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UTICA, N.Y., April 23, 2009 – Chicken riggies originated in Central New York—that much is clear. But what seems to be in question is exactly who invented this Mohawk Valley original.

Chicken riggies (short for rigatoni) are in the spotlight this weekend as the area prepares to celebrate its fifth annual Utica’s Riggiefest, which raises money to support the YWCA Mohawk Valley.

 “It’s a hotly contested issue. We have had a few calls from people claiming to be the inventor,” said Mary Davidson, the YWCA’s assistant development director. “Everyone wants to be able to claim that they are the inventor of this fantastic dish that is putting Utica on the map.”

Riggiefest founder, Dave Gibson, said he knows of two different stories about who came up with the culinary invention.

“Which adds to the mystique of riggies,” Gibson said.

The first story: a chef from Dominique’s Chesterfield Restaurant on Bleecker Street in Utica invented riggies about 20 or 25 years ago, Gibson said.

“Number two, the guy who I believe is the real inventor of riggies, was on the TV show Michelina’s Kitchen recently,” Gibson said, referring to the local television show hosted by Chris Destito, owner of The Savoy in Rome. (http://cnyhomepage.com/content/michelina)

That guy’s name is Bobby Hazelton, who has owned various restaurants in the area throughout the years including Clinton House and Bobby’s. Hazelton, of Whitesboro, was on the television show in February.

Hazelton said he invented chicken riggies in 1970 when he and his partner, Richard Scamardo, owned Clinton House in Clinton. Hazelton took Scamardo’s shift on a slow night, and he said he made the dish out of necessity.

A customer asked for a special pasta dish, and he threw some chicken and some sauce together, he said.

“We had a lot of chickens,” he said. “In those days you just couldn’t waste anything.”

The other story Gibson referred to was that a chef at Chesterfield’s in Utica created chicken riggies.

If you ask Sal Borruso, Chesterfield’s owner, both stories might be accurate.

Borruso said it is his understanding that Hazelton did invent a dish in 1970 called chicken rigatoni.

Borruso credits Mike Schultz, a chef who used to work at Chesterfield’s, as the originator of chicken riggies, which were on their menu in 1988. Schultz was not able to be reached for comment.

“Mike Schultz used to work for Bobby (Hazelton),” Borruso said. “He took the dish they had and added a couple of different ingredients to it and changed it to chicken riggies.”

Borruso said Chesterfield’s bills itself as the home of chicken riggies, and the restaurant now sells bottled riggies sauce.

“Schultz made it what it is today,” Borruso said.

Schultz, of Rome, who now works at the Franklin Hotel, said he used to work for Hazelton at the Clinton House and Bobby’s. He started working for Hazelton at the age of 16.

“There was a chef there that used to make the dish for the dishwashers,” Schultz said. “After I started cooking, I remembered the dish and I did a version of it my way.”

Hazelton’s version is more of “a very, very light marinara sauce with riggies, chicken and onions,” Schultz said. “I put onions, sweet peppers, cherry peppers, with white wine, marinara sauce and grated cheese.”

The story surrounding the origin of this pasta dish doesn’t end there—there is at least one more story floating around, which can be found on Wikipedia.com, a free online dictionary that any user can edit.

According to Wikipedia.com (this is taken exactly as it was written):

Chicken Riggies were invented when Vincent Ragonese and Joseph Conde we're togeather cooking at Joey's Restaurant near closing. Both men we're hungry so they threw togeather the remaining food, Chicken, Rigatone, Red Sauce, White Sauce, and Green Hot and Sweet Peppers. Conde, the manager, decided to put this creation on the menu.

The owner of Joey’s on Mohawk Street in Utica, Michael Brown, said that this story is true, but with some minor changes.

“Joseph Conde created them when he worked at Bobby’s on Bleecker Street,” Brown said. Conde was working for Hazelton, he said. They had a lunch buffet, and when lunch was over, Conde took the food off the buffet cart to feed his employees and ended up with chicken riggies, Brown said.

Conde then put chicken riggies on the menu at Joey’s, Brown said. He also said he has old menus from Joey’s from 1990 with chicken riggies on the menu.

Davidson said there are other stories out there as well, but could not recount all the particulars. One involves a poker game and one of the players throwing together food in the kitchen to feed the players, she said.

No matter what the story or who it was that invented them, there are a variety of recipes to be tried out at Utica’s Riggiefest from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Utica Memorial Auditorium. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for ages 6-12, and free for children ages 5 and younger.  Tickets can be purchased at the door the day of the event, or in advance at www.ticketmaster.com, the Utica Memorial Auditorium Box Office, or the YWCA Mohawk Valley Main Office. Attendees will be able to sample local restaurant’s chicken riggies and vote for their favorite.

“There are so many great recipes out there,” Hazelton said.

And although he said he is the inventor, he doesn’t get angry that other people claim to have created them.

“People say to me, ‘Why didn’t you patent it?’” Hazelton said. “I said, ‘It’s chicken and pasta, how do you patent that?”

 

This year’s competing restaurants are:

• Crystal Chandelier Restaurant - Herkimer
• Secret Garden Restaurant - Utica
• Route 69 Steakhouse and Saloon (Last year’s winner) - Whitesboro
• Seymour’s Diner and Grill - Westmoreland
• Utica’s 257 Steakhouse - Utica
• Darcy’s Café and Catering - New Island
• McCauley’s Café and Catering - Utica
• Pasta To Go - New Hartford

Home Cooking Competition winner:

• Joseph Caruso of Hinckley

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