Local Faces

Three Buffalonians — a rock star, a competitive chef and an award-winning author/artist — share what they love about the city.

Robby Takac

Goo Goo Dolls Bassist and founder of Music Is Art Foundation

Of all the Goo Goo Dolls, you’ve made the most public investments locally, in the Music Is Art Foundation and your record label, Good Charamel Records. Why did you put down roots in Buffalo?
“There’s something in the water here that makes you want to be around it. It’s not immediately obvious why we all love Buffalo, but there’s a heart here and there’s a real feeling of com munity. I moved back to Buffalo from LA and, within days, I knew all my neighbors again. It just seems to make more sense.”

How long have you been full-time in Buffalo?
“We started building the studio four years ago. I’ve had places in Buffalo and LA for ages, but I’ve been exclusively in Buff alo for the past two years, on the South side. And my studio, Good Charamel Records, is in Allentown.”

What’s your favorite small venue you’ve played in Buffalo?
“On my label, I’ve signed a band called Shonen Knife, and we do shows down at the Mohawk [Place] a lot. We like a small venue like that for a good time, big-night-out party. The Town Ballroom is an amazing venue, as well. We’ve had some great shows there, and they’re constantly bringing in top talent.”

Krista Van Wagner

Nickel City Chef and co-owner of Curly’s Grill

What's the story behind your restaurant?
“My grandfather Curly opened it after Prohibition in 1934. My husband and I — we met at the Culinary Institute of America — came back to run the restaurant in 1989. We took it back from a local gin mill — the kitchen had closed down when the local steel plant closed — and brought back my grandfather Curly’s Friday fish fries and added all the stuff I’d learned in kitchens abroad and around the US. It’s as I’ve always said, ‘Cook good food, and people will come.’ We are off the beaten path in Lackawanna, but we have a $1.75 million business.”

What’s the idea behind the Iron Chef-style cooking competition, Nickel City Chef?
“It showcases Western New York's beautiful farm-to-table scene. The 'secret ingredi ents' always come from local farmers and are top-notch. Everything is so fresh and local and organic. It’s done nothing but build local business. It just makes you stop and think about using local ingredients, and putting the money back in our pockets here. You get a better product, and people are willing to pay for it.”

What’s your record as a Nickel City Chef?
“Three wins, one loss.”

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Eric Gansworth

Author/artist

You grew up locally, on the Tuscarora Nation. What made you stick around Buffalo-Niagara?
“Because the place where I was raised was so insular at that time, I never even set foot into the Albright-Knox Art Gallery or Talking Leaves Books until I was 19. Buffalo seemed like a diff erent planet. I was able to discover the wonders of Buffalo… at an age when I was ready to appreciate them.”

What are you working on right now?
“My most recent novel, Extra Indians, has just won a 2011 American Book Award, so that might change my focus a bit. For a couple years, I've had about 100 pages of the next installment in the lives of that novel's characters, so the award has been prompting me to see if I can find my way through to the end.”

Where do you go in town for artistic inspira tion?
“I still like to go to the Albright-Knox. They've done a nice blend of their incredible holdings — Warhols, a major Pollock, Picasso, Matisse, Rosenquist and Kiefer — with some terrific, focused shows. Hallwalls has remained true to its mission. The Nina Freudenheim Gallery is also a cool place if you're looking for the kind of gallery you might find in Chelsea.”