Steak and Catfish Barn north of Edmond to close at the end of August

The Steak and Catfish Barn will close its doors for good Aug. 31, ending a 15-year run for owners Dino Smalley and his wife, Maria Vitale, that's taken them into the national spotlight.

In 1998, Smalley and Vitale signed a 15-year lease to the ramshackle restaurant space located where Waterloo Road meets Interstate 35 — a bold move for the couple who wanted to share the flavors of Maria's homeland, Italy.

“I moved to this country when I was 21 and lived in New Jersey for 20 years,” Vitale said. “I moved here 25 years ago because this is where Dino is from.”

The couple originally opened an Italian restaurant in the space but changed six years later in an effort to boost lunch service by drawing the construction crews who built the many homes that stand nearby today.