The Great Chicken Wing Hunt

World's #1 Wing Chef

COLUMBUS MARSHALL GRADY

Cook_2

Occupation: chef at Abigail's restaurant in Seneca Falls, New York

Distinction: his "Bleu Bayou" Buffalo Wings were named world's best on September 2,
2007

What makes the Bleu Bayou special: blue cheese and celery blended into the sauce. Other secret ingredients

Fun fact #1: Bleu Bayou wings were not on Abigail's menu until discovered by the hunt's judges

Fun fact #2: Grady loves to experiment. In 2005, he came up with 150 types of wings

Fun fact #3: Grady does not consider the Bleu Bayou his best wing. He prefers his 'sweet, sour and spicy' wing

Fun fact #4: Abigail's was not a planned stop. A morning radio show invited six restaurants to cook for the hunters, including Abigail's.

Fun fact #5: Abigail's went from selling a few dozen wings a day to more than 50 dozen after winning the hunt's top prize.

Cook2Grady on cooking: "Listen to customers. You're cooking for them. Never be afraid to try new things."

More tips: "Respect the wing. Be careful frying them. Overcooked is bad. Undercooked is definitely bad. Never use a thin sauce. It doesn't hold the flavor. A thick sauce grabs the wing and stays with it."

Hunt leader Matt Reynolds on Grady: "He was different from other cooks. He didn't breath down our necks and he wasn't nervous. He never mentioned winning or losing. At the same time, he seemed genuinely curious about how we liked his food."

Biographic facts

Age: 40something

Born: Geneva, New York

First wing: Mama Grady's Tabasco and margarine wings

Content

  • About us
  • Clips
  • Matt's blog
  • Press
  • Recommendations
  • Stats
  • The Team
  • The trip
  • Winners
  • World's #1 Wing Chef