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Cutler Bay’s 7th Annual Wings Over the Bay Chicken Wing Cook-Off drew a large crowd, with an estimated 840 pounds of chicken wings being served to those attending. The always popular event brings professional and amateur chefs together to show off their culinary skills and compete for awards. Town residents get to participate in the judging along with members of the town council, as well as enjoy eating samples of chicken wings prepared onsite.
The results were as follows:
RESTAURANT DIVISION WINNERS
Best Buffalo Wings: Rodbenders Raw Bar & Grill
Best Special Grilled Wings: Rodbenders Raw Bar & Grill
Best Parmesan Wings: Rodbenders Raw Bar & Grill
AMATEUR DIVISION WINNERS
Buffalo Wings:
1st Place: RAD
2nd Place: Flava Unit
3rd Place: The Jerks
Special Grill Wings:
1st Place: The Jerks
2nd Place: Your Wing Man
3rd Place: 1 and Only
Parmesan Garlic Wings:
1st Place: Flava Unit
2nd Place: Your Wing Man
3rd Place: RAD
People’s Choice Best Wings: RAD
Best Decorated Booth: The Jerks
Patrick O’Neill, who along with Megan O’Neill Orban, Bob Orban Senior and Bob Orban, has owned Rodbenders since 2022, was excited about sweeping the categories in the Restaurant Division.
“We always have a good time there every year,” said O’Neill. “It’s great to see some recognition for our chef and his cooks. They work hard all the time and they don’t get many opportunities to go out and get into those types of contests and festivals, so when they do actually get out there and they win it just makes it all the better. It was good for our morale, good for those guys and we are happy for them. We participate in every single one that we can. We’ve only owned this restaurant for a few years and that’s one of the things that we decided we were going to do to get involved in the community, is be involved in contests and festivals and things like the wings, the chili cook off, the golf tournament—stuff like that. And it’s fun.”
Daryl Counts of Flava Unit, who in the Amateur Division earned First Place in the Parmesan Garlic Wings category and Second Place in the Buffalo Wings category, was pleased with the wins but dreams of even greater accomplishments.
“It’s a great environment,” said Counts. “It’s very competitive but it’s also a very friendly competitive event. The Rotary Club used to have it in Palmetto Bay and I’ve been competing ever since. There’s always room for improvement. I need to achieve my goal to win First Place in every category. I say that in the most friendly way possible. I’m really competitive, but it’s a great event and I like when people come up and taste my food. When you have a line of people that really means a lot to me that they want to try my product, and when they come back, that makes me smile even more.”
Buffalo Wild Wings supplied wings for the Wing Eating Contest, and live music was provided by Ricky Valido. Event sponsors were HCA Florida Healthcare and Raising Canes.
Also attending the event was U.S. Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar, who presented town officials with a $1 million check for the Saga Bay Community Water Quality Improvements Project. The project is intended to alleviate frequent flooding and treat stormwater runoff.
Juan Fernandez-Barquin, Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller for Miami-Dade County, also attended.
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