Three Sisters Restaurant  

The famous Three Sisters restaurant on State Road 17, was open from 1948 to 1963, and operated by the Gass family - Norma Gass, Dorothy Gass and Mary Gass

1948 - purchase land on Highway 17 from Father Joseph Lenk.

By the cover it says second season - which would be 1949; Construction of the Memorial Chapel began on April 17, 1950 and was was dedicated on October 20-1, 1951.



1950 - July 5 - Al Graham announced that he has dissolved pertnership with R. O. Gass in the Three Sisters Drive-In. and Restaurant.

1953 - Aug 5 - "Three Sisters" Menu is Work of Art

The Culver Citizen Press was proud to place its imprint on the new souvenir menu for the popular Three Sisters Resaurant, less than a mile north of town on State Road 17.

Intersting items concerning Culver Military Academy, Lake Maxinkuckee, and the many celebrities who have lived here make fascinating reading.

Carl Gass tells us that thus far this season the Three Sisters have served nearly four tond of walleyed pike on the dinner which is now widely known as "The Specialy of the House".

1954 - Mar 31 - When the Three Sisters Restaurant shortly opens for the 1954 season the new improvements will knock your eyes out.

1954 - Sep 22 - Three Sisters To Remain Open All Winter Long

The famous and popular Three Sisters Restaurant will remain open all winter!

That's the good word today from its aggreesive owner, R. O. Gass, as the restaurant nears the close of its fifth summer season.

Bob Melton, Mr. Gass's son-in-law, will be in charge during the winter months.

Prime ribs of beef and Idaho baked potatos will be the specialty of the house at popular prices.

1954 - Dec. 15 - Three Sisters Restaurant will be closed after Sunday Dec. 19 until next spring. Any meal on the menu this sunday will be $1.

1961 - April 26 - Three Sisters Restaurant To Open Friday Gass Daughters will Take Over

After 11 years of operating The Three Sisters restaurant on Ind. 17 north of Culver , Raymond O. Gass has leased it to his daughters, the Misses Mary and Dorothy Gass, who will open it Friday for the season.

The daughters have been associated with Mr. and Mrs. Gass in managing the restaurant since it first opened in 1950, and they will maintain the same service and policies as before.

"Having reached retirement age, I believe it is time to turn over the management to other members of our family. Of course, Mrs. Gass and I intend to be about the place to greet our friends and customers who have been coming to The Three Sisters all these years and from all parts of the nation, but we will not be actively involved and only available in an advisory capacity," Mr. Gass said.

The restaurant has built an enviable reputation for its specialty of serving wall-eyed pike and prime steaks

Saying Goodbye the thank you ad - By this a Mr. and Mrs. Piecuch bought the Three Sisters Restaurant. from the 22 April 1964 Culver citizen



1964 - Apr 15 - Three Sisters Restaurant to Open Saturday -

The new Three Sisters Restraurant, located north of Culver on Ind. 17, will open Saturday, April 18.

Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Piecuch formerly of East Chicago and now of Culver, purchased the restaurant recently from Raymond Gass and family. The Gass family founded and operated the establishment for fifteen years.

The new owners will maintain the same policy, with new decor, new services and reasonable prices.

Mr. and Mrs. Piecuch now live in Culver. Their son graduated from Culver Military Academy, have another son eligible and their daughter is enrolled in CUlver Community Schools.

Mr. Piecuch is employed in research and developement at the Pla-Steel Company, Wallllllkerton.

Mrs Piecuch is former manager of the Geo. Diamond Steak HOuse in Whiting, Ind. Mrs. Piecuch has been in the restaurant business for the past fifteen years.
The Piecuch Family Becom Culver Residents

Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Piecuch have moved from their former home in East Chicago., Ind., to their Culver residence at 701 West SHore Drive.

Their daughter, Lynn Marie, is enrolled in the local eighth grade and their son, Mark is a sophomore. The eldest son, Steven, is a student at the University of Chicagol. Stever is former editor of the Academy's publication, The Vedette, and a recipient of an $1000 scholarship

Mr. Piecuch is employed in the development and research division of the Pla-Stell division located in Walkerton

The Citizen extends a hearty welcome to these new Culverites!- Sep 25, 1963

1964 - Mar 4 - The Chamber of Commerce met at the Inn Monday with 22 members...Mrs. Stanley Piecuch, being the only woman, was an honored guest because she had her husband have taken over the Three Sisters Restaurant. Mr. Piecich is a machine tool designer and Mrs. Piecuch has worked at both the Inn and the Three Sisters in late years learning "the business". They are a fine family with sons in the Academy and we know will be an asset to the community and operate a fine restaurant. The live in the Medland house on Hawk's Lake.

The Antiquarian & Historical Society of Culver Fall 2003 Newletter covers the history of the restaurant as follows:

The Three Sisters Restaurant

Just north of Culver on Indiana Highway 17 was a restaurant called The Three Sisters. It was known for family atmosphere and delicious meals. Those who lived or vacationed in Culver in the years from 1948 to 1963 were treated to wonderful meals served by the Gass family.

Raymond Gass and his brother worked with their father in the Gass Lady's Shop in Huntington, Indiana. The two brothers continued operating the store after their father's retirement.

After several years, Raymond longed for a change. He had always dreamed of having a little restaurant. His brother agreed to continue the clothing business on his own.

The Gass family enjoyed the cottage on Lake Maxinkuckee which they had purchased in 1943. Mr. Gass came to the conclusion that Culver was the place he would choose to have his restaurant. In 1948 he was able to purchase land on Highway 17 from Father Joseph Lenk. He then told his surprised family what he had done. By the time he took them to see the property, the land was being prepared for the building of the restaurant.

There were five children in the Gass family; the two eldest, Raymond and Jane, were away from home.


The restaurant was named for the three daughters remaining at home, Norma, Dorothy and Mary

.

The Three Sisters Restaurant started with a dining room, a counter with stools, a few tables and a drive-up service. Everything was prepared in one kitchen. The Gasses soon found that many of their customers preferred to have their meals in the restaurant. A dining room was added at the south. Still, there was not enough seating space; therefore, another dining room was added along with a kitchen large enough to serve the dining rooms. A separate building was constructed with a kitchen for the drive-up service.

There was a guest house with three bedrooms behind the restaurant for college girls who came to work during the summer months. They were housed without cost to them.

The restaurant would open for the summer soon after Easter. At the time, the three sisters were in school during the week in their hometown of Huntington Norma and Dorothy were in high school and Mary was in eighth grade. On weekends, in spring and fall, they would be in Culver helping at the restaurant.

One of the reasons for the restaurant's success, according to his daughters, was that their dad chose to buy quality meat at local markets. He traveled around the Culver area to buy the best. No frozen or pre-packaged meats were ever purchased. He would buy a whole beef loin and cut filets. Mary shared, "I had to cut so many filets I don't eat filet mignon to this day."

The sisters described the special fish for which the restaurant was known. "We sold a lot of walleyed pike. Dad got them out of Chicago. Many times he would be able to pick out just the size he wanted. We would get a ton of walleye packed in chipped ice in wooden crates. The head and scales would have been removed. The insides were not as clean as we wanted them to be. We had to finish the job. This would take all day; some of the fish would be cut into filets. A certain amount would be frozen, because even though a supply was coming in each week we could now always get them as fast as we needed. We would get 400 to 500 pounds of fish each week."

Chickens were purchased from a local farmer. He would cut them in half, and the girls would finish cleaning them, as well. The chickens were soaked in salt water before they were prepared. All of the baking was made from scratch. The pies were homemade scratch. The pies were homemade.

The regular prices for a dinner were $1.50 for a half chicken, $1.75 for a whole walleyed pike, $2.75 for a T bone steak and $6 for a double sirloin for two.

The potatoes were peeled by hand and boiled. "If we had some time off with nothing to do, we'd find a shady spot under a tree and peel potatoes. That was our recreation," said Mary. It was Dot who suggested to her father that he might see if he could purchase a mechanical potato peeler. Sure enough, he found one. It was greatly appreciated.

In the morning, they would often receive a call from a gentleman asking if there had been some mashed potatoes left over from the previous evening. If the answer were yes, he would ask if it would be possible for Mrs.Gass to make some potato doughnuts. She always readily agreed. They were a favorite of many of the men in town. Their mother would find one of the biggest bowls she could and stir them up. She had no recipe; she just knew how to make them, and it only took a minute, as her daughters recollect.

As grandchildren came along, they were given jobs to do.Lynn Stoffel (Overmyer) was the first grandchild. When she was old enough, they put a little apron on her and would give her small tasks to do.

Dick Powell and June Allyson came to Culver to visit a relative at CMA and stopped by the restaurant for dinner. Lynn remembers that Mr. Powell gave her a kiss on the cheek. She then put a Bandaid on the spot, vowing never to wash it again.

The family continued to grow, and the younger grandchildren would be given small tasks as soon as they could see over the top of a table, such as putting garnish on the plates and filling small containers with apple sauce. Since it was being a part of the family, it was fun. As sons-in-law joined the family, they also helped with the weekend preparations at the restaurant and doing the financial accounting. It was indeed a family affair.

Lynn remembers fondly the summers she worked at the restaurant. She began when she was in fifth grade, starting busing the tables before becoming a full-fledged waitress. Her grandfather told her that working in a restaurant would prepare her for anything she wanted to do in life. When her husband, Lance, became a part of the family, he also was given a job. His father-in-law asked him to dig holes along the roadsides for posts with an arrow attached pointing the way to The Three Sisters Restaurant. One of these arrows can be seen at the Edgewater Grille.

The Sunday after Thanksgiving was the final big Sunday of the season. The object was to empty the cooler, freezer and pantry. The menu was printed on cardboard. When an item was gone, it was crossed out. On "Close-Out Sunday," chicken dinners were a dollar and steaks were a dollar and a half. They hoped the inventory would be depleted.

Mr. Gass sold the restaurant in 1963. It continued with the same name for several years under the new management.

The favorite pastime for the girls' free time was fishing. According to Dot, "We really pulled in those fish. The fishing was really good back then. We pulled in those old sun bellies and bluegills. We would fish all the time." A new cane pole had to be purchased at the beginning of each summer. The choosing of a pole would take a good deal of time. It had to be just the right length and have the correct amount of flexibility.

The next step was getting the bait. The girls knew where to find what was needed for the fish they had targeted for that day. If minnows were the proper bait, they could get plenty by passing a seine a couple of times in the water in front of their cottage.

Corncobs had been dumped by the bridge which was over the outlet at that time. The girls gathered a few corncobs, would bring them home, break them open and find red works. Nightcrawlers and leaf ging, they would have enough bait. They also knew which rocks housed the crawdads.

Small turtles would sun themselves on their seawall. The girls would approach them quietly and put a mark on their backs with fingernail polish in the hope they might return. Their dad bought a big Army raft. According to the younger sisters, the older girls in the family used it to float across the lake with their boyfriends. The younger sisters had a little boat with a motor a nd would follow the raft until they were shooed away. ventually, they would be called back to tow the raft to shore. They would agree to do it, all the while threatening that, if they weren't treated better, they might not do it another time.

The three sisters did not choose to continue in the restaurant business. Norma (deceased) married and had a family of seven children. Dot studied to be a nurse. She also had an antique shop. Mary became a teacher and taught in the Huntington schools. -Jo Dugger

A postcard just recently surfaced in England! is below- Helen Rickard Hi. I'm in the UK (in Wolverhampton) and in a local charity shop (thrift shop) I came across an old postcard of the '3 Sister's Restaurant' in Culver, from 1958. By postmark was not posted from the United States... Postmarked Fyldecoast Lancs 2 Oct 1967 ( Fylde is a coastal plain in western Lancashire, England) - The caption on back reads: 3 Sister's Restaurant Culver, Indiana - 3 air conditioned Dining ROoms. 2 Private Rooms available for clubs or prarties. Seating Capacity 154. Featuring Fresh Canadian Wall Eye Pike of 3lbs average. Phone VI 2-2221



1964- April 15 - Three SIsters Restaurant to Open Staurday

The New Three Sisers Restaurant, located north of Culver on Ind. 17, will open, April 18.

Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Piecuch, formerly of East Chicago and now of Culver, purchased the restaurant recently from Raymond Gass and family.

The Gass family had founded and operated the establishment for fisteen years. The new owners will maintain the same policy, with new decor, new services and reasonable prices.

Mr. and Mrs. Piecuch now live in Culver. Thei son graduated from Culver Military Academy, have another son eligible and their daughter is enrolled in Culver Communtiy Schools.

Mr. Piecuch is empoyed in research and development at the Pla-Stell Company, Walkerton.

Mrs. Piecuch is former manager of the Geo. Diamond Steak House in Whiting, Ind. Mrs. Piecuch has been in the restaurant business for the past fifteen years .- - Citizen

1979 - March 8 - Combined Management Purchases ‘Three Sisters”

Culver - Combined Management Corporation announced they have signed a purchase agreement for a landmark restaurant in Culver. The restaurant located on State Road 17. North of Culver has served area residents for over 20 years.

Among the many changes being made is the name, it is being renamed "La Tavola.’ which is Italian for the table. The restaurant will invite people to not just dine out. but be "our guest at our table.” The restaurant was formerly the "Three Sisters.’

La Tavola will serve steaks seafood and chicken entrees along with several continental specialities. A giant soup and salad bar will also be offered. La Tavola will be open for both lunch and dinner year around.

A manager will be named in the near future. After a staff is hired and some remodeling is completed.

La Tavola will open in about four to six weeks. - - Citizen