Chefs compete for bragging rights at Wings in the Spring

The Bakers - owners of Walt's Taproom in Mt. Pleasant and Sweet ‘n Saucy in Fairfield - had their own family competition going on during Wings in the Spring in Central Park on Monday, June 3.

It was Norma Baker cooking up her Thai chicken wings and her daughter Shannon Baker with her spicy hot wings as Walt's Taproom against Neysa Baker with her Aloha Beer Sauce wings and her father Tony Baker with his traditional BBQ wings as Sweet ‘n Saucy. In the end, Norma and Shannon took first place with Tony and Neysa following close behind in third place.

'I don't get competitive, Shannon does. She'll egg on the competition,” Neysa said as she served wings at the beginning of the night.

Neysa's Aloha Beer Sauce wings were seared with a pineapple undertone and spice toward the end, she said. She prefers to sear them instead of smoke as to not overpower the pineapple taste.

Tony said he was hoping to win for the bragging rights.

'It's just a nice event to participate in and have fun with,” he said.

Wings in the Spring was originally scheduled for Tuesday, May 28, but got rained out. Lisa Oetken, director of Main Street Mt. Pleasant, said that despite the change in date, they presold over 50 tickets and had six teams serving wings.

'If people aren't in their yard or field, they'll be here tonight,” Lisa said confidently.

Roy Manfredi took second place with his Memphis-style dry rub for the second year in a row.

While Manfredi was vying for first with a championship belt he was going to purchase already in mind, he said that just being a part of the competition was fun in and of itself. This year, Manfredi turned up the spice with his hot wing recipe.

'It's still intimidating every year,” Manfredi said. 'A lot of people don't understand what goes into it. I have a newfound respect for this side of the kitchen,” Manfredi said while turning wings on the grill.

Manfredi joined the Wings in the Spring competition in 2018 because he had a good wings recipe and enjoyed the hobby of cooking. In his Memphis-style wings recipe, Manfredi combines brown sugar with spices for a sweet and hot taste.

'Food makes people happy,” Manfredi said, who works at the Verizon Store. 'It's the easy way to make people happy. Selling cellphones isn't that easy.”

Dave Oetken was grilling wings seasoned with a secret family recipe. He too spiced things up this year, but said he hasn't been able to find a happy medium yet.

'If we don't win, it's not a loss. Everyone is a winner,” Dave said.

Paul Revere's served their buffalo and BBQ wings. Nancy Nelson said they like being a part of the community and enjoy serving food to great music.

Breadeaux Pizza was serving their boneless buffalo and BBQ hot wings.

Adrienne Tripp came to Wings in the Spring last year and loved it. When she saw the event on Facebook this year, she couldn't pass it up.

'The grandkids are on their way,” Tripp said with a plate full of wings in her hand. 'Last year they ate all the wings. Paul REvere's are my favorite. They're so juicy and flavorful.”

Barb Wheeler saw Wings in the Spring as a good opportunity to get her adult children together and spend time as a family.

'The first wings we tried are really good,” Wheeler said. 'It's a bargain.”

'Who can turn down beer and wings?” Colin Beals said. 'It's delicious.”

Jeff and Joie Lorenz come out every year for Wings in the Spring. They own a local business and find it important to support local activities.

'Paul Revere's is our favorite,” Joie said. 'They're meaty and good.”

Loran and Lora Franklin came from Fairfield to enjoy some wings and beer. Loran's favorite wings were Walt's Taproom's Thai wings. Lora said they were the right blend of sweet and spicy.

Patricia Martin's favorite wings were also the Thai wings.

'They're really good. It's so different and everyone loves peanut butter,” Martin said. 'I just think it's a really good community event.”