LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION memorializing Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to
proclaim July 29, 2015, as Chicken Wing Day in the State of New York

WHEREAS, It is with great pleasure that this Legislative Body acknowl-
edges noteworthy events in America's history which deserve special
recognition such as the creation of the Buffalo chicken wing; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, it is the sense of this Legislative Body to memori-
alize Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim July 29, 2015, as Chicken
Wing Day in the State of New York, in conjunction with the observance of
National Chicken Wing Day; and
WHEREAS, The city of Buffalo, New York lays claim to the birthplace of
the chicken wing, and that is why they are often called Buffalo wings;
and
WHEREAS, The story goes that Teressa Bellissimo created chicken wings
at the Anchor Bar, which she owned with her husband Frank, when her son
Dominic and some of his college friends decided they wanted a late night
snack to eat; she wanted a fast and easy dish so she deep-fried some
chicken wings, and tossed them in butter and hot sauce; and
WHEREAS, Teressa and Frank Bellissimo were not the first Buffalo
restaurateurs to realize the potential of chicken wings; John Young had
opened Wings'n Things on Jefferson Avenue in 1963; however, his wings
were breaded and dressed in a tomato-based sauce; and
WHEREAS, The Anchor Bar's chicken wing recipe turned out to be irre-
sistible to customers and competitors, and other restaurants in town
started catching on; Duff's, in Amherst, New York, started selling them
in 1969; and
WHEREAS, A few years later, the City of Buffalo declared July 29th as
Chicken Wing Day and in its proclamation proudly noted that thousands of
pounds of chicken wings are consumed by Buffalonians in restaurants and
taverns throughout the city each week; and
WHEREAS, The name Buffalo is commonly applied to foods other than
wings, including chicken fingers, shrimp and pizza which are seasoned
with the Buffalo-style sauce or a variation of the sauce; a common vari-
ation is found in potato chips, many of which also incorporate a blue
cheese flavoring to simulate the complete Buffalo wing experience; and
WHEREAS, Today, there are many flavors of prepared wings available
besides the original Hot Buffalo style, including barbecue, lemon
pepper, pepper Parmesan, garlic, sweet-and-sour, and honey mustard;
since the first introduction, restaurants have introduced hundreds of
different flavors of chicken wings; and
WHEREAS, An industry was launched; Americans consumed more than 27
billion chicken wings in 2013; 1.23 billion of those wings were consumed
during Super Bowl weekend alone; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
memorialize Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim July 29, 2015, as
Chicken Wing Day in the State of New York, in conjunction with the
observance of National Chicken Wing Day; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo, Governor of the State of New
York.