Taste of Buffalo announces 2026 chair, events manager & sponsorship liaison

Long-time board member Adam Roma named chair, Twenty6 Productions joins as event manager, Judith Sperry tapped for sponsorships

Press Release 

The Taste of Buffalo presented by Tops announced Adam Roma as chairperson of the 2026 event. Additionally, the Taste announced that Twenty6 Productions and Judith A. Sperry have been hired to serve as the new event manager and sponsorship liaison, respectively. This year’s event takes place July 11-12 along Delaware Avenue and Niagara Square in downtown Buffalo.

Roma began volunteering with the Taste of Buffalo in 2009, before joining the festival as a board member in 2016. A graduate of St. Francis High School and SUNY Fredonia, Roma now works as a sales representative for the Principal Financial Group. Roma resides in the City of Buffalo with his wife, Theresa, a fellow Taste board member, and their three children.

“I am humbled and honored to be named the chair of the 2026 Taste of Buffalo," Roma said. “The Taste is not only one of the region’s premiere events and a celebration of our world-class food scene, it is also an incredible opportunity to give back to our community. Every dollar spent at the Taste goes back to supporting local businesses and charitable organizations, so that sense of being able to give back is perhaps what excites me most about taking on this important role.”

Twenty6 Productions is a full-spectrum event production agency based in Buffalo that produces events both on the local and national scale. Twenty6 is led by founders Josh Holtzman and Grace Vesneske, who also own and operate Buffalo Iron Works. Holtzman, Vesneske and Twenty6 are no strangers to downtown Buffalo festivals, as the popular Cobblestone Live Music Festival – located appropriately one mile from the Taste’s current footprint on Delaware Avenue – is one of the many events in their portfolio. Twenty6’s responsibilities as event manager include overseeing on-site management of the event as well as coordinating entertainment, on-site logistics and budget management.

“At the heart of what we do at Twenty6 Productions is our profound love for the City of Buffalo and this entire region,” Vesneske said. “There are, of course, countless things that make Buffalo special, but to us, food and entertainment are near the top of the list. Taking on this role as event manager for the Taste is a genuine thrill for us, and we look forward to applying our vast experience putting on festivals locally and nationally to this regional staple.”

Sperry joins the Taste with a decade of event planning experience and a background in culinary journalism, grant writing, and development work at nonprofit organizations. She returned to Buffalo after graduating from Northwestern University.

“I’m elated to join the Taste and help add to the momentum that’s building towards making this the best iteration of the festival yet,” Sperry said. “I look forward to working hand-in-hand with our new and existing sponsors to make this year’s Taste of Buffalo a tremendous success for all of our attendees!”

Celebrating its 43rd anniversary in 2026, the Taste of Buffalo is the nation’s largest two-day food festival. For more information, visit www.tasteofbuffalo.com.