Follow your nose: Newest restaurant in downtown South Bend is serving up wood-smoked BBQ

The newest restaurant in downtown South Bend resembles the type of small BBQ diner that might be discovered on a byroad in the southern United States.

Much of the furniture has been crafted by Rodney Klockow, one of the owners, and provides the feel of a small outdoor patio with one of the tables even sporting an umbrella to help with the vibe.

“We wanted it to feel very relaxed and casual,” Klockow says.

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The daily menu is written on a large blackboard in chalk with prices and then crossed out as supplies disappear toward the end of the day. This isn’t the type of food that can quickly be made up when there’s a rush because Whole Hogz at 209 S. Michigan St. focuses on slow-cooked barbeque.

It’s a craft that Rodney Miggins, another partner, perfected over a couple of decades and eventually developed into a nice side business at conventions, fairs and other events in Las Vegas for six years while also holding down another job managing samplers for a warehouse club.

But life in Las Vegas wasn’t so easy for a single dad with two kids ― 8 and 14 ― and not much of a support network to count on. “The cost of living in Las Vegas was killing me,” he says. “It’s far less expensive living here.”

So in November, he and his kids moved back to the South Bend area, where they found a temporary home with Klockow, who has been his best friend for about 40 years. The two met at a local club where Klockow was DJing at night while installing flooring during the day.

And though the two could have fallen back on the flooring business, Miggins really wanted to pursue the BBQ business, which gradually became a passion as he and Klockow first sought to entertain friends in Michiana and then later as a vendor by himself in Las Vegas.

“BBQ is my passion,” Miggins says. “I’m not the type who wants to say my BBQ is the best. I just want to consistently make people happy with what we’re serving.”

Initially, the two considered operating a trailer to offer BBQ at events throughout the region, but then they happened upon an empty corner of the Robertson’s Apartments with not so much space as to be overwhelming for the first-time restaurateurs.

“We were just walking down the street and spotted it,” Klockow says. “We thought its location and its size were perfect.”

But the space, which previously served as retail store, presented problems that the two hadn’t fully anticipated ― such as the cost of a required grease trap, for example.

With their own money running out, Emmitt Long, who works for Downtown South Bend Inc. , got to know Klockow and Miggins and was a believer in their idea of a BBQ business in the heart of downtown.

Long became an investor to help Whole Hogz overcome its final hurdles, allowing it to officially open a few weeks ago. A spot was found in a courtyard on the other side of Robertson’s Apartments where Miggins could work his magic on a massive smoker that he had shipped from Las Vegas.

Miggins currently smokes chicken, pork rib tips, pulled pork and other meats over a wood fire made up mostly of oak with some cherry and mulberry mixed in for unique flavors that’s provided by a local vendor.

Though it might not be visible from the street, the meat cooking on a woodfire in a side alley produces a primordial smell that encourages passersby to follow their noses into Whole Hogz.

And that’s where the two will be waiting with a variety of smoked meats and sides such as mac and cheese, potato salad, coleslaw, beans and other favorites priced from about $8 to $15 and soft drinks ― including the Mexican variety with real sugar.

Whole Hogz will soon add brisket, greens, corn and other items to its menu and eventually hopes to take advantage of the riverfront liquor licenses that are available for $2,000 a year so they could also offer adult beverages to pair with the smoked meats.

A trailer would also be nice so they could visit fairs, festivals, Notre Dame tailgates and other events throughout the region.

But for now, they’re happy to be open and working together again at the fast casual eatery. “We’re like brothers, so for us it’s a dream,” Klockow says.

Hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays and 11 a.m. to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. For more information or to place an order in advance, call 574-575-9941.

Anticipating a large crowd for First Friday, Whole Hogz plans to smoke a whole hog.

Visitors will know to just follow their noses.

Email Market Basket columnist Ed Semmler at esemmler@sbtinfo.com .

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Follow your nose: Newest restaurant in downtown South Bend is serving up wood-smoked BBQ