About Uncle Dougie's

Uncle Dougie started making gluten-free, chemical-free, nothing artificial, good-and-good-for-you stuff before it was cool. He wanted delicious, wholesome stuff that he would feel good about serving to his family and friends. And that meant no high-fructose syrup or other “cheap shortcuts” as Dougie calls ‘em. And that’s how Uncle Dougie’s no-crap mission was born. Uncle Dougie’s was founded in 1989 by Doug Tomek in a 100 year-old farmhouse in rural Palatine, Illinois. It was there that Doug created his now legendary Wicked Good No-Fry Wing Marinade. Doug and his family had recently traveled to Buffalo, NY, the home of “Buffalo” chicken wings. A skilled chef and avid foodie, Doug came home and started making his own “Chicago-style” wings. He found that the frying was messy and added a ton of unwanted fat, and felt the original recipe for Buffalo sauce (which was butter-based, adding even more fat) was a bit one dimensional. He was now on a mission to make great wings that were better tasting, better for you, and celebrated the high-quality cuts of meat he’d bring home. With a fridge full of beer and dozens of tailgating friends and family to experiment on (and yes, plenty of nieces and nephews!), Uncle Dougie’s Wicked Good No-Fry Wing Marinade was born. After transforming the farmhouse’s kitchen into a suitable production space, and using the old barn as a warehouse, Doug set out across Illinois to share the results of his “No Crap” philosophy with the masses.Read their story