Gelsosomo’s Pizzeria has 11 locations, mostly in Indiana.

The first one to open in Illinois is a bit of an oasis unto itself.

“Most people out here don’t realize we are a franchise,” said Jennifer Macari, who runs the Gelsosomo’s Pizzeria in Lemont her parents Ed and Peggy Gricus opened in 2014.

Located under the overpass and across from the Metra station, Gelsosomo’s is well-known to locals for its pizza, meatballs, beef and wings, along with generous philanthropy and a large party room for rental. Outsiders, though, might be challenged to spot it.

“People have to try to find us to know where we are,” she said, “but once they do, they usually come back again and again.”

Specialties: “Our pizza sauce is sweet and our crust is buttery and we use a good amount of proprietary cheese,” Macari said. “Our sausage is made daily in-house. Our barbecue chicken pizza made with Sweet Baby Ray’s is just as good hot as it is cold. My mom loves the BLT pizza and she tweaks the Gelsosomo’s recipe like my grandma used to make.

“We slice our own Italian beef,” she added. “And people really love our huge chicken wings.”

Also on the menu: More than 30 varieties of 10-, 13-, 15- and 18-inch pizzas, including taco, buffalo, “hot & spicy” and “seven cheeses” ($10.10 to $31.70); personal 6-inch pizzas ($5.49 to $6.50); stuffed spinach pizza or calabrese stuffed pizza ($10.95 to $17.95); and cheese-only deep dish ($15.50 and $19.95).

Grab a half-order of fettuccini alfredo with breadsticks ($6.25) or try ravioli filled with shrimp and basil or asparagus or braised beef ($12.95 and up).

Meatball, stromboli and veggie sub are among the hot sandwiches ($6.75 and up), while family-sized Caesar and antipasto salads are available, too ($7.95 and $10.50).

Fried cauliflower and buffalo bread are among the appetizers.

The weekday lunch buffet with pizza, salad and breadsticks costs $7.95 or $6.95 for kids 10 and younger.

About the owners: Ed and Peg Gricus have lived in Lemont more than 20 years.

Since opening Gelsosomo’s, they’ve donated more than $80,000 to local schools, churches and other community organizations, Macari said.

Gelsosomo’s gives 40 percent or 50 percent of food sales to organizations during “Pack-the-Place” events from 5 to 9 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays, she said.

“It has always been their mission to give back to the community they love,” Macari said of her parents, who continue to work full-time jobs outside the pizzeria.

The Lemont Chamber of Commerce recently named it the 2018 Business of the Year and Macari the Business Leader of the Year.

Macari, a 1995 graduate of Thornwood High School, relocated from Chicago’s Beverly neighborhood with her husband and three daughters to serve the family restaurant in a community relations role. She now serves as director of operations for the family business, which also includes the new Lemont restaurant Digs on Canal.

We’re different because: “This is where the community comes to hang out,” Macari said. “It feels like an old-school pizzeria where everybody knows each other.”

And often, they do.

“Lemont is a really unique town where everyone invests in where they live,” she said.

Decor: “Kids can get tucked in the inside corner of the booth so they can’t escape or they can rule the roost here,” said Macari, whose daughters ages 7 to 11 might be your hostesses or bussers.

Red votive candles and 15 televisions set a tone at the professionally decorated space boasting brick and wood.

Framed photographs from the Lemont Area Historical Society adorn the walls of the pizzeria housed in a building originally opened as a movie theater and used over the years as a printing press, motorcycle garage, and most recently, a bar named This Is the Place.

Sports memorabilia decorates the bar area with high-top tables.

The restaurant can seat 70 in front while the back room is available for rental for parties up to 100.

Special events: Kids karaoke will be at noon Dec. 28.

“All the parents think their kids are too shy, but they’re not and it’s a hoot,” she said. “And the bar opens at 11 a.m.”

A New Year’s Eve 21-and-older party package priced at $100 per person includes a 3-course dinner, drinks from 8 p.m. to midnight (domestic beer, house wine and well), a midnight champagne toast and performances by acoustic guitarists Pete Stillwell and Joe Orozco and comedians Amy Shanker, Paul Farahvar and Rob Glee.

Comedy nights with a $10 cover charge will be held Jan. 19 and Feb. 1, 2019.

Logistics: Located at 206 Main St. in Lemont, Gelsosomo’s Pizzeria is open for dine-in, carryout and delivery from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and until 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday (closed Dec. 24 and 25); room rental available for parties of 30 or more; 630-410-8106; www.gelslemont.com.

Vickie Snow Jurkowski is a freelancer for the Daily Southtown.