Genesee St Restaurant Brings Lots of Joy to Buffalo’s East Side

A few days ago I spoke with the owner of Ike & BGs Restaurant on Genesee St, Steven Butler, about their holiday event Joy on Genesee. I had the opportunity to stop by after I was done hosting the #NicestRadioShowPeriodT and I am happy to say that this event did not disappoint. I saw all kinds of Joy along Genesee Street.

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Joy on Genesee kicked off with music by Buffalo's DJ Mr. Ilmattic. This was followed up by a welcome greeting from Mr. Butler who updated everyone on what was available. That included hot cocoa, served by Buffalo's own Venzella Joy, Ike & BGs special chili, warmth items like hats, scarves, and gloves, and food boxes that had perishable and non-perishable items inside.

This holiday event included performances from The Collins 4, a group of siblings who have been singing and playing music since they were babies, Buffalo-based emcee & barber Cashis Green, and DaMarka Wheeler who was a finalist on BET's Sunday's Best. Plus, Kente Claus himself was on hand to pass out gifts to children of all ages.

All of this was put together by Ike & BGs and was sponsored in part by Erie County Legislator Howard Johnson, Fillmore District Common Council Member Mitch Nowakowski, Chairwoman of the Erie Couty Legislature April Baskin, New York State Senator Tim Kennedy, The African American Cultural Center, Camellia Meats, Buffalo Mayor Brown, and the Buffalo Police Department C-District.

You can check out some photo's from Joy on Genesee Street below.