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Restaurateur Ken Silveri has died at 71

He was a king of wings decades ago.

    by Michael Klein
    Published 

Long before every bar in town served wings, a Buffalo transplant named Ken Silveri had them on his menu at Silveri's, the bar-restaurant he owned on 13th Street near Pine from the mid-1970s through the early 1990s. (Silveri's was opened as a fancier place called In Season. More recently, the space has been a day spa.)

"Our recipe is the most authentic in the city," he said in a 1987 Inquirer interview, describing the 300 pounds a week of wings that he sold. 

Mr. Silveri, who with his wife, Jan, closed up shop and moved to Hamburg, Pa., died this week at 71. His widow declined to speak, beyond indicating that a funeral Mass would be celebrated in Buffalo.

More recently, the Silveris were antiques dealers.

Two years ago, a longtime customer sought Mr. Silveri's secret, so I called him to ask.

"Oh, it is so simple," he said, flattered about the memory. "Deep-fry the wings and coat them in a sauce of equal parts butter and Frank's Hot Sauce."

    MK
    Michael Klein