How Wings Came to Dayton Ohio

With the passing a couple of weeks ago of a local man, Gerald “Jerry” Paprocki, so goes the quiet passing of a legend. It is how Buffalo Chicken Wings made its way to the Miami Valley. Today the Food Adventures Crew lets you in on a little secret.

Jerry Paprocki (right) with his son David

—THE SKINNY ON HOW DAYTON GOT ITS WINGS:
The year is 1981. Mr. Paprocki and his family have just moved to Centerville from Rochester New York, via a transfer by the L.M. Berry Company. As Jerry sought out a local watering hole he stumbled across Urban’s Suburban Restaurant, (now Kettering Elsa’s), on Marshall Rd.

After checking out the menu he noticed they didn’t have Buffalo wings on the menu. He berated the owner Urban Goeke, and told him he has to start serving them. As the story goes, the next time he came in, Jerry brought the ingredients and went to the kitchen and showed the owners and the staff how to make chicken wings right there in the fryer. The recipe is still used at Elsa’s to this day.

Elsa’s Kettering used to be called “URBAN’S SUBURBAN” in the 1980’s

So next time you are on a Food Adventure try Elsa’s wings, or any in the Dayton area, remember the legend of Jerry Paprocki, the man who brought Buffalo style wings to Dayton. As he would say “honest to God.” Jerry had eight kids, Jeanie, Mary Ellen, Steve, Tom, Matt, Bill, Jon and Dave, so you know he had to have some good food recipes. On a side note, Jerry was also influential on bringing Genessee Beer to Dayton. It was a beer from Jerry’s hometown of Rochester, New York. He talked the Whipp Rd. Kroger Manager into carrying it and soon many other establishments followed suit. So here’s a toast to Jerry with Genny Beer and wings, thank you !

The Anchor Bar, Buffalo NY

But where did Jerry get his Buffalo Wing Recipe? From the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, NY of course !

—THE SKINNY ON THE ORIGINS OF BUFFALO STYLE CHICKEN WINGS.
The Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York is largely accredited with inventing the hot wings we enjoy today in many sports bars. On March 4th, 1964, Dominic Bellissimo was tending bar and late that evening, a group of Dominic’s friends arrived at the bar with insatiable appetites. Dominic asked his mother, Teressa, to prepare something for his friends to eat.

The wings at The Anchor Bar resembles Elsa’s wings as you can see

Teressa had some chicken wings, a part of the chicken that usually went into the stock pot for soup. Teressa deep-fried them and flavored them with a secret sauce. The wings were an instant hit and it didn’t take long for people to flock to the bar to experience their new taste sensation. From that evening on, Buffalo Wings became a regular part of the menu at the Anchor Bar.

The phenomenon has spread across the globe. Although many have tried to duplicate the Buffalo wing, the closely guarded secret recipe is what makes Frank & Teressa’s the proclaimed “Best Wings in the World”. But Food Adventures has the recipe right here….

THE ORIGINAL BUFFALO STYLE WINGS RECIPE FROM ANCHOR BAR, in BUFFALO, NY.

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/2 lbs. chicken wing pieces
1/2 cup FRANK’S RedHot® Sauce
1/3 cup butter,melted
Garlic Salt
Black Pepper

DIRECTIONS:
1) Sprinkle the chicken wings lightly with garlic salt and black pepper
2) Deep Fry the wings at 400 °F for 14 min. until crispy.
3) Combine Frank’s RedHot Sauce and butter in bowl.
4) Toss wings in sauce to coat completely. Serve with blue cheese dressing and celery sticks.
Serves 6 people

Thanks for checking out this week’s feature and now you know how Dayton got its wings !