Chicken and waffles had been on American tables long before Wells Supper Club opened in Harlem in 1938. Wells built a late-night version that jazz musicians sought between sets, a midnight plate caught between dinner and breakfast. Oct. 20 is National Chicken and Waffles Day, and the sweet-savory combination Harlem’s after-hours kitchens helped define has become one of American food’s most enduring flavor pairings.

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