Buffalo may be known for its wings and weck, but come summertime, our region has a chicken barbecue scene uniquely its own.
The story starts in the late 1940s at Cornell University. Dr. Robert Baker, a poultry and food science professor, invented a vinegar-based marinade as a way to promote the poultry industry. (Incidentally, Dr. Baker also invented the chicken nugget.) Through local farm bureaus, his recipe made its way to WNY poultry farmers.
Sometimes called “fireman’s chicken” or “state fair chicken,” the barbecued bird has been a part of local church picnics and fundraisers for as long as most of us can remember. But go anywhere east of Syracuse or south of Western New York and it’s pretty hard to find. Dr. Baker died in 2006 at the age of 84. His family still runs Baker’s Chicken Coop at the New York State Fair in Syracuse. This summer will be its 67th year.
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Every one of the chicken-making families in our story took that recipe and made it their own. Here are their stories.
Chiavetta’s
The Chiavetta family started off as poultry/egg farmers, noting 1954 as the unofficial start date to their barbecue business.
Originally called Churchside Farms (because of the church up the hill), the Chiavettas learned the Cornell method of barbecuing from the local farm bureau. Chiavetta’s sauce is a version of the Cornell recipe.
“We like to say we Italianized it,” says Kathleen Chiavetta, who’s in the third generation of the family business. “We pulled out the egg, put in garlic and added spices. We used that sauce because
it worked.”
The family began barbecuing for local fire departments at the same time it started a full-service catering business. From there things took off. By 1980 the family was bottling its sauce.
“My grandfather felt very strongly that putting the sauce in stores would put us out of business,” laughed Chiavetta. “My dad and uncle waited until my grandparents went out of town and bottled it in secret.”
That year they sold 250 cases. Today, Chiavetta’s annually sells 60,000 cases of its products combined, with Tops, Wegmans and Walmart as the biggest retailers.
“We are trying to grow that business. We’ve gained a foothold in Rochester and Syracuse. Walmart is adding us to 30 stores in central New York and out to the borders,” said Chiavetta.
In 2009 Chiavetta’s opened a location in Lockport to extend its drop-off, pick-up business.
“We weren’t open long before people started asking us if we could sell them dinners, so we made dinners available. Then we noticed people eating in their cars. Last spring we completed an addition to seat 40 people. Our Lockport sales are up 40 percent from last year,” said Chiavetta, who notes they are looking for another location.
“It’s a great example of letting our customers dictate our business,” she said.
The Erie County Fair is their biggest time of year. Chiavetta’s averages 3,000 dinners a day over 12 days.
“Everyone’s brother and friend are employed. Our poultry provider even parks a truck there,” said Chiavetta.
And while the local fundraisers are a small slice of the entire business, Chiavetta notes they are also part of their history.
“We are beyond fortunate to have the loyal customer base we do — after 50 years in business to still be well-known in Western New York. Our community has been extremely generous to us. One of the reasons we are glad to do fundraisers is because it’s a way to give back. Our name gets us in the door, but our people win us the business.”
It also helps that they sell a delicious chicken barbecue.
Krolick’s
Krolick’s is the newest of the chicken barbecue families, and unlike the others, the family was never in the poultry business. Krolick’s notes 2003 as its official first year, but Stan Krolick had been helping run church barbecues before eventually opening his own business.
“My dad helped out St. Peter & Paul in Arcade and St. Aloysius in Springville,” said Jake Krolick, who runs the business side of things.
Krolick calls their white barbecue sauce “a distant cousin” of the Cornell version. “Dad has no background in cooking. It took a few years to perfect it. He’d have people on our street try it. They’d get free dinners,” laughed Krolick. “I am good with numbers. Dad is the one who enjoys talking with customers.”
Krolick’s employs between 18-25 people during the busy season. Krolick notes they all take pride in cooking chicken and have each developed their own cooking methods.
In addition to catering events, Krolick’s runs a roadside stand in Chaffee. How much do folks love their barbecued chicken?
“This April was our first weekend at the stand. The temperature was 25 degrees. We served over 900 people,” said Krolick. “People want that barbecue. As long as they keep coming, we’ll keep cooking.”
Wendel’s
Wendel’s is the only family that still runs a poultry farm. Folks can visit the store at the farm to buy fresh chicken, turkeys and pot pies, along with Wendel’s barbecue sauce. The farm was started in 1945 by the grandfather of current owners Marty and Dave Wendel. He sold his grocery store in West Seneca to start a farm. The family got dragged into the barbecuing business almost reluctantly.
“Back in the 1990s, we’d deliver chicken to fire departments for their events. We’d get there and they’d ask, ‘can you help us cook it?’” laughed Marty Wendel. “Well, I figured if we are going to sell chicken we’re going to have to cook it.”
Wendel notes those were dark barbecuing days.
“They’d set up pits on the ground. Now if you’ve ever tried to cook on the ground, it can be wet, cold. A hill is even worse. I always say the fire department is better at putting out a fire than starting and keeping it going,” he said.
So Wendel set out to rectify the situation by building his own portable chicken cooking units. Today two cookers — one big (240 halves), the other bigger (400 halves) — are used for events. Two 20 lb. bags of charcoal are needed per “rack.” The sauce is very close to the original Cornell version. But Wendel will tell you the chicken is only as good as the guy cooking it.
“We don’t rush it. We cook it twice as long on the ‘bone’ side as what we like to call the ‘money’ side,” he said.
Perhaps Wendel’s biggest cooking feat comes in early June at the Springville Ag/Dairy Festival. Twenty years ago the festival asked the farm to be in the parade.
“How were we going to have chicken ready by noon and be in the parade at the same time?” said Wendel. So the family simply started cooking at 10 a.m., and pulled the smoking trailers through the parade.
“Now we are the Pied Piper of the festival,” laughed Wendel. “People smell our chicken and follow us right in for a dinner.”
Weidner’s
Ironically, the Weidner family of Eden were egg farmers who originally wanted to sell cotton candy and candy apples at local festivals. It was in 1956 when the family started barbecuing chicken at the Erie County Fair.
“The business was started by my grandfather Bert Weidner and his brother Fran,” said Ryan Gerber, who manages the business with his mom Mary and dad Charlie, who bought the business 20 years ago. The original farm barn still stands on Route 62. It was coincidence the family started a chicken barbecue business.
“Our Weidner barbecue marinade was created around the same time as the business started. It’s based on the Cornell sauce. My grandfather went through many trials and errors to perfect it. It has been tweaked by my father throughout the years,” said Gerber.
Like Wendel’s, the Weidners also have mobile barbecue pits they use throughout the summer.
“We have a good blueprint of the day ahead, which my parents have truly mastered,” said Gerber. “Everything revolves around timing. We usually have to start at least three hours before an event.”
The Fair, of course, is the biggest time for the Weidners, as it is for Chiavettas.
“The Fair is nuts. We usually call on family and friends. We do the Eden Corn Festival and the Chautauqua County Fair in the weeks prior, so by the end of the Fair, everyone is exhausted,” said Gerber.
This year is a little special, as Weidner is teaming up with Menches Brothers Restaurant of Ohio. Supposedly the Menches invented the hamburger at the Erie County Fair in 1885.
“The Fair wants to highlight this accomplishment by having us cook and sell the Menches burger at the Fair,” said Gerber.
Get your chicken fix
If you’re so inclined, you could eat a chicken barbecue practically every day of summer:
10654 Brant-Angola Road, Brant
6100 Fisk Road, Lockport
Dinners served at Lockport location (only) daily 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Online calendar of events at Chiavettascatering.com. Bottled sauce sold at local retailers.
12132 NY-16, Chaffee
Dinners served at the roadside stand Tuesday-Sunday 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Online calendar of events at Krolicks.com. No bottled sauce.
12466 Vaughn St., East Concord
Dinners served at the store Saturday 11 a.m.- 3 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Bottled sauce sold at the farm store only.
No stand. Online calendar of events at Weidnerbbq.com. Bottled sauce available at local retailers.
Recipes
Here are the recipes for Golden Ember Sauce and Cornell Sauce. Writer Emeri Krawczyk found them in her grandmother’s recipe box.
Golden Ember Sauce
1/4 c. melted butter
1/4 c. fresh emon juice
2 T. brown sugar
1 T. prepared mustard
1 T. salt
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. Tabasco sauce
2 cloves garlic, cut in half
2 tsp. grated onion
1/4 c. ketchup
The original recipe calls for putting in a jar and shaking. But it’s just as easy to mix all ingredients thoroughly in a blender. Let stand several hours before using to thicken. Marinate chicken pieces overnight, stored in refrigerator. Recipe is easily doubled and keeps for weeks in the refrigerator.
Dr. Baker’s Cornell Chicken Barbecue Sauce
(Enough for 10 halves)
1 cup cooking oil
1 pint cider vinegar
3 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 egg
Beat the egg, then add the oil and beat again. Add other ingredients and stir. The recipe can be varied to suit individual tastes.
