‘Flamingo Legs’ ready to jump into fish fry game

The catering business recently opened a new kitchen in Monongahela.

From left, Liam McIntyre and owners Danielle and Rob Smith are shown at their new catering/event facility in Monongahela. Taylor Brown / Mon Valley Independent

Sometimes all you need is a chance.

A chance to prove to yourself, and to others, that taking a risk can pay off in more ways than one — and it has for Rob and Danielle Smith.

Three years ago, members of the Carroll Township Volunteer Fire Department allowed the Smiths to use the kitchen at their social hall to kick start a catering business, and Flamingo Legs Comfort Food and Catering was born.

After two years operating out of the social hall, they now have a kitchen of their own in Monongahela.

It’s a dream come true for the Carroll Township couple, who have always wanted to be part of a community — and serve quality, delicious, home-cooked meals while doing it.

Located at 243 E. Main St., Flamingo Legs will open for its first-ever pop-catering fish fry from 2 to 7 p.m. today. Some proceeds from every dinner sold will benefit the Carroll Township Fire Department that gave them their start.

Risk worth taking

Ron and Danielle both have experience in the restaurant industry and enjoy spending time in the kitchen, along with their three children, Aiden, Daniel and Patrick.

In 2021, after restrictions from the COVID-19 pandemic began to lift, the couple started to take a look at their lives and think about what they wanted for their futures.

At the time, Rob was a chef at Washington & Jefferson College and Danielle was working as a dietitian.

“COVID just happened, and I think it made us think about our lives and our goals,” Danielle said. “We were both running kitchens at that point, and kind of had a moment where we looked at each other and knew that we wanted to do this for ourselves, instead of working for someone else.”

Rob is a trained chef, starting out working at pizza joints as a teenager before going to Le Cordon Bleu culinary school in 1999.

He worked at the Carlton Downtown, Valley Brooke Country Club and other establishments, learning as much as he could along the way before being hired at the college, where he prepared foods of all styles and cultures.

A dream is a dream until you make it happen, and figuring out how to open your own business isn’t a small task.

“This, what we’re doing right now, has always been what I wanted, it’s always the dream as a chef to have your own place, but it’s hard to go and do it,” Rob said.

It wouldn’t have been possible without help from his wife, and the fire department taking a chance and offering an opportunity that was too great to pass up.

Danielle and Rob were voting at the Carroll Township social hall in 2021 when they noticed a kitchen.

“As soon as I saw it, we started trying to find the right people to reach out to, just so we could ask if they would be willing to partner with us and let us use it,” she said. “What a blessing that was, because eventually they decided to give us a chance, and none of this would have happened if it wasn’t for them.

“Sometimes, even then, we were crying not knowing how we would do this, and then they took a chance on us and we had 10 things in a week. It’s been a roller coaster.”

The Smiths had spent months reaching out to various locations to see if they could rent a kitchen, or partner in some way to get their business off the ground. It’s hard to get the right permits and inspections to do so out of your home, but they knew somehow things would fall into place.

Nothing funny about Flamingo Legs

In the fall of 2021, they established their LLC, Flamingo Legs Comfort Food and Catering, before any partnership had been agreed to, without a space other than their own kitchen to use.

They knew they needed to take the first step to form an LLC, but what would they call it?

When Rob was a kid, he was tall, almost as tall as he is now. His sisters would make fun of his height and call him “Flamingo Legs.” It was a nickname that stung, at first, but also stuck.

For years, his family has given him Flamingo-related presents as a joke, specifically Christmas ornaments.

“I used to get upset by it, and honestly, I don’t even like flamingos, but it’s something that stuck,” Rob said. “We were trying to think of a name, and Danielle actually suggested it. It made a lot of sense.”

“It’s a great story, and we love that about it,” she said. “We tell people they are part of our flamingo family, and we mean that. Because everything we do, everyone we meet, it’s personal.”

Not long after Flamingo Legs was made official, a family friend asked if they would like to cater their wedding in 2022.

They agreed, and held their first-ever tasting in their basement.

“We had everything set up, and it was really nice,” Rob said. “We rolled the dice and said yes to the wedding, because you know, you have to get started somehow.”

The week before their first brunch, they received a message from the social hall agreeing to partner with them. Without Mike Cramer and Nick Dietman, it wouldn’t have been possible.

“They gave us a chance, the chance we need, and here we are,” Rob said.

Fish fries forever

In February 2022, they prepared for their first fish fry, an operation they have taken on ever since.

They started to develop menus and expand their books for more events, without much restriction on how far they would travel or what menus they could bring to life.

It’s been three years since their first wedding, and business has really taken off.

It might be because of word of mouth, or because Danielle and Rob refuse to settle for anything subpar.

“When you start something like this, for a while we felt like we couldn’t turn anyone away because we needed the business, but we also have a standard, we know the type of food and the quality of food we want to serve,” she said.

There are no shortcuts. Even before they purchased a food truck to make sure they could prepare meals on site for events they cater, they found ways to make it happen. Even if that meant filling coolers with ice, fresh fruits and vegetables and produce and taking their own flat-top grill, butane burners and portable fryers with them.

“For us, especially Rob, it’s about using good quality and fresh ingredients,” Danielle said. “That was something we never wanted to compromise on.

“We pick out our fruit and fresh vegetables, he cuts his own meat, everything takes time. His seasoning blend is a season he has made. The bread crumbs on our mac and cheese are done by hand, all of our sauces, everything. It’s a labor of love and we take it seriously.”

Last year, they booked 13 weddings, and so far this year there are 30 on the books.

They were voted as one of the best of the best on The Knot for caterers in 2025.

In January, they signed a lease at their first brick-and-mortar location.

It’s not going to be a restaurant, but rather a kitchen of their own for storage, prep and catering events.

There are already three private events booked at their new location in May.

They also plan to open a food truck in their parking lot a few days each week with custom menus that will allow them to get creative.

Their space can host about 50 people comfortably, and will be used to rent for private celebrations of life and other gatherings.

In the meantime, they plan to stay in the fish fry game.

They will open Fridays through Lent for pop-up fish fries from 2 to 7 p.m. Call ahead orders can be placed at 724-914-5741. Limited seating will be available inside.

Future of Flamingo

Liam McIntyre of Canonsburg, who worked with Rob at W&J has been with Rob and Danielle since the beginning.

“He took a chance on us, too,” Rob said.

“It was the best decision I ever made,” Liam added.

On Thursday, Rob and Liam worked together in the kitchen to get ready for their first day in business out of their own location. It smelled like heaven inside as they roasted onions and cabbage for haluski.

They worked around each other without missing a beat, and a few people stopped in to see what all the fuss was about.

Rob, Danielle and Liam are happy to see anyone walk in the door, even if they aren’t open.

“It’s completely shocking to us, I think,” Danielle said. “But it’s been really rewarding and we don’t take this chance to serve our community and build relationships with our neighbors lightly.”

“This is a dream,” Rob said. “We are living our dream, and that still hasn’t hit me yet. It’s me, my wife and Liam, and so many other people like our family and friends who help that have allowed us to do this. I knew we could do it, we just needed a chance and we can’t thank Carroll Township FD enough for giving us that.”

The future is bright — and a little pink — for the catering business. But as they get their flamingo legs wet, there aren’t plans to expand, maybe not ever.

“This is perfect,” Rob said. “What we have found, what we are building, is perfect. We’re three minutes from our home, we’re in our community, we wouldn’t want to do this anywhere else and honestly could not ask for anything more.

“We don’t want to be millionaires, we just want to take care of our family, be in and feed our community and be happy, and we are. We couldn’t ask for anything more.”

For upcoming events, pop-ups and their Lenten fish fry menu find them on Facebook.

To book an event, email flamingolegsfood@ gmail.com or call 724–

914-5741.