As a child, my family would always go to this pizza place called Bruno’s. It was originally opened in 1975 by Bruno and Rosa Cataldo, and their pizza is amazing.
I vividly remember watching them make pizza through a window. As they were preparing it, they would throw flour at the window to get a kick out of all the children eagerly waiting. With Bruno and Rosa’s passing, their family still keeps their legacy going, and Bruno’s Pizza continues to be a staple in the community.
My house was more in the country and was surrounded by corn and cabbage fields. I remember driving with my mother after dance every day and seeing the farmers riding through the fields checking their stock.
There was always something in the news about how the weather was affecting the local farmers, because South Bend weather is completely unpredictable. With an average of over 70 inches of snowfall a year, it gets extremely cold.
Last year, the record breaking low was a whopping -50 degrees with windchill. It looked as though the entire city was entrapped in ice sculptures. They rarely cancel school for snow, as they believe if the snow plows can get through, so can the kids.
However, I remember many times as a child when school was canceled, and I was ecstatic to be able to play in the snow and sled down my front yard with my dog.
In the summertime, it’s very normal. We get 100 degree weather, but we also get 70 degrees weather. If it weren’t for the snow and ice four months each year, the weather would be perfect.
South Bend, Indiana is a city not many people go to, but it is the place where I grew up and a place I hold near and dear as the city and community shaped me into the person I am today.
Though I always wished I grew up somewhere really interesting like New York City, or Los Angeles, I am happy I got to grow up in the small Midwest town of South Bend, Indiana and I wouldn’t want to call any other place home.