, and I loved the use of the bright colors. Samantha's drawing reminded me of my favorite childhood book, ‘Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs!’ ”

Samantha Nadeau's poster art.

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This year’s festival, which celebrates its 40th birthday in 2023, is taking place July 8-9 in Niagara Square and on a portion of Delaware Avenue.

Organizers said, “We’re looking forward to hosting extraordinary chefs from Buffalo once again on the live culinary stage sponsored by Tops. Presale food ticket vouchers will also be available for purchase at Tops Markets locations beginning in June.”

Based in Williamsville, Tops Markets currently operates 149 grocery stores in New York, Pennsylvania and Vermont, including five that are run by franchisees. For more information, visit www.topsmarkets.com.

The Taste of Buffalo presented by Tops is the nation’s largest two-day food festival. Named one of "10 food and wine festivals you can feel good about attending," by USA Today, the Taste is a not-for-profit organization with more than 1,000 volunteers helping to put on the annual event. More than $573,000 has been raised at the festival for local charities, in addition to scholarships awarded annually to local high school seniors pursuing a culinary or hospitality- related degree. For more information, visit tasteofbuffalo.com.