The Judges

(Tennessee Avenue Beer Hall is located at 133 S. Tennessee Ave., Atlantic City. Go to TennesseeAvenueBeerHall.com)

Villain & Saint at Ocean Casino Resort

straight! Located at Tanger Outlets in Atlantic City, Wingcraft always goes the extra mile to ensure quality and greatness no matter what the menu item is, but their “Classy Wings” for Wing Fest are certainly next level. A hybrid recipe combines Wingcraft’s classic and delicious buffalo sauce with a Moscato Habanero wine sauce for an amazing flavor profile. To make things even more awesome, Wingcraft will top those wings with fried garlic and offer a homemade truffle blue cheese for dipping delight. Wow!

(Wingcraft is located inside Tanger Outlets, 2010 Baltic Ave., Atlantic City. Go to WingcraftAC.com)

No one looks forward to judging wing events more than Jonathan Deutsch. The lead judge of Atlantic City Wing Fest knows food so well that he decided to teach others about it for a living. Deutsch is not only a professor of culinary arts and food science at Drexel University, he is not only the director of Drexel’s Food Lab, he not only is the director of Food Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programs at Drexel, but is also a columnist for Restaurant Business magazine and has authored and/or edited about 10 books, including “Barbecue: A Global History.”

“It’s always a pleasure to see the culinary creativity of A.C.’s best chefs as they make wings from perfectly executed classics to never-seen-before flavor innovation,” said Deutsch, who, by the way, is also a classically trained chef. “It’s an honor to judge, which gives me a seat at the most exclusive 18-course tasting menu in the world!”

And, just for good measure, Deutsch also plays the tuba. But not as well as he cooks.

Brian Lofink

Bran Lofink sums it up pretty well why he should be a judge at Atlantic City Wing Fest: “I’ve been mastering the art of wing cookery my whole life…I was born for this competition!”

’Nuff said. But jus t to add to his resume, the Philadelphia-based chef is a regular judge at previous wing eating competitions and is the Culinary Director for Simons, Frank & Company, a restaurant group known for their amazing Philadelphia-area eateries such as Khyber Pass Pub, Royal Boucherie, Royal Sushi & Izakaya, Royal Tavern, Triangle Tavern, Cantina Los Caballitos and Cantina Dos Segundos. The man can cook. The man can eat. The man can judge.

One of our favorite restaurants inside any Atlantic City casino – Villain & Saint at Ocean Casino Resort – is another place that consistently wins over judges and eaters at events like Atlantic City Wing Fest. No one takes this contest more seriously than Chef Jorge Barreto Jr., who will wow everyone in attendance with his Sriracha Agave Wings. If you see the trend of sweet and heat going together at Wing Fest, you are on to something, and these wings featuring Thai chili sauce, sriracha, agave nectar and chopped cilantro are special. Villain & Saint will bring back its popular Big Dipper sauce with mayo, chili sauce, pickle juice and chopped pickles to hopefully bring home some hardware.

Yesterday’s Creekside Tavern

Consider Jamie Jackson our front-of-the-house representation as a Wing Fest judge. The general manager of the Walnut Street Café in University City in Philadelphia has never judged a wing competition here in Atlantic City before, but she has judged a burger contest, so she’s diversifying this time out. Jackson has some local ties, starting her career at the former Ram’s Head Inn in Galloway as maitre’d before becoming manager at Atlantic City’s Ruth’s Chris Steak House. Other gigs include brand campaign manager at Shake Shack, director of operations for Good Karma Cafes in Center City and more.

And Barretto isn’t done: He is also bringing a second wing – Freestyle Lemon Pepper Wings – for the crowd to enjoy. But he is going to have to make a tough choice of which wing will be graded by the judges since only one wing can be entered into the contest. And after tasting both, that’s a tough choice.

(Villain & Saint is located inside Ocean Casino Resort, Atlantic City. Go to TheOceanAC.com)

Just like at the Deauville, Executive Chef TJ Ricciardi is making things great again at the legendary Yesterday’s in Marmora. But unlike the Deauville, Yesterday’s is more casual and excels in comfort food, so wings are a major part of that success story. For Yesterday’s, Ricciardi will roll out a new creation: English Malt Dry Rub Wings, the only dry wing attendees will savor at Wing Fest this year. Made with paprika, cumin, rosemary, malt vinegar, brown sugar and more, these wings will certainly stand out among the others, and their Comeback Sauce for dipping features chili sauce, mayo, chipotle, pimento, hot sauce and more for a truly unique wing-eating experience. Impressive.

(Yesterday’s is located at 316 Roosevelt Blvd., Marmora. Go to YesterdaysTavern.com)

Wingcraft Kitchen & Beer Bar

With a name like Wingcraft, their wings have to be good, right? Damn

Scott Cronick is an awardwinning journalist who has written about entertainment, food, news and more in South Jersey for nearly three decades. He hosts a daily radio show – "Off The Press with Scott Cronick" - 4 to 6 p.m. weekdays on Newstalk WOND 1400-AM, 92.3-FM, and WONDRadio.com, and he also coowns Tennessee Avenue Beer Hall in Atlantic City, while working on various projects, including charitable efforts, throughout the area. He can be reached at scronick@comcast.net.