Students studying food service, hospitality, culinary arts encouraged to apply for scholarships from Taste of Buffalo & Tops Friendly Markets

The Taste of Buffalo presented by Tops is now accepting applications for its annual scholarship program to support Western New York-area high school seniors aspiring to careers in the food service and hospitality industries. This year’s program will award four recipients with a $1,000 scholarship to be applied toward room and board, books or fees.

New this year, a $1,000 scholarship presented by Tops Friendly Markets, in partnership with the Taste, will be made available to one local student pursuing a degree in culinary arts or culinary arts management, including programs such as nutrition and wellness, holistic nutrition, food entrepreneurship, food retail operations, restaurant operations, food science, dietetics, food stylist, food photography, etc. Students may apply for either the Taste of Buffalo scholarship or the Tops scholarship, depending on their area of study.

“Tops was humbled to learn that one of the five $1,000 scholarships being presented this year by the Taste of Buffalo is being named in our honor,” said John Persons, president of Tops Friendly Markets. “As a longstanding sponsor of this event, we are privileged to partner with the Taste of Buffalo on this time-honored Western New York tradition, and will continue to stand by our commitment to the community for years to come.”

“We are honored to have Tops Markets join us in offering a new scholarship this year,” 2023 Taste of Buffalo Chair Elizabeth Mamot said. “Tops has been our valued partner for nearly four decades. This is a wonderful addition to our 40th birthday celebrations and a great way to support the next generation of culinary arts professionals in our region.”

To be eligible for any of these five scholarships, students must be residents of Erie, Niagara, Orleans, Wyoming, Genesee, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus or Allegany counties, and have enrolled in a two- or four-year college in an eligible degree program. For additional scholarship criteria and to download an application, visit www.tasteofbuffalo.com. The application deadline is Tuesday, April 18. Selected recipients will be notified no later than May 5.

About the Taste of Buffalo

The Taste of Buffalo presented by Tops is the nation’s largest two-day food festival. The 40th annual event will take place July 8 and 9 along Delaware Avenue in downtown Buffalo. 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.