LAWRENCE, N.J. — In a dark corner of Chris Wing’s basement, there are two 55-gallon drums filled with rusty-looking liquids that are fizzing on a Thursday morning. There are also battery chargers sitting on milk crates and plastic bins on the floor filled with chemicals that could, technically, dissolve a body.
Some aspects of Wing’s subterranean business are secret, and with his tattoos, sleeve-stretching biceps and cauliflower ear from a former life as a mixed-martial-arts fighter, no one’s prying too hard. But what looks at first like a “Breaking Bad” sequel in Mercer County is actually something far more wholesome.
Wing, whose fighting nickname was “Redline,” traded a life of crippling calf kicks and elbow strikes to save rusty cast-iron skillets that are down for the count. Always a cooking enthusiast, Wing received an old, restored skillet as a gift in 2019 and had a revelation about simple, perfect things built to last a lifetime.
“Here’s something that was made maybe 100 years, and it still serves the same purpose, still functions the same exact way, today,” Wing said. “Name one other thing that’s like that. I can’t really think of anything. Maybe a hammer.”
Wing sold his Bensalem martial-arts gym in October and makes a full-time living today as Cast Iron Chris. He restores anything cast iron for customers, posting restoration videos from his basement lab and kitchen for his nearly 600,000-plus followers on Instagram, YouTube and TikTok. He’ll buy old cast iron and flip it, too.