A look back at the Wigwam Coffee Shop and its acclaimed apple pie.
Reputations have been built on “secret sauce” — as evidenced by the creamy mixture in the McDonald’s Big Mac. Northern Nevada’s claim to fame may have been the buttery sauce served over hot apple pie at Les Lerude’s Wigwam Coffee Shop. Reno old-timers still swoon at the mention of it, and recipes for recreating the sauce have circulated for years. As the season for warm, delectable apple pie is upon us, the time is ripe to highlight the Wigwam and its famous topping.
Apple pie as art form
Lerude was called the “restaurateur who turned apple pie into an art form” in his obituary in the Reno Gazette-Journal on April 25, 1984. From 1934 to 1972, he operated the Wigwam at Sierra and Second streets, creating one of those landmark eateries everyone visited in Reno. This was the era when independent dining establishments ruled Downtown Reno, since casinos didn’t serve food. Police and firefighters were regulars. As his son Warren, professor emeritus at University of Nevada, Reno, wrote in the Reno Evening Gazette, “In those busy retail days, almost everyone stopped by the restaurant.”
The name came from its next-door neighbor, the Wigwam Theatre. The décor featured (though perhaps not politically correct by today’s standards) Native American items such as baskets, headdresses, and dolls in full Native regalia. There were booths and a long counter, old brick, dark wood panels, and animal mounts.
Following the rules
Who knew there could be rules for apple pie? At the Wigwam, it had to be served warm, and it had to be served with rich butter sauce. Lerude stuck to his guns. One day, when a customer ordered the pie cold, without the sauce, Lerude served it the “Wigwam way,” saying that if the customer didn’t like it, he didn’t have to pay for it. The customer ate it and happily paid. According to Les, only one person got away with eating cold pie: Lawrence Gulling, who worked at city hall. Gulling called ahead to reserve a piece, in case the restaurant had run out by the time his work day was over. By the time he arrived, the pie was ready to go and cold.
Two Reno police officers at the Wigwam with one of its servers, 1945. Photo courtesy of Nevada Historical Society, Neal Cobb collection
Memories of Chicago
Lerude was born in Heron Lake, Minn. As a young man, he rode the rails and worked in restaurants from Seattle to Chicago to New York. He developed his famous sauce recipe in the 1940s.
“When I was a kid in Chicago, they had something similar,” he once said. “Years later, I decided to make my own sauce and began experimenting.”
The secret was using top-quality vanilla and butter and carefully following the cooking instructions. He kept his recipe secret for years before finally releasing it (see recipe below).
Other items put the Wigwam on the map. An oft-repeated sign read, “Not recommended by Duncan Hines,” a spoof on the then-popular restaurant critic. Another read, “Our slot machines pay more for Les than all the slot machines in Reno.” In between the signs for wheat cakes, banana splits, chili, and a Denver sandwich, a simple sign read, “Good Food for Good Health.” Lerude’s outsized personality made him popular enough to consider a run for mayor, and he was elected to the Nevada State Assembly in 1953.
The Wigwam closed on Feb. 8, 1972. Among the signs in the restaurant was one that read, “We close Sundays and go fishing,” and Lerude certainly earned the break. We, at least, can spruce up our apple pies with a recipe that links us to this bygone landmark.
Sharon Honig-Bear was the longtime restaurant writer for the Reno Gazette-Journal. She is a tour leader with Historic Reno Preservation Society and founder of the annual Reno Harvest of Homes Tour. She can be reached at Sharonbear@sbcglobal.net.
Wigwam Pie Sauce
This is the “official” (and a bit old-fashioned) recipe for the famous sauce, sometimes called Butter Sauce or Butter Cream Sauce. Les Lerude signed the recipe himself to indicate its authenticity. There are imitations that use cornstarch, more sugar, and no half-and-half. Reheating in a microwave will be easier than using a double boiler!
Step 1: Place on stove and heat to 180 degrees F (do not boil):
- ⅔ cup milk
- ½ cup half-and-half
- 1 cup water
Step 2: In a separate pot, melt ⅓ cup butter over slow fire. Slowly add, stirring well after each ingredient:
- ¼ cup flour
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 1 large or 2 small egg yolks
Step 3: Turn up fire and add Step 1 mixture [to Step 2 mixture] slowly. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. When it starts to boil, remove from heat and put in another container to cool. When it’s cool, add 1 teaspoon good vanilla.
Store in refrigerator until ready to use. To serve, heat in double boiler, not on direct heat. DO NOT BOIL as boiling will cause mixture to break. You may substitute brandy instead of vanilla for use on hot mince pies.
