Chicken Wing Wisdom - Wing Women

Chicken Wing Wisdom, by Christina M. Abt

THE CHICKEN WING WISDOM WOMEN

TERESSA BELLISSIMO
Co- owner of the Anchor Bar and originator of Buffalo chicken wings

Teressa was born and raised in Buffalo, New York. At age 34 she married Frank Bellissimo and a short time later, they opened their first restaurant. The rest, as they say, is history.

www.anchorbar.com

DAWN COPPERTHITE
Eating Disorder Counselor

Dawn is one of only two people in Western New York trained as both a registered nutritionist and an eating disorder counselor. Yet her expertise on the topic goes much deeper than textbook cases and classroom learning.

JUDE CRISAFULLI
Food Research and Development Specialist for Rich's Products

In her job at Rich Products, Jude leads the way in the research and development of baked goods that are both healthy and tasty. Her work impacts people around the world. Yet the main reason for her dedication to “good for you” foods is based much closer to her home and to her heart.

www.richs.com

SHARON LAWRENCE
Nutritionist and owner of Nutrition Dynamics

Focused, energetic, and full of enthusiasm, Sharon is professionally titled as a certified nutritionist and clinical dietician. She is also the founder and director of a nutritional consultation company offering a variety of health and wellness programs endorsed by all Western New York HMO’s. Most essentially however, she is a living-breathing example of how healthy foods, exercise, and a positive attitude can completely change a life.

www.litenup.net

DOROTHY MALCZEWSKI
Founder of Malczewski's Poultry Stand located in Buffalo's revered Broadway Market

At age 80, Dorothy is known throughout Western New York and the North Eastern United States as “The Butter Lamb Lady.” She’s also widely respected as a hard working, intelligent, business savvy, tough as nails woman--- with the world’s biggest heart of gold.

www.broadwaymarket.com

NADJA PIATKA
Owner of Nadja Foods, manufacturer of low fat foods sold across the United States and Canada

Nadja is a self-taught cook and baker with a knack for creating foods both good, and good for you. Her creative low fat recipes are so widely accepted and endorsed throughout the United States and Canada that you could call her the woman with the million dollar taste buds.

www.nadjafoods.com

LISABETH PIETERS
High School English teacher and designer of an elective, food-based curriculum

Lisabeth loves food. She also loves teaching. Eight years ago she decided to combine her two diverse passions into a high school English curriculum for senior year students. What she never imagined was that her food based curriculum would not only educate students, but also change their lives.

SHELLEY BISCARO, SHERRY BISCARO, ANNETTE PULEFF AND MARINA CIELSA
Owners of the Poppyseed Restaurant

These four women have spent most of their lives working in Western New York restaurants. So no doubt, they are well versed in the food service industry. They have also entered into a professional partnership for the purpose of operating a restaurant in a manner far outside the norm. Their ultimate goal? To benefit their employees and their customers before themselves.

BERNICE REDFERN
Mother of 11, Foster Mother of more than 60 children, renowned neighborhood cook

Bernice learned to cook at her stepmother’s side where she experienced the basic rules of down home soul food preparation. Beyond that, Bernice’s tasty cooking skills are self taught. Yet let there be no doubt, everyone who knows her--- family and friends, church and community members---all clamor for her food, no matter the time or the occasion. However, the essence of her true culinary talents can be found in the nourishment Bernice provides for the children in her life, far beyond that of food and drink.

SR. MARY JOHNICE
Founder and Director of The Response to Love Center

Sr. Johnice established The Response to Love Community Center in 1985 on a hope and a prayer. Today, twenty years later, she is still running the center on her hopes and her prayers---and on the support of thousands of Western New Yorkers who have become her willing volunteers. Through Response to Love, Sr. Johnice determinedly finds ways to feed people’s minds and souls, as well as their bodies.

www.responsetolovecenter.com

KRISTA VAN WAGNER
Third generation owner of Curly's Restaurant

Krista makes diners feel at home as soon as they step across the threshold of her Curly’s Restaurant. But then again, Curly’s has been her home for all of her life, as she grew up working in the Lackawanna restaurant originally owned by her father and his father before him. While Krista is fiercely proud of her family’s restaurant heritage, she is not afraid to change Curly’s traditions from generations before, in order to make her own culinary mark.

www.curlysgrill.com

DEBORAH MILLER GABLER
About the artist

Deborah Miller Gabler is a freelance artist who creates in her Shady Lane Designs Studio located in Hamburg, New York.

In her early career, Deborah worked as a professional stencil and wallpaper designer for a number of nationally known companies. Those design experiences led the talented painter to her current endeavor of creating artwork on the walls of homes and businesses throughout Western New York. Deborah’s artistic talents, along with her intrinsic ability to create the exact image of her client’s dreams, have made her one of the area’s most sought after decorative painters.

Deborah trained at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. She also credits her Great Aunt for providing her with many of the learned techniques that have furthered her career.

Deborah is the proud mother of a grown daughter, Sarah. She and her tabby cat, Hobbs, live together in a charming cottage that is, of course, beautifully painted and decorated.

TRINA OTT
CWW website designer and President of Equine Media, LLC, an integrated marketing company specializing in equine promotion and sales.

By establishing her own equine related media business, Trina has found a way to blend her life long passion for horses along with her excellent talent for website design. Part of her marketing outreach includes an ahead-of-the-curve Saddlehorse website, www.trot.org. Trina is the designer and moderator of the site, which currently averages over ninety thousand hits a month.

Trina lives in Charlotte North Carolina where she works in the banking industry in the field of e-commerce marketing. She is the proud “mom” of an 8-year-old Saddlebred mare named Witchful Thinking and a 5-year-old Siberian Husky named LeeLoo.