BUFFALO, N.Y. — There is probably nothing more Buffalo than the Bills and wings.

One report says the average American will eat almost 18,000 of them over a lifetime.

Many attribute the creation of the humble Buffalo wing to Anchor Bar and the Bellissimo family back in the 1960s, but there’s another origin story that continues to gain steam.

First, we have to take a trip south to Washington, D.C. In the 1960s, it was the time of Eisenhower and Kennedy, a Capitol dome was under construction and sauce-covered chicken wings selling like wild.

That combination gave John Young, a budding Black entrepreneur, an idea.

“Two pieces for $1.25. And that was whole wings,” said Lina Brown Young, John Young's daughter as she looked back at old photos of her dad's business.

Young brought the wings back to Buffalo, with a new tomato-based sauce called Mumbo sauce, selling them at two Wings 'n Things locations through the early to mid-60s.

His daughter Lina Brown Young was exposed to the family business since she was little.

“I remember the smell of the chicken. I remember my father, he always worked in this white ensemble, and just always being full of grease,” said Lina.

Young moved to a third location, on Jefferson Avenue and Utica Street, where the wings really blew up, but with the late 60s came racial tension. 

Riots in Los Angeles brought violence and destruction and Buffalo wasn’t exempt. John feared for the safety of his family and left for Illinois.

“That stopping and starting, maybe that affected something,” said Lina.

During that time away, the version of wings made by the Bellissimos, a white family, gained popularity and they got all the credit.

“He started the wings, as whole wings in Mumbo sauce in Buffalo," said Lina. "From there, it blew up, so just recognize that and accept that and that would be great.”

Young opened his restaurant again and, at one point, he even got recognition for being first from Buffalo Common Council, but the history books didn’t change.

John Young passed away in 1998, never truly receiving the recognition of creating that first Buffalo wing. 

A full 22 years later, his daughter started sharing his story and, perhaps just as important, his wings as a stop on the Buffalo Bike Wing tour. Now, she has her own place at the Broadway Market every Wednesday.

“We let that cook about 10 minutes,” she said, after putting in a batch of wings.

She carries on the legacy, working side by side with Waymon Brown, who worked with her father.

“He was really a pioneer," said Brown. "He wanted to be recognized for this idea of utilizing the wing when most people were throwing it out [or] using it for scraps.”

She dishes up the wings covered in the family secret recipe at her counter and hopes to continue selling them through other pop-ups too.

“I call it Mumbo Wings 'n Things,” said Lina.

With a mural going up at her dad’s first location last year, she’s proud of the attention her father is now getting and hopes people will continue to seek out these “hidden figures.”

“A lot of times, it's people of color who don't get credit for things that they've done," said Lina. "I am glad that it's happening for my dad to the extent that it is.”

Those who knew John say he’d be so proud to see his daughter taking up the mantle.

No doubt his own accomplishments are being recognized more every day, with every bite.