Program

Hungry for History®

Subject

Food, Industry & Commerce, Site

Location

1047 NY-5, Buffalo, NY 14209, USA

Lat/Long

42.902388391435, -78.868786234436

Grant Recipient

City of Buffalo

The Anchor Bar on Main Street in Buffalo, New York, began advertising fried barbecue chicken wings as early as 1963. By 1971, the restaurant promoted the wings alongside celery sticks and blue cheese dressing, establishing the specific combination now recognized as the Buffalo wing. The dish gained significant local traction by 1972, with local newspapers reporting on the wing’s popularity as it spread to competing restaurants and challenged established local staples like the King Pizza Pie.

Dominic Bellissimo, the son of Anchor Bar founders Frank and Theresa Bellissimo, provided a foundational account of the dish’s origin. He recalled seeing his mother create the recipe on a Friday night during Lent in the early 1960s. At midnight, once the period of meat abstinence concluded, Theresa Bellissimo prepared chicken wings by cutting them in half, baking them in spices, coating them in a spicy sauce, and serving them with celery and blue cheese dressing. Though the wings were originally considered scraps or stock ingredients, they became an immediate success.

During the early 1970s, other regional restaurants began adopting the trend with their own variations, including some that utilized a modified version of Cornell Barbecue sauce. The wings transitioned from a low-cost food item to a centerpiece at community fundraisers and political rallies. However, the Anchor Bar version had precursors; John Young, another Buffalo restaurateur, had been frying whole chicken wings in the early 1960s after learning of similar practices in Washington, D.C. Young served his wings whole, without side dishes, and coated them in Mumbo sauce, a condiment thought to have been developed in Chicago during the 1950s.

The popularity of the Bellissimo family’s recipe was cemented in late 1972 when it won the Buffalo News’ contest for the most popular food of the year. Following this recognition, the Buffalo wing expanded into a national culinary phenomenon. The flavor profile has since been adapted into numerous forms, including dips, sandwiches, and wraps, while the original fried chicken and hot sauce pairing remains a beloved staple.

The student-led application for this grant came from students at Cleveland Hill Middle School in Cheektowaga, NY, led by instructor Betty Haynes. The students researched the origins of Buffalo Wings and gathered primary sources, then the City of Buffalo submitted the required materials for the historical marker on their behalf as part of our Pomeroy Education Program.