Wahoo Willie’s captures Wings on the Beach competition with kung pao chicken wings

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Deanna Cooper enjoys the kung pao chicken wings at Wahoo Willie's, which was named the Golden Wing Champion of Fort Myers Beach at the Wings on the Beach competition organized by What's Up FMB. Photo by Casey Bradley Gent

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Wahoo Willie's General Manager Billy Ignatti holds the Golden Wing Champion trophy after Wahoo Willie's kung pao wings were named best wings at the Wings on the Beach competition this weekend. Photo by Casey Bradley Gent

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Wing lovers Paige Chardon (left to right), Carrie Stecklein and Keegan Fite enjoyed the Wings on the Beach competition at Wahoo Willie's over the weeken

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Tatum and Amanda Dannenfeldt enjoy the smoked wings at The Whale. Photo by Casey Bradley Gent

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Shawn Tubbs bites down into some wings at The Whale. Photo by Casey Bradley Gent

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Carl Napoletano prepares to bite down into the wings at The Whale. Photo by Casey Bradley Gent

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The kung pao chicken wings at Wahoo Willie’s took down all competitors at the inaugural “Wings on the Beach” competition involving 12 Fort Myers Beach restaurants and bars this weekend. The event, to determine the best wings as voted on by participants, was organized by What’s Up FMB.

Wahoo Willie’s earned the title of Golden Wing Champion for their wings. The Old San Carlos Boulevard restaurant repelled challenges from the likes of Junkanoo Below Deck, Lah de Dah Restaurant, Nervous Nellies, Petey’s Upper Deck, Snug Harbor Waterfront Restaurant, Smokin’ Oyster Brewery, The Whale, and others.

The event featured a wing crawl, with participants purchasing a passport to access the wing and drink specials at the participating venues.

Bill Ignatti, General Manager of Wahoo Willie’s, said the event was good for business this time of year in the offseason. “It was a great turnout,” Ignatti said. “It’s a big boost for this time of year,” he said. Ignatti said the What’s Up FMB group put on an event every weekend in September to help businesses on Fort Myers Beach.

While not giving away the recipe of the kung pao chicken sauce he created, Ignatti said the kung pao sauce has an “Asian flare” with a sweet chili, soy and teriyaki sauce with green onions. Ignatti had already tested the sauce on the restaurant’s kung pao Brussels sprouts. While the kung pao chicken wings hadn’t been listed on the menu, they were available as an option for the popular chicken wings at Wahoo Willie’s. The special kung pao wings on Saturday included tri-colored sesame seeds to compliment the green onions on the wings. Participants in the wing competition on Saturday were given a special deal of three wings and a domestic beer for $6.

Iganatti said the kung pao will now be a featured option for chicken wings, and will be added to the next menu with choices of six or a dozen wings.

The wing crawl closed out at Wahoo Willie’s on Saturday with a party, 12 raffle baskets and a 50/50 draw, with more than 100 people in attendance. “I think every year, it will get better,” Ignatti said.

Dawn Miller, founder of What’s Up FMB, said more than 120 people participated in the Wings on the Beach crawl, which required participants to pay a $25 passport fee. Miller expects a similar “flavors of the beach” crawl in April. “We are likely going with tacos.  The event had around 120 participants.  We will likely change the format a little by giving two days to complete,” Miller said.