Buffalo wing history Archives - The Wing Authority.com

15th Annual National Buffalo Wings Festival

We couldn’t help but notice, while getting ready to hit the road for Buffalo for the 15th Annual National Buffalo Wings Festival, that the skies were dark and gray. Rain was forecasted at over 80% for the afternoon. The venue isn’t really suited for rainy events and later on I’d see a photo of The Wing King himself praying on his knees for the rain to go away. Gods be praised, by the time we rolled up to Coca-Cola Field the rain was done threatening to dampen the day and the breezy day was much to our liking. .

Having been spared the rain, we took our time taking in the options and the driving blues-rock coming from the stage. As the day wore on the sky cleared up more and it turned out to be a really beautiful Labor Day Sunday! Just take a look at these competitors, all these delicious sauces – oh my!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Doc Sullivan’s from South Buffalo won first place in the Creative Sauce category for their rich, garlicky Beef on Weck wings. While totally not Buffalo, it was a great sauce which I remarked would probably taste good on a list of dishes (beginning with the sandwich, of course).

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Booty’s is a restaurant slinging the best Medium sauce we sampled at this year’s Festival. It was bright, packed a punch of flavor and did not feel greasy. International Pizza Expo offered some really unique, well-balanced Maple Bacon wings which were really delightful.

Finally, we have got to mention Odis 12, one of Erie, PA’s hometown favorites. Odis (as we affectionately refer to them) took second place in the Creative Sauce category for their Trinity sauce, which was a unique combo of three other sauces. There is a touching story behind the naming of this sauce which The Wing Authority would like to discuss at another time. As always, please stay tuned.

What a blast! The National Buffalo Wings Festival is every Labor Day weekend, so mark it on your calendars. The vibes are always great at this event. You never see arguments or shoving. Everyone waits in line (which move quickly, no matter how long they appear) and everyone just talks about chicken wings with genuine interest, with big smiles all around. It’s totally pleasant. Totally beautiful day in Buffalo, New York. Check it out!

Report – National Buffalo Wing Festival 2016

Another one in the books! The National Buffalo Wing Festival on September 3 – 4 in Buffalo, New York, delighted its attendees with a successful event with plenty of great food and fun entertainment.

There were vendors from mainly the northeastern U.S. and one from all the way out in Brisbane, Australia, that offered their versions of tasty chicken wings.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

What a great day in Buffalo! The Wing Authority got to sample some exceptional wings, at a reasonable $1 apiece, and saw a collectively enormous list of flavors. There were plenty of nuanced, complex Buffalo flavors including one extra hot sauce from Duff’s Wings that had my head spinning for a few minutes. Time for another beer.

If pressed, my favorites were the Hot flavors from Duff’s and The Anchor Bar. Maybe I’m biased toward the hometown favorites, but I think it’s due to another factor that we constantly mention at The Wing Authority, which is – sure, sampling chicken wings in a variety of sauces makes for a great afternoon, but when it comes to Buffalo wings there is a right way and a wrong way.

We shall observe and preserve the Buffalo wing tradition. Buffalo wings means red hot sauce and butter, blue cheese on the side.

We came across mango habanero, apple wings, Asian blends, and more. Fine. They’re worth a try. Just keep in mind – those are NOT BUFFALO. I’ll spend my tickets on wings that are TOTALLY BUFFALO!

Coca-Cola Field provided an open, sunny space for the event and despite the lines for wings, it was easy to get to the stage to check out all the entertainment and there were no lines for beverages. In addition, Marie’s had a stand for FREE blue cheese dressing. Our impression was that it lacked one or two qualities we look for in blue cheese dressing but hey – it’s pretty hard to complain about free cheese. Extra props to Marie’s for supplying the blue cheese for the Bobbing for Wings contest!

There were several tents for much-needed shade and all the lines moved expediently. It was an extremely pleasant event and although we would have liked to see more vendors (possible suggestion: one set of vendors for Saturday, another set of vendors for Sunday), there was so much deliciousness and good vibes that we can’t wait for next year!

Check out the event website at: http://buffalowing.com, where you can see a real-time countdown to the 2017 National Buffalo Wing Festival.

Another interesting link on Buffalo wing history

While doing some research, the Wing Authority found a pleasant little rundown of Buffalo wings history. Here’s our hat tip to The Kitchen Project and a link to their Buffalo wings story:

http://kitchenproject.com/history/BuffaloWings/

Naturally, the writer pays homage to Theresa Bellissimo and the Anchor Bar where Buffalo wings originated. He also points out that Mrs. Bellissimo used Frank’s hot sauce, which by 1964 had been around for decades, for her invention. It’s amazing to think of how fate brought together these perfect elements. Let us bow our heads in gratitude for such a miracle.

Thank you, dear readers, and don’t forget to OBSERVE AND PRESERVE THE BUFFALO WING TRADITION!

From The New Yorker – a short history of the Buffalo wing

Hey friends –

A reader sent The Wing Authority the following link to a piece from 1980 which discusses the birth of Buffalo wings and gives some interesting context and commentary.

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1980/08/25/an-attempt-to-compile-a-short-history-of-the-buffalo-chicken-wing

There are lots of trends and offshoots since the beginnings of this glorious food and we hope to explore and discuss as many as possible. Take some time to read this fun little piece and leave your comments!