Erin Lachaal, Student Association entertainment director, said UB students can sometimes “get stuck” in Amherst and not branch out to the rest of Western New York.
Lachaal hopes that Buffalo Untapped will bring what Western New York has to offer to North Campus.
Students will experience beer tasting, food trucks, hotdogs and tacos in the Alumni Arena Triple Gym and LaSalle Lot on Saturday, April 11 in the inaugural launching of Buffalo Untapped. SA will host the event, which is for undergraduate students only, from 5-9 p.m. By Thursday afternoon more than 1,800 people said they were going on the event’s Facebook page.
The event cost SA $12,000, according to SA President James Ingram, and will feature boutiques, musicians, food trucks and breweries from the Buffalo area.
“I’m really excited for the event, coming from the City of Buffalo, it gives students a good idea of what Buffalo has to offer,” Lachaal said.
Lachaal, a Buffalo native, said she is excited to show students a different side of Buffalo. She also said she is thankful students will have the opportunity to eat from various local food trucks in one venue because food trucks, beside UB’s Big Blue, are normally not allowed on campus.
Campus Dining and Shops (CDS) has exclusive rights to food service at UB outside of the Commons. Big Blue is owned by CDS. Lachaal worked with Jeff Brady, executive director of CDS, to get special permission to bring food trucks on campus and the two have been working together since last semester to come up with a way to make the event happen.
The food trucks that will be in attendance for the event include Lloyd Taco Truck, Black Market Food Truck, Frank Gourmet Hot Dogs, Betty Crockski, Sweet Hearth and UB’s Big Blue.
Students attending the event, like sophomore mathematics major Abeda Alam, said they are glad to have all the various food trucks in one venue on campus.
“All the known food trucks in Buffalo are really far from campus. Some of them are in downtown so when you bring everything to UB it’s so much more convenient,” Alam said. “It basically gives us a taste of everything Buffalo has to offer on campus.”
Lachaal said the first 1,000 students to arrive will receive five $1-off coupons for the food trucks. Although entry to the event is free for all undergraduate students, Lachaal said students should bring additional money if they do not receive the coupons or if they want to purchase more than what the coupons will cover.
SA found four local breweries and worked with Campus Dining and Shops to provide drinks for the beer tasting. Students 21 and over will receive wristbands that will allow them to try the beer.
Community Beer Works, Flying Bison Brewing Company, Resurgence Brewing Company and Big Ditch Brewing Company will be at the event. Other vendors and musicians have yet to be officially announced.
Ingram said the event is different from the normal events SA puts on and its purpose is to showcase Buffalo culture.
“We really wanted to switch up SA programs so when Erin came to me with this idea, I was really excited to get to try something new,” Ingram said.
Lachaal said she hopes the event will encourage students to go off campus and explore Buffalo. She also hopes this is an event SA can continue in the future.
Ashley Inkumsah is an assistant new editor and can be contacted at ashley.inkumsah@ubspectrum.com
