Joey Todaro III, a.k.a. “The Wing King,” introduced wings to the pizza industry when he first exhibited at the International Pizza Expo in 1994 with his family. He had no game plan and not one distributor. But, due to his years of experience in the pizza industry, he had more than an instinct that pizza and wings would work together.
“My grandfather opened La Nova Pizza in 1957,” Todaro says. “We have two high-volume pizzerias, and they are still the biggest independents in Buffalo. La Nova Pizza became the testing ground for our wing innovation.” Today, wings are the No. 1 appetizer served with pizza, and since 1994 La Nova Wings has sold billions and billions of wings!
The first of their kind, La Nova Wings taste great and are fully cooked, so all you do is heat and eat! You can’t get any simpler than La Nova’s fully cooked, sauced wings, which give your customers a consistent product every time. The top seller is the Oven Roasted Wing, offering 12 different accompanying sauces, including Super Hot Sauce, Hot Sauce, Mild Sauce, BBQ, and Teriyaki. Today, La Nova’s wings are a nationwide staple used by the biggest chains and thousands of independents.
La Nova Wings is the pioneer, but that doesn’t mean the Todaro family is resting on their achievements. “My Father, along with my mother, continues that tradition and still works as do I, my sister Carla, her husband Sam and my kids – seven days a week,” says Joey.
New items are always being tested in La Nova’s professional test kitchen. Innovation keeps the company competitive among other wing companies. “We know we’re doing something right,” Todaro says. “Our first customers are still with us.”
When you decide to add wings to your menu, go with the company from Buffalo, New York, that leads the industry. “With 25 years and four generations in the business, we’re here to stay,” Todaro says.
Pizzeria owners can contact La Nova at (716) 984-5666 for a free sample. Be sure to stop by one of their award-winning booths at a local food show near you! Follow
La Nova Wings (@joeylanova) on Instagram and Facebook, subscribe to their La Nova Wings channel on YouTube or visit their website at lanovawings.com.
