Wing King to Star in Food Network Program
EPISODE TO AIR JUNE 14TH @ 10 PM EST ON FOOD TV

Last week, the local media received a press release. It announced the fact that homegrown hero, Drew Cerza (aka Buffalo’s own “Wing King”), was going to be featured on a new Food Network program. The show would be called “America’s Favorite Foods”, and would highlight regional chow. The Food Network was coming to town to shoot Cerza, founder of the National Buffalo Wing Festival, at the Anchor Bar and other local hot spots.

Many of you have probably already heard about the event, as news of it spread throughout the media and Buffalo’s own “food network” like wildfire. Exciting news, right? But that’s only the front story, the information used to lure Cerza and the media to a wing cooking competition against Bobby Flay. Flay is a famous chef and star of a number Food Network programs, including “Throw down with Bobby Flay. The premise of “Throwdown” is exactly what it sounds like.

Local chefs compete against Bobby in the preparation of a regional favorite. At the start of the program, viewers see Bobby and his small team of culinary professionals perfect a recipe for the local fav, often substituting ethnic or highbrow ones for classic ingredients in an attempt to garner more votes from the judges. Viewers then watch a series of interviews with the local chef, his customers and family as they discuss the particular dish. The real twist to the show is that the competition aspect is a surprise. The guest chef is led to believe that they are participating in a casual interview, not at all aware that Bobby Flay will soon throw down the gauntlet.

Last week, that’s exactly what happened to Cerza.

How did they pull this off in a town where everyone knows everyone and therefore, everything?

I had the chance to talk with Cerza last week. It all started last January. Cerza, who has appeared on the Food Network before, was contacted by a network representative and asked if he was interested in being featured in the premiere episode of a new program, entitled “America’s Favorite Foods”. They were conducting interviews, and needed him to send in an audition tape the following week.

Cerza spent the weekend skiing in Ellicottville, where he tore a pectoral muscle, not on the slopes, but by tripping over a suitcase in the hotel. A few days later, in pain, and woozy from pain medication, Cerza performed his chicken wing magic in his home kitchen for a camera handled by his wife. He submitted the tape, and waited for the phone to ring.

And it did. Taping was scheduled, and the shooting sites were secured. Last Wednesday, the camera crew caught footage of Cerza shopping at Tops, preparing wings for the Tops Cooking School, hanging out with the Bisons in the dugout during the rained out game, passing out wings at the Sabres game and then visiting Gabriel’s Gate, enjoying some of the city’s best wings. They called it a day and agreed to meet the next day to shoot one final segment at Anchor Bar.

The following morning the Wing King arrived at Anchor Bar, ready to wrap up the whirlwind experience. The dining room was full of fans, friends and family, all there to watch him do a wing demonstration Little did he know that Bobby Flay was lurking in the shadows.

After an hour and a half of taping, Flay arrived with a full six-person camera crew. “The crowd went wild. It was like a rock concert,” Cerza told me. Flay proposed the challenge, and Cerza, though tired, was elated. He’d never seen “Throwdown” before but is a big fan of Flay’s work on Iron Chef. “I’ve got just two words to say,” Drew jokingly told the crowd, “that’s ‘set up’”. But this is cool, this is great, Bobby Flay’s like my hero.”

They moved to the kitchen, where Cerza prepared a New Orleans style bourbon wing against Bobby’s own recipe, which used butter and his trademark chipotle hot sauce. “Anyone can make mild, medium, or hot,” Cerza told me, “I wanted to do something different.”

Then the judges arrived and performed what is called a “blind tasting”, where they chose their favorite of the two without knowing which wing belonged to which chef. The winner was announced, but we can’t tell you! Everyone in attendance was sworn to secrecy. You’ll have to tune into the program when it airs this July, but my money’s on Cerza. We’ll let you know when the airdate has been set.

story courtesy of buffalorising.com
By: Christa Glennie Seychew