St. Jude scores with 'Wing Wars'

Wedding venue hosts chicken-wing contest

By KATHLEEN LAMANNA- | Comments: 0 | Leave a comment

The Franklin Terrace Ballroom in Troy usually hosts weddings or dinner parties. But, on the night of Jan. 30, it hosted a war: the 12th annual "Wing Wars," a major annual fundraiser for St. Jude the Apostle School in Wynantskill.

"It's a little different," admitted Chuck Sandercox, the manager at Franklin Terrace, looking at the elegant open room, jam-packed with people chowing down on chicken wings as a DJ blared pop music.

Attendees lined up to taste wings of all kinds, from mild to extra-spicy, offered by 11 different restaurants from around the Capital District. The venue was so packed that patrons of the event had to park in a nearby field.

All of this -- from the people directing cars in the parking lot to the people cleaning up inside -- was made possible by a group of more than 40 volunteers, consisting of school personnel and students' parents.

Four hundred and fifty people attended this year's event. Arriving patrons were handed a Styrofoam tray and a list of vendors; they tasted wings from each station and 50 attendees were randomly picked as judges, rating their favorites.

In the end, Carol's Place in Troy was victorious, finishing in first place; B-rads Bistro and Catering in Troy was in second place and Patricelli's Deli and Catering in Troy took third place.

Held the week before the Super Bowl, the Wing Wars is "a publicity thing for the restaurants," explained Kara Schneible, co-chair of the event.

This year's Wing Wars raised $11,000 for St. Jude School. The food, help and venue are all donated, allowing the school to net a good profit. Principal Erin Baker said the fundraiser allows St. Jude to keep its tuition one of the lowest among area Catholic schools.

Mark Frost of St. Jude the Apostle parish went to the event for the first time this year. His favorite wings of the night were the PB&J wings from Park Pub in Troy, covered in Thai peanut sauce with a raspberry drizzle.

Each of the restaurants donated about 600 wings to the cause. Park Pub has been participating for the past six years. "It's a good atmosphere," said Sarah Gerwin, busily serving hungry patrons.

"This is our first year," said Kyle Meyer, seated at a table with friends and a plate of food. "I am an alum of St. Jude's, back in the day."

"We like the party; we like the atmosphere; we like the wings; we like the company," declared Sue Teneyck, a former St. Jude parishioner whose family has attended every Wing Wars event.

"St. Jude's is a close-knit community," said Mrs. Schneible. In fact, she said, Wing Wars attendees aren't just connected to the school and the parish, but are members of the greater community.[[In-content Ad]]