I love food.  All kinds.  But my very favorite, over the years, has been the regional foods that I have enjoyed in various places I have lived.  Places like South Carolina, New York City, Los Angeles, Texas, etc.  It is great to learn and taste the foods that "live" only in those small regions of America.

New York State is no different.  I have written a best-selling book about the foods we grew up on, "A Taste of Upstate New York" (Syracuse University Press).  I love the stories of our half moon cookies, sponge candy, chicken riggies, tomato pie, etc.  And of course, Buffalo chicken wings.

At the end of July we celebrate National Chicken Wing day.  We would be remiss here in Upstate New York if we didn't celebrate this popular food holiday, especially since chicken wings were born more than 60 years ago in a small corner bar in Buffalo called the Anchor Bar.

In this gallery we take a look at more than a dozen great places to get delicious, mouth-watering hot wings.  Some are fancy places, some are dives, some are more than 100 years old.  One is more than 150 years old!  In each that we chose to represent all the wing places in Upstate New York, we also include a note, a link to the menu, and an online review.  And believe me, some of the creative wing sauces that these places come up with are wild.  Mango Habanero, anybody?

And remember, there are literally hundreds of places that serve up great hot wings in our region.  So, if you favorite wing place didn't make our list please visit our Facebook page and give it a shout out.  We really do want to hear from you!

The Perfect Way to Celebrate National Chicken Wing Day in Upstate New York (Drool Alert!)

At the end of July we get to celebrate a national food day that really needs no introduction to us folks in Upstate New York. National Chicken Wing Day! And the (now) #1 appetizer in the USA was born in Buffalo more than 60 years ago. Here is a drool-worthy selection of some of the best places to get hot wings in Upstate New York. See if you have been to any of these places. We know we missed hundreds more, so if your favorite "wing place" didn't make the list please visit our Facebook page and give it a shout out!

Gallery Credit: Chuck DImperio

Upstate NY Bids Farewell to 3 Small Colleges: Wells, Saint Rose, and Cazenovia. Why?

Over the last 12 months the Upstate New York region has said a sad farewell to three small colleges: Wells College (Aurora, NY), College of Saint Rose (Albany), and Cazenovia College (Cazenovia). Why did they close and what will happen to these campuses? This gallery gives a biographical sketch of each of these three colleges. All of them have been around for a very long time: College of Saint Rose (125 years), Wells College (156 years), and Cazenovia College (200 years!), and their leaving will have a significant impact on their longtime host communities.

And each deserves to be remembered......

Gallery Credit: Chuck D'Imperio

More From Q 105.7