{"id":420769,"date":"2026-10-07T00:46:11","date_gmt":"2026-10-07T00:46:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/420769\/"},"modified":"2026-10-07T00:46:11","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T00:46:11","slug":"wahoo-willies-captures-wings-on-the-beach-competition-with-kung-pao-chicken-wings-fort-myers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/420769\/","title":{"rendered":"Wahoo Willie\u2019s captures Wings on the Beach competition with kung pao chicken wings – FORT MYERS"},"content":{"rendered":"


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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.
\nPhoto by Casey Bradley Gent<\/p>\n

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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.
\nPhoto by Casey Bradley Gent<\/p>\n

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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<\/p>\n

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Tatum and Amanda Dannenfeldt enjoy the smoked wings at The Whale.
\nPhoto by Casey Bradley Gent<\/p>\n

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Shawn Tubbs bites down into some wings at The Whale. Photo by Casey Bradley Gent<\/p>\n

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Carl Napoletano prepares to bite down into the wings at The Whale.
\nPhoto by Casey Bradley Gent<\/p>\n

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The kung pao chicken wings at Wahoo Willie\u2019s took down all competitors at the inaugural \u201cWings on the Beach\u201d 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\u2019s Up FMB.<\/p>\n

Wahoo Willie\u2019s 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\u2019s Upper Deck, Snug Harbor Waterfront Restaurant, Smokin\u2019 Oyster Brewery, The Whale, and others.<\/p>\n

The event featured a wing crawl, with participants purchasing a passport to access the wing and drink specials at the participating venues. <\/p>\n

Bill Ignatti, General Manager of Wahoo Willie\u2019s, said the event was good for business this time of year in the offseason. \u201cIt was a great turnout,\u201d Ignatti said. \u201cIt\u2019s a big boost for this time of year,\u201d he said. Ignatti said the What\u2019s Up FMB group put on an event every weekend in September to help businesses on Fort Myers Beach.<\/p>\n

While not giving away the recipe of the kung pao chicken sauce he created, Ignatti said the kung pao sauce has an \u201cAsian flare\u201d with a sweet chili, soy and teriyaki sauce with green onions. Ignatti had already tested the sauce on the restaurant\u2019s kung pao Brussels sprouts. While the kung pao chicken wings hadn\u2019t been listed on the menu, they were available as an option for the popular chicken wings at Wahoo Willie\u2019s. 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The wing crawl closed out at Wahoo Willie\u2019s on Saturday with a party, 12 raffle baskets and a 50\/50 draw, with more than 100 people in attendance. \u201cI think every year, it will get better,\u201d Ignatti said. <\/p>\n

Dawn Miller, founder of What\u2019s 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 \u201cflavors of the beach\u201d crawl in April. \u201cWe are likely going with tacos.\u00a0 The event had around 120 participants.\u00a0 We will likely change the format a little by giving two days to complete,\u201d Miller said.<\/p>\n


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