Wingfest Proves More Than Competition fro Best Wings

Eleven restaurants went head-to-head Wednesday evening, battling for bragging rights of hottest wings, best overall and several other categories.

But the real winners? The families in town who will now be able to have a happy holiday thanks to those who flooded the Cadillac Ranch in Southington for the annual Wingfest competition.

The competition, which pairs some of the town's best restaurants to bring their hottest and most creative wings, brought out more than 250 people and helped collect nearly 100 toys for competition sponsored by the Southington Chamber of Commerce's Chamber Women.

"We generally get about 300 people through during the night, but we have had a great night for donations," said Donna DiCesare, member of the Southington Chamber Women and sales director for Mary Kay Cosmetics. "The community support has been amazing."

Money will also help provide scholarships for Southington High School graduates.

Wednesday's competition included a variety of choices from Bertucci's, Buffalo Wild Wings, Chili's, Giovanni's, The Groggy Frogg, Hawk's Landing, JD's Pizzeria, J. Lynn's Harvest Pub, Machiavelli's, People's Choice and TD Homers.

April Grzesczyk, manager of J. Lynn's Harvest Pub, said the competition is a great way for local businesses to spread the word, but also a way to give back and help support a great cause.

"We came tonight with 'Christmas in Paradise,' a pineapple mango," Grzesczyk said.

Dan Garcia and his son, Daniel, each came prepared to pick their favorites and after trying several restaurants said the best they tried was the mild regular wings from TD Homers.

"That's my favorite," Daniel said.

The winner of the competitions in each category were not immediately available on Wednesday evening. Stay tuned with Patch Thursday as we announce this year's "best of" winners for the Wingfest.

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