It’s funny, looking back over my time in the trenches of restaurant cookery. Never would I have thought that something like a bar snack would become such an integral influence in both my personal and professional lives.
Given that now there are entire restaurant empires dedicated to spreading the spicy, tangy, greasy goodness of said bar snack, who would have known the late-night nosh born of happenstance and hunger would become such a culinary juggernaut?
What is this highly prized and revered snack, you ask? Why, it’s the Buffalo chicken wing.
The birth of this now staple menu offering is said to have occurred in Buffalo, N.Y.
The Anchor Bar, 1964. Bar owner, Mrs. Teressa Bellissimo, mistakenly orders a case of chicken wings instead of the usual necks for her husband Frank’s secret-recipe spaghetti sauce. Teressa, furious with her mistake, wanted to send back the worthless chicken parts but her patient husband convinced her to accept the error and said they would make it work.
Prior to 1964, chicken wings were scraps leftover when the chicken was cut up. These were either thrown away or sold at very low prices to less affluent families who would make them into soups.
In an effort to use up her stockpile of wings, Mrs. Bellissimo decided to cut the wings into handy pieces, fry them golden brown and toss them with the now famous blend of hot sauce and butter. With the rave reviews from her hungry son and his friends, the Buffalo chicken wing was born.
So, how did Teressa Bellissimo’s culinary fortuity influence me? Well, my family has a part in the Buffalo wing origin story, too.
In 1977 my parents decided to move north into Muskoka and buy what was then a small lunch bar and general store. The Bass Lake Store located on Highway 169 between Glen Orchard and MacTier. The store was on the tip of Bass Lake as it meandered its way into the much larger Lake Joseph. This was a spot with rich cottage history and an area only just beginning to grow into the cottage country mecca it is now.
Over eight years my mom and my dad were able to build a successful restaurant that was the hub of cottage life in the area. Everybody stopped in for a visit. One of their regulars, a cottager from Bass Lake, was also a full-time resident of Buffalo, N.Y. Well, it turns out that his favourite local bar was none other than the Bellissimo family’s Anchor Inn.
One weekend in the very early ’80s, this cottager came in to see my folks with a request. He was hoping that they would make this food he brought up with him for his guests. What he had brought was a 10-pound bag of wings, a bottle of hot sauce and a recipe straight from Buffalo. Needless to say, the Buffalo chicken wing had found a new home in the heart of cottage country.
The Bass Lake Roadhouse is still open and still serving Buffalo wings and frosty pints to hungry cottagers and snowmobilers 40 years later. Ironically, it was also the place that started me off on my path to becoming a chef. Bass Lake was where I signed up as an apprentice cook and was encouraged to take those next steps into my culinary career.
As I worked my way through the places and menus that would define the cook I have become, the chicken wing has always been a staple. It was at one of these kitchens that a couple of guys who kind of knew each other from high school became a solid kitchen brigade and lifelong friends.
As a second-year apprentice, I started working at a newly built resort just outside of Bala called Cranberry Marsh Cove. It was there that I got to know Mike, Nick and Karl. We spent many hours working in the kitchens of the Pub 169 or the hotline upstairs for Enrico’s, and as anyone in our industry knows, the people you work with can end up like family and I definitely consider these guys my brothers.
As time went on and life changed, it was hard to keep connected. We no longer worked side by side, and all had different paths. It was difficult to stay in touch. As the fates would have it, our paths have all converged again — this time, here in Barrie. It was here that the humble chicken wing once again became an influence. Our friend, Nick, ever the convener of our crew, got the idea to host “Wing Club,” a chance to check in and catch up with the boys and do what line cooks do best: shop talk. For me, our nights give us an opportunity to relax, unload and have a little fun.
Over time, our club and its circle of friends have grown and adding in some new members has ensured that there are no shortages of opinions at the table when we get down to discussing the important topics of the day. You know, like breaded or plain, barbecue base or butter and the always contentious drums or flats. One thing I love about this city is there is no shortage of places to get a solid pint and a pound for our monthly meet-ups. We have some outstanding pubs, sports bars and barbecue spots all putting out great offerings.
I encourage you to get out there, find your favourite spot and raise a pint and down a pound for “Wing Club.”
In the words of the great Julia Child, “People who like to eat are always the best people.”
