Edible Michiana Holiday 2022

Recognizing the ascendancy of pizza, Romeo suggested that his cousin open a Flamingo restaurant in South Bend. But there already was a little tavern by that name, so Barcevic named his place the Volcano, which started downtown next to the Morris Performing Arts Center. They did their own performances, making their pizza dough in the front window just like at the Flamingo. The Volcano moved just east of the South Bend International Airport in 1987, when Nick took over from his father. He still works there along with his son, Jarrod. “We still use Gus’s recipes for things like our sauce and lasagna,” Barcevic says. “And we sell a lot of lasagna.” As for pizza, Barcevic marvels at how popular it is. “You can even buy it at gas stations,” he says. Simpson-Rinker says she and partner Nicholas Divich have customers who have been coming to the Flamingo for generations. “They talk about the good old days but also say that the food is just as good as it ever was,” she says. “And some of them are old enough to remember that long ago.”

Flamingo Pizza of Miller 8341 Locust Ave. Gary, IN 219.938.0323 facebook.com/thebird403

Gus Romeo opened the Flamingo Lounge in the 1940s. Today it is just a block or so from Lake Michigan in Miller Beach and still using some of Romeo’s original recipes.

Jane Simon Ammeson lives in Southwest Michigan. She writes about food, travel and personalities. Follow Jane at https:// janeammeson.com.

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| HOL IDAY 2022