Restaurants from throughout the twin cities are packing up their sweet and savory dishes and offering them up to local foodies   for the Taste of the Tonawandas today.

Fourteen restaurants have signed up this year to take part in the event, which is in its fifth year since returning in 2006   after a decade-long hiatus. The food fest runs from noon to 7 p.m. today at Gateway Harbor Park, on Sweeney Street in North   Tonawanda.  Food at the event must be bought with tickets that can be purchased for 50 cents and prices for items are set   by the individual vendors.

“We’re going to have a good variety of food,” said Fred Priano, a member of the Tonawandas Gateway Harbor Committee, which   organized the event. “Right now I have about 14 restaurants and they’re pretty diversified. We will also have entertainment.   I’m not sure what it’s going to be yet.”

A handful of the restaurants are newcomers to the area, such as J&L BBQ and Canalside Creamery, both opening their doors within   the last year.

The rest of the restaurants participating this year are T.C. Wheelers, Submasters, Just Pizza, Dockside Inn, Chill Factor,   Crazy Jakes, Buffalo Roadhouse Grill, R&R BBS, Knights of Columbus, Little Caesars, O’Connells American Bistro and Sweet Melody’s.

This year Larry Rudolph, co-owner of J&L BBQ, could not be more enthusiastic to be a part of this celebration of food.

“Any time you can go outside and cook for thousands of people in the summertime is a good day for me,” Rudolph said.

For his second year of the festival, Rudolph is serving up his signature pulled pork sandwiches, barbecue ribs and freshly   cut french fries.

Rudolph and longtime friend Joe Tomasino opened their barbecue restaurant in August at 697 Erie Ave. in North Tonawanda and   have been bustling with business ever since.

“I’ve known Joe for more than 10 years and we’re friends and now partners,” said Rudolph. “Joe has a lot of restaurant experience.   Between his restaurant experience and my barbecue background we decided to put our talents together to open a barbecue restaurant   that would cater to the Southern-style barbecue at an affordable price.”

J&L BBQ’s menu is 95 percent homemade and is cooked in a slow traditional manner, he said.

After tasting some hot wings or spicy shrimp, Canalside Creamery will be scooping out ice cream to cool off those with sizzling   taste buds.

Barb LaBruna opened her ice cream parlor, located at 82 Webster Street in North Tonawanda, with her husband Ron last June   after he lost his job of about 25 years.

“We just felt like North Tonawanda needed an ice cream shop down here and my husband just lost his job, so we decided to just   take a chance and do it. So far it’s starting to pay off.”

Regularly the ice cream shop serves up everything from hard ice cream, custard, specialty sundaes and something she dubs the   ice cream pie.

“It’s like an ice cream cake, except it’s in a pie crust and people can custom order them,” said Barb.

Some of their specialty sundaes include the warm brownie sundae, the Webster sundae — which contains caramel and hot fudge   — and the Flotation Ring sundae, which is in honor of the local roller derby girls, and is made up of chocolate custard with   caramel and marshmallows.

“The only thing we are going to have at the Taste of the Tonawandas is hard ice cream, one size in a cone or a dish,” said   Barb. “Anything else they need to come down to the store to get.”

LaBruna will be offering up multiple flavors of hard ice cream, including the standard chocolate and vanilla, along with flavors   for kids, such as superhero or cotton candy ice cream and for the adults, flavors like maple walnut or butter pecan.

Ron and Barb said they enjoy being a part of community events like the Taste of the Tonawandas. Having lived in North Tonawanda   all their lives, they would like to give some sweet treats back to the area.

“We just figured its part of our neighborhood that we’re in now being on Webster street and we wanted people in the Tonawandas   to know that we’re right here centrally for Tonawanda and North Tonawanda.”

Live music, entertainment and family activities, such as a juggler or magician may also be featured during the event, which   has an Irish theme this year, Priano said.