Buffalonians aren't exactly known for making the healthy choice when it comes to our food,

but the 2010 Taste of Buffalo proved to many that healthy doesn't mean tasteless.

The Taste of Buffalo has been in a four-year partnership with the Independent Health

Foundation, which requires all food vendors to bring one healthy option to sell. According to

Mac Hartman, chairman of the 2010 Taste, the health-conscious program has been wildly

successful.

"There's lots of creativity," Hartman said. "A lot of time and effort went into creating

really good food that's very healthy for you."

Hartman said that recipes for healthy options were submitted by each vendor four months in

advance of the festival. Each recipe was analyzed by Independent Health to ensure that the

dish would be low in calories, fat and sodium. Hartman added that Independent Health works

with any food vendor with a recipe that doesn't make the cut to make the offering healthier.

Kabab and Curry, a Pakistani and Indian-themed restaurant on Transit Road in Amherst,

served a chicken malai tikka featuring two grilled chicken pieces that had been marinaded in

ginger, garlic and homemade yogurt.

"The yogurt helps it retain the moisture," said Madeeha Rehman, 31, a manager at Kabab and

Curry. "It burns off as it's grilled." Rehman said that close to 1,000 servings of the malai

tikka had been ordered since the festival started Saturday, making it their most popular dish.

"It's fantastic," said Mark Williams, 31, of Orchard Park. "It's spicy goodness on a

stick." Williams had no idea that he was ordering the healthy option and, although it tasted

healthy, it didn't taste bad.

Six Taste of Buffalo tickets purchased an eight-ounce serving of beans and greens soup, a

stew made with butter beans, cannellini beans, escarole and ditalinicq pasta, from the stand

for Orazio's Restaurant of Clarence. Earlier, the dish had been recognized as second place

among all healthy options from Taste vendors by Independent Health.

"It's unbelievable. We probably went through 2,500 portions," said Orazio Ippolito Jr., 42,

chef and owner of Orazio's. Ippolito said he was approached by one man who had been eating

vegetarian for 34 years. "He said it was the best vegetarian dish he's ever had."

Michael Campbell and Amanda Aikin, both of Buffalo, had stepped behind the Orazio's stand

to enjoy their beans and greens soup.

"It's delicious," Campbell said. "It has a nice creamy taste, good texture. It reminds me

of pasta fagioli." Aikin agreed, stating that she prefered the dish over many of the greasier

items available.

Joe DeCecco, 33, a waiter with Amici Ristorante in Kenmore, was at the Amici stand passing

out puttanesca sauce over spaghetti squash. According to DeCecco, the squash is cooked and

strung out with a fork to create something akin to angel hair pasta.

"Instead of pasta and all those carbs, you're getting vegetables with sauce," he said.

DeCecco said that sales of the spaghetti squash with puttanesca were on par with orders for

Amici's other offerings, including stuffed hot peppers and eggplant.

The healthy option requirement didn't cause Sweet Melody's of Clarence, an Italian-style

gelateria, to make any large changes.

"We're lucky, we bring [sorbet] anyways," said Chuck Incorvia, owner of Sweet Melody's. "It

just happens to be a pretty healthy thing."

Incorvia said that hotter temperatures, like those many Taste visitors experienced Sunday,

send sorbet sales through the roof. The sorbet made by Sweet Melody's is made exclusively from

fresh fruit blended in a batch freezer, making it fat-free.

"It's much more refreshing and colder than gelato or regular ice cream," Incorvia said.

Relaxing on the inner part of Niagara Square to enjoy their sorbets were Shelly Phillips,

49, of East Aurora; Diane Pozorski, 50, of Orchard Park; and her fiance, Jack Jensen, 55, of

Orchard Park. Pozorski and Phillips had both ordered the lemon, while Jensen was enjoying the

raspberry sorbet.

"I've been noticing the healthy items," said Pozorski. "It seems that every stand has a

healthy choice item."

Phillips thought that the healthy choice program was a great idea. "It gives you a lot of

options," she said.

Jensen noted that he could tell that the sorbet tasted healthier, but he certainly wasn't

put off by this. "I don't think we've tried enough," he said.