'Wing King' Drew Cerza reveals inspiration for his food festival
National Buffalo Wing Festival founder "Wing King" Drew Cerza said his Labor Day weekend event was inspired by the 2001 movie "Osmosis Jones," which featured a fictional festival celebrating the beloved Buffalo bar food.
America’s best hot wings are dished out by The Blind Rhino of Connecticut.
That judgment was handed down by an esteemed panel of poultry pundits at the National Buffalo Wing Festival in Buffalo, New York, over the long Labor Day weekend.
The Blind Rhino is a popular sports bar that boasts brick-and-mortar locations in both Bridgeport and Norwalk.
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It topped an elite list of dozens of finalists in various categories from hot-wing hotspots around the country in a blind tasting on Saturday at Highmark Stadium, home of the Buffalo Bills.
The Blind Rhino won best hot-wing honors at the festival last year, too.
The Blind Rhino of Norwalk and Bridgeport, Connecticut, was voted America's best hot wing at the 2022 National Buffalo Wing Festival in Buffalo, New York, on Labor Day weekend (Sept. 3-4, 2022). (Courtesy The Blind Rhino)
"Our sauce begins as a classic Frank’s Red Hot and butter Buffalo sauce," Blind Rhino owner Casey Dohme told Fox News Digital.
"But then we take it up a notch and add ghost peppers, habanero peppers, roasted garlic and a couple of other interesting ingredients. It gives our sauce great flavor and heat and takes it to the next level."
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Double Dubs of Wyoming and Archer’s Tavern of Ohio finished second and third, respectively, in the 2022 National Buffalo Wing Festival, America's premier showcase of the hot-wing arts.
A panel of judges in a blind tasting determined the nation's best hot wings over Labor Day weekend at the 2022 National Buffalo Wing Festival at Highmark Stadium, home of the Buffalo Bills, in Buffalo, N.Y. (Kerry J. Byrne/Fox News Digital)
"The vibe here was the best we've had at the festival in its 20 years," event founder and "Wing King" Drew Cerza told Fox News Digital.
He added that "festivals and events are back" in full effect and have recovered from the depths of COVID-19 that interrupted his annual celebration and so many other events around the world.
Thousands of guests attended the Labor Day weekend festival while savoring chicken wings from America's best pubs, taverns and sports bars.
Other winners at the 2022 National Buffalo Wing Festival were Limp Lizard Bar & Grill of Syracuse, N.Y. (best craft wing), Millie's Cafe of Ottoville, Ohio (best dry-rub wing) and Center Street Grille of Enola, Penn. (best extra-hot wing).
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The Blind Rhino was founded in Norwalk in 2015 and added its Bridgeport location in 2019.
The eatery launched a food truck in 2022, serving Fairfield County in southwestern Connecticut. It also operates remote trailer kitchens in Stamford and Milford, Conn.
Buffalo wings trace their origins to the Anchor Bar of Buffalo, N.Y., where they were first served in 1964. (Kerry J. Byrne/Fox News Digital)
The sports bar is no stranger to the winner's circle at the National Buffalo Wing Festival.
In addition to being named the nation's best hot wing each of the past two years, Blind Rhino won best in show honors in 2021 for its plum Sriracha wings.
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Both the spicy Buffalo and plum Sriracha wings, among about 10 other wing flavors, are available each day at Blind Rhino locations, Dohme said.
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