West Chester Dish

WEST CHESTER — Yes, it’s another year without the Eagles even getting a sniff at the Super Bowl.
And again, with the Eagles are out of the running, the best the Delaware Valley sports fan can look forward to is Wing Bowl 16.
But again this year, there will also be a pre-bowl competition of the winged variety right here, sponsored by the Daily Local News and Ryan’s Pub.
On Jan. 24 the second annual Wing Ding will have local chicken wing chefs showing off their homemade sauces.
“This is now what we had hoped it would be — a West Chester tradition,” said Local News editor Andy Hachadorian, “I’m sure again there will be some interesting recipes.”
This year’s Wing Bowl drama surrounds the return of former champion Bill “El Wingador” Simmons who will challenge last year’s WB winner, Joey Chestnut, a Californian who took last year’s title by storm.
Ryan’s owner — Pat Ryan — says he’s ready for another wild night of wing tasting. Last year’s festivities featured a packed house, lots of wings and even a trivia contest that ended with a whipped cream pie to the face of an unlucky patron who gave an incorrect answer.
“Once again, we expect a great time, a great crowd and a great competition,” said Ryan.
All of the Wing Ding antics will be captured on video and will be featured on the Local News Web site, www.dailylocal.com.
Local News readers can win a chance to show off their chicken wing sauce recipe by looking for the Wing Ding ad appearing in the paper every day before Jan. 22.
Held the morning of Feb. 1, at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, the Wing Bowl brings eaters from around the world to compete to be crowned Wing Bowl Champion. The competition was created in part by Daily Local News columnist and radio broadcaster Al Morganti to bring some spice to the winter doldrums in Philly sports circles.
There are two ways to gain entry as a competitor in the competition. The first is to perform an eating stunt, such as drinking a gallon of milk, or eating 20 cups of cooked oatmeal in an allotted time. The other way is to win a “Wing Off” competition, where contestants eat as many wings in two minutes as they can. The winner is then granted entry into Wing Bowl.
The tickets to this year’s event are already sold out, with proceeds going to charity. But, if you weren’t able to get your hands on the hot ticket, the local competition may be able to get you in the door; winners of the Wing Ding at Ryan’s will get tickets to the Wing Bowl, courtesy of the Daily Local News.