Svilar’s Supper Club grand reopening was tonight, recipes that have stood the test of time

HUDSON, Wyo. (Wyoming News Now) -

After a brief closure since October 2020, Svilar’s supper club of Hudson is celebrating 80 years in business with a grand reopening tonight.

A non-chain, family owned restaurant that’s been around for 80 years must be doing something right, and apparently one of those things is traditional Yugoslavian food.

Part owner of the restaurant, Danny Svilar, whose grandparents opened the establishment, shared some of the most famous foods. Svilar stated, “Of course the steak is iconic, our steak is Wyoming sized, we’re dealing with about 32 ounce T-bones, which is astronomical. We have amazing homemade blue cheese, homemade sarma which is a Yugoslavian cabbage roll and homemade raviolis, and those are all my grandmother’s recipes which she brought over with her from Yugoslavia.”

Dan Svilar and Bessie Sevanovich, who started the restaurant, emigrated from Yugoslavia around 1911 to Hudson, WY and had 8 children. One of them is Dessie Bebout, who says the restaurant is like home.

“Listen, I tell you, I’m only 100 years old you know. It’s just like coming home, I think of my mother and my dad, they put so much of themselves in this place, they really did, it was their life,” emphasized Bebout.

When they closed in October last year, some were concerned it might be the end. Reddi Sue Homec, who ran the restaurant since 1995, was ready to retire and many Covid restrictions made it difficult to have the true Svilar’s experience. However, faithful employee Blaine Stafford stepped up to the plate and is now the new general manager. Danny Svilar is also continuing to help out wherever needed in the supper club, so it’s staying in Svilar hands.

“That was people’s biggest fear is that Svilar’s was done forever and it’s just so important that miss Blaine helps everybody carry on this legacy because what’s so important is the memories that people share here, the proposals we’ve had, the anniversaries, the birthdays. This place means a lot to a lot of people and I feel very special even to be a part of it.”

The restaurant has been visited by John F. Kennedy, Wilford Brimley, Phyllis Diller, Dick Cheney, and Roy Rogers among others. However, Dessie says it doesn’t matter who you are, everyone was a friend to her parents, and to her, that’s what made the restaurant so successful with national recognition, including a visit from food critic Duncan Hines.

“It’s been very good to the community, to the county, to the state, it really has been an asset, so I’m really proud to be a part of it all,” Bebout added.

Mrs. Bebout is happy to have the restaurant be under the care of faithful employees while still keeping it in the family.

“We thought this would be a wonderful thing to turn it over, and they’re on their own so we’ll see what happens, but I think they’re going to be very successful, I have no doubt in my mind. I think it’ll be just wonderful, I really will and I think it’ll be back up to where it was, it’ll be the Svilar’s of Hudson, Wyoming,” stated Bebout.

The supper club will be reservation only until April 23rd.

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