Chicken riggies

Chicken Riggies or Utica Riggies is an Italian-American pasta dish native to the Central New York region, specifically the Utica-Rome area. It is a pasta dish consisting of chicken, rigatoni and hot or sweet peppers in a spicy cream and tomato sauce. There are many variations of the chicken riggie recipe.
Beginnings
The origins of "riggies" have been disputed and lost in time. Many of the fantastic chef's from the Utica area seem to have a claim to the dish, yet there seems to be no clear idea who was the originator.
The person that came up with chicken riggies was Bobby Hazelton when He and Richie Scamarto owned the Clinton House restaurant in the Strip mall in Clinton. There is a book going around Utica written by Sal Amico that tells the story. If anyone actually took the time to look into the stories going around they would know that all that claim to have come up with it worked for Richie or Bobby at one time or another. Someone should get ahold of Bobby and do an interview to find it out.
Riggiefest
The first annual Riggiefest was held in Utica, NY, in 2005 at the Utica Memorial Auditorium. Riggiefest is a contest which determines what restaurant makes the best Riggies in the area. The best Riggies will win its creator the prestigious "Riggie Cup". All money made during the fest is donated directly to the YWCA. In 2008, the festival made over $300,000.
Recent Riggie Cup winners include:
*Secret Garden Restaurant in Utica, NY (2009)
*Route 69 Steakhouse and Saloon in Whitesboro, NY (2008)
*Teddy's Restaurant in Rome, NY (2007)
*Teddy's Restaurant in Rome, NY (2006)
*Teddy's Restaurant in Rome, NY (2005)
Teddy's was inducted into the Chicken Riggies Hall of Fame in 2008 after winning the competition three years in a row. That year Teddy's stepped aside to allow other restaurants a chance at the title.

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