A speaker gives a presentation to the Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce at Dynasty Banquets.
The Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce is getting back together in person again.
Indiana's Interim Secretary of Commerce Jim Staton and a panel of economic development experts will discuss "Indiana — The State That Works" at the Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce's first general membership luncheon of the year.
The panel discussion and luncheon will begin at noon on May 27 at the Dynasty Banquet Center, 4125 Calumet Ave. in Hammond. Doors open at 11:30 a.m. for networking.
Organizers have been reaching out to vendors, musicians and artisans as they plan to bring back Pierogi Fest in 2021. But no final decision has been made, as the Whiting-Robertsdale Chamber of Commerce and city of Whiting want to make sure they can safely stage the festival celebrating the Region's Eastern European heritage and that they don't have to cancel it again.
Other speakers include Karen Lauerman of the Lake County IN Economic Alliance, Heather Ennis of the Northwest Indiana Forum, Rick Calinski from NIPSCO's economic development team and Don Babcock from Purdue University Northwest's new Economic Development Group. They will discuss economic development projects that took place last year and what's on the horizon in 2021.
Coming Sunday, ride along with Specialist Dyer as he patrols LaPorte.
Tickets will be limited to allow for social distancing. Masks will be encouraged at tables and hand sanitizer will be made available.
"Please join us on May 27 as we kick COVID-19 out of here, and celebrate the return to normalcy in Northwest Indiana," the Lakeshore Chamber said in a news release.
For more information or to RSVP, call 219-931-1000.
WATCH NOW: NWI Business Ins and Outs: Tapas Cafe expands, Rapid Fired Pizza closes, Jamba Juice, Gloria Jean's, Chesterton European Market, ice cream shop, boutique open
Coming soon
Another hybrid Gloria Jeans/Jamba Juice is coming to Northwest Indiana.
The coffee chain Gloria Jean's opened at 122 E. 129th St. in Crown Point in 2019 and then coupled with a Jamba Juice offering an array of fresh juices and smoothies last year.
The local franchisees plan to open a second joint Gloria Jeans/Jamba Juice in a recently built strip mill at 9751 Lincoln Plaza next to the Strack and Van Til in Cedar Lake. It's the same development that's home to Pop's, Focus Nutrition and Rise 'N Roll.
The hybrid coffee shop/juice bar will be drive-thru only with a walk-up window and patio seating. The owners believe Cedar Lake is a great market because of its growth and allure as a recreational destination for boaters in the summer. They also are eyeing locations in Schererville, Valparaiso and Merrillville.
Top sellers include flavored coffees like white chocolate and caramel cookies, freshly squeezed juices and smoothie bowls with granola and fresh fruit that serve as a replacement meal for those looking to lose weight.
The restaurant also offers a light food menu like breakfast sandwiches and bagels.
Closed
Rapid Fired Pizza, an Ohio-based quick-serve craft pizza chain similar to MOD Pizza in Highland or Blaze Pizza in Chicago, had the bad luck of opening its first Northwest Indiana location at 8160 Mississippi St. in Merrillville last year, just before the pandemic hit.
The 2,000-square-foot pizzeria across from the Southlake Mall has closed.
It sold individual-sized pizzas and 14" family pizzas that were customized with a choice of 35 ingredients, eight sauces, eight cheeses and 14 dipping sauces before being cooked right in front of the customer "in just 180 seconds." The pizza place, which has locations in southern Indiana, employed about 15 to 20 people.
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Expanding
The acclaimed chef Uli Gomez overcame a setback after the lease ended on his Spanish tapas restaurant in Crown Point in 2019 and another when he reopened Tapas Cafe at 105 N. Broad St. in downtown Griffith just before the pandemic struck last year.
But his eatery, which specializes in Spanish tapas like paella, papas bravas potatoes, bacon-wrapped dates and baked goat cheese nestled in a base of warm tomato sauce, as well as other Latin-inspired dishes, survived on the strength of a robust takeout business.
Now it's expanding.
Gomez, who founded Tapas Cafe on U.S. 30 in Merrillville more than a decade ago, opened E.C. Carryouts at 4435 Indianapolis Blvd. in downtown East Chicago. It has a more Mexican focus than Tapas Cafe and specializes in carryout, especially for local steelworkers.
"It's been a journey," he said. "I saw an opportunity to do carryout for the industry in the area, for the ironworkers and the oil workers."
'It was a punch in the face'
E.C. Carryouts focuses on traditional homemade Mexican food like carne asada tacos, lamb tacos, and goat barbacoa tacos and quesadillas. It also serves roasted rabbit, pollo al carbon and paella, as well as lunch options like Ruebens, hamburgers, gyros and roast beef sandwiches.
"We're focusing on industry and workers of the area," he said. "It's grab and go. All the fast options they had before were boring meals. We keep in traditional and have American sandwiches and real Mexican food."
Tapas Cafe has gotten by on takeouts, and Gomez realized it was a viable business model.
"It was a leap of faith for us," he said. "When we opened the restaurant in Griffith, it was a punch in the face that the pandemic happened a month later. But we were able to survive by selling traditional items in an affordable way. We have refused to close our doors. With the summer approaching, business is picking up."
'We wanted to make something different for the community'
Gomez encouraged people to try the new restaurant out for creative cuisine.
"We're pretty much creative with our menu but have dishes like goat birria that are popular around here," he said. "We constantly change the menu. I emphasize the food is fresh and high-quality all the time. I want to make something different for the community of East Chicago, something that is eclectic and good. So I opened this place."
E.C. Carryouts is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week. It offers lunch and dinner.
For more information, call 219-427-8759 or find the business on Facebook.
Open
The Chesterton European Market, one of the most popular farmers markets in Northwest Indiana, reopened Saturday for the season.
The artisan and food market at 220 Broadway will be open from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Saturday through Oct. 30. Vendors offer art, books, boutique cream cheeses, ethnic foods, flowers fruits, gourmet dog treats, gourmet teas, handcraft jewelry, spices and other items at Broadway and Third Street.
For more information, visit chestertoneuropeanmarket.com or find the market on Facebook.
Open
Deicias Elita is serving up scoops in Hammond.
The ice cream shop opened at 443 Conkey St. in Hammond. It sells ice cream, yogurt, elote and other snacks.
The Mexican ice cream parlor offers dishes like paletas fruit ice cream bars, Mangonada mango sorbet with mango chunks, and the Lo Nuevo Pepino Split that blends sorbet with split cucumbers and tropical fruits. It specializes in handcrafted ice cream La Michonacana-style.
Deicias Elita also has healthy fare like spicy mango slices and the Bionco — freshly cut fruits served with yogurt, granola and the option of ice cream.
Deicias Elita is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.
For more information, call 219-228-8292 or find Deicias Elita on Facebook.
Coming soon
Some Gary residents were frustrated with not having enough services and businesses in Miller, Aetna and Gary's East Side.
So they decided to do something about it.
The congregation of Beyond 4 Walls Christian Center in Gary raised money to finance the new Harvest Square Strip Mall. It's expected to create 80 jobs and will include a pizzeria, a bakery, a laundromat and at least one restaurant.
The groundbreaking will take place at 10:25 a.m. Sunday and will feature an outdoor service in cars in the parking lot led by Pastor Maurice White Jr.
Congressman Frank Mrvan and the mayors of Hobart and Lake Station are expected to be in attendance.
The church that worships in a former hardware store strives to practice Jesus Christ's teachers, such as by distributing 200 boxes of food every Tuesday, Deacon Barbara Leek said.
"We wanted to provide an opportunity for the community to get some services they weren't already getting," she said. "We've been looking to do some things for the community. I don't know if Gary even has a bakery anymore.
Construction is expected to take three and a half months.
Reopen
Darling Boutique reopened in Michigan City, where it was long closed because of the pandemic.
The women's boutique is located at 418 Franklin St. in downtown Michigan City.
For more information, call 219-210-3298 or find the business on Facebook and Instagram.
If you would like your business to be included in a future column, email joseph.pete@nwi.com.
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Joseph S. Pete
Business Reporter
Joseph S. Pete is a Lisagor Award-winning business reporter who covers steel, industry, unions, the ports, retail, banking and more. The Indiana University grad has been with The Times since 2013 and blogs about craft beer, culture and the military.
