“Hot wings—the good ones anyway—are about the layers…balance…time.” – Cordell, The Hot Wing King 

At a point in time not all that long ago, chicken wings were an undesirable cut of poultry, seen as containing too much bone and not enough meat to make the eating of them on their own worthwhile. And unlike backs or necks, a wing wasn’t as useful for flavoring a stock or stew. They were often just thrown away.  

For reasons such as these, Teressa Bellissimo, co-owner of the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York, had an unused supply of chicken wings in her kitchen in the 1960s. When a late-night meal was needed—reports vary as to whether it was because of the unannounced arrival of her son and some friends, or for a post-midnight snack for observant Catholics on a Friday during Lent—Teressa was inspired to put the wings to good use. The wings were cut up, deep fried, and coated in a vinegar-based cayenne pepper hot sauce. The Buffalo wing had been born. 

Or had it? Because John Young, the owner of another Buffalo restaurant John Young’s Wings ‘n Things, claimed to have been serving chicken wings years earlier than the Bellissimos. Young’s wings were served breaded and uncut, covered in a tomato-based sauce. Other restaurants also claimed to be the first. For whatever reason, the Bellissimos’ claim to fame survived and when Buffalo declared July 29, 1977 to be Chicken Wing Day, the Anchor Bar owners were celebrated for their invention. 

The Buffalo wing’s popularity has exploded nationwide in the decades since. New franchises Buffalo Wild Wings and Hooters were founded in the early 1980s. Existing national franchises such as McDonald’s and Domino’s began adding the dish to their menus in the ‘90s.  

Memphis, Tennessee had been an established culinary Mecca long before the Buffalo wing arrived on the scene. Rather than shun the trendy new dish, Memphis has embraced it fully as part of its smoked meat culture. There are now more than 200 hot wing establishments in the Memphis metro area, according to Memphis Travel Magazine. And in 2021, Food & Wine declared “The Best Hot Wings Are Made in Memphis.”  

As the city’s reputation for hot wing excellence grew, the Memphis-hosted Southern Hot Wing Contest was renamed the World Championship Hot Wing Contest and Festival, held annually in April and whose proceeds benefit the Ronald McDonald House Charities. Dozens of teams compete each year, with the winner in 2024 taking home $10,000. The winning team was named What the Cluck.