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The Town of Cutler Bay hosted its eighth annual Wings Over the Bay chicken wings cook-off on Mar. 8 featuring local restaurants and amateur competitors showcasing their best buffalo, grilled, and parmesan wings in a judged competition. In addition to the judged categories, attendees participated by selecting the People’s Choice Best Wing winner.
Among those in attendance were Miami-Dade County Tax Collector Dariel Fernandez, Miami-Dade South Operations Division Chief Raul Nunez, Assistant Sheriff Brian Rafky, Cutler Bay Mayor Tim Meerbott, and Councilmembers Suzy Lord and Richard Ramirez. Ricky Valido performed music on stage during the event.
Maria Herrera‑Mendoza, Events and Programs manager, Department of Parks & Recreation, said the event was a great success.
“It is hard to gauge attendance, but I would say about 4,000 people attended Wings Over the Bay, by far our highest attended Wings!”
After all the tasting and judging, prizes were awarded on stage by members of the town council. The winners were:
Restaurant division:
Best Buffalo Wing, Buffalo Wild Wings
Best Special Grilled Wing, Rodbenders
Best Parmesan Wing, Rodbenders
Amateur division:
Best Buffalo Wing, Hanns On
Second Place Buffalo Wing, Flava Unit
Third Place Buffalo Wing, Your Wing Man
Best Special Grill Wing, Flavor Unit
Second Place Special Grill Wing, The Jerks
Third Place Special Grill Wing, Your Wing Man
Best Parmesan Garlic Wing, Your Wing Man
Second Place Parmesan Garlic Wing, Flava Unit
Third Place Parmesan Garlic Wing, The Jerks
People’s Choice Best Wing, Rodbenders
Best Decorated Booth, Hanns On
Sponsors:
Baptist Health, Silver Sponsor
HCA Florida Kendall Hospital, Silver Sponsor
Raising Canes, Bronze Sponsor
Into the Blue Roofing, Bronze Sponsor
Nexlevel Contractors, Bronze Sponsor
Sunstate Bank, Bronze Sponsor
Buffalo Wild Wings, Wing Eating Contest Sponsor
Michael Hann of Hanns On said that it was the first time they had entered the wing cook-off.
“It was so fantastic. I thought the competition was stiff, but I’m really excited with the outcome,” he said. “We usually do the chili cook off and we won salsa awards several times.
I’ve lived in the town for half a century. I’m not going anywhere. I’ve got six kids and we love it, absolutely. It’s a small community with big heart.”
The spokesman for the cooking team that represented Rodbenders in the competition said,
“It’s amazing to win. They’re grateful for the support and excited to be recognized by the community.”
Charlene Ponce of The Jerks team said it’s all about family.
“We love participating in this event,” Ponce said. “This wasn’t our first Wings Over the Bay.
When we first did it, it was just three cousins getting together to see whose chicken wing recipe was the yummiest. Then it just turned out to be an annual family tradition.
“Now our kids are older and they look forward to it. My son actually won second place for Special Grill, and it was my first time winning Garlic Parmesan. My cousin typically wins Buffalo but oddly he didn’t place this year.”
Mayor Meerbott stressed the importance of the annual event.
“Wings Over the Bay is a perfect example of how our town brings friends and neighbors together, while also welcoming visitors to enjoy and relax in our community,” Mayor Meerbott said. “More importantly, events like this provide an opportunity for our Council to be accessible to residents, answering any questions they may have about the Town.
“It’s also great to see different generations of residents coming together to share in the experience, reinforcing the strong sense of community that makes Cutler Bay special,” he added.
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