Illustration: Ingenuity and Classic Dishes

There are several stories concerning the origin of buffalo wings. One of the most persistent says that in 1963 the Bellissimos were closing up their tavern in Buffalo, N.Y., when in walked their son with a bunch of his friends. They were very hungry, so Mrs. Bellisimo found some chicken wings, fried them and tossed them with a sauce made primarily of hot sauce. She also served them some leftover celery sticks with blue cheese dressing. Think of how common it is today to see this dish featured, when it originally was improvised from a sense of urgency.