Chris Chagnon appreciates a issue or two about eating places, which likely clarifies the immediate achievements of his hottest enterprise, Pavino’s Italian Bistro and Pizzeria in Maggie Valley,
The restaurant opened a thirty day period in the past and has observed a constant stream of shoppers, as nicely as optimistic critiques.
Going for walks into Pavino’s feels like going for walks into a gap-in-the-wall mom-and-pop Italian eatery circa 1970, and which is exactly what Chagnon was likely for.
The eating region, while quaint with just 11 tables, will make superior use of the smaller space, which employed to home an place of work for a tow truck service.
The patio supplies sufficient space for a handful of additional diners and those ready on takeout orders.
When it arrives to the meals, Chagnon prides himself on producing all the things from scratch.
“We make almost everything by hand,” he explained. “You could go in the kitchen and look at us roll the cannelloni.”
Chagnon obtained his 1st work doing the job at a pizza joint when he was 14. By 16, he was operating the position, and at 18, he purchased the business. Due to the fact then, he has opened 26 eating places, from Albany, New York, to Clearwater, Florida, and even Haywood County.
“I’ve been coming below for about 20 decades now, and I moved to Maggie Valley in 2013 and opened the Place Vineyard,” he reported.
The vital to Chagnon’s dining establishments, he said, is trying to keep items straightforward. Like the other places he’s opened, Pavino’s functions a menu manufactured up of genuine Italian recipes he’s acknowledged considering that he begun out in the cafe business — ideal down to the homemade sangria.
All meals are served with a salad that consists of a generous part of Italian meats and cheeses, bread, soup and dessert.
Even though Chagnon is psyched about the complete menu, which capabilities 13 dinner solutions, he’s perhaps most eager to converse pizza.
“You go into some locations and see that their large pizza appears like our medium,” he mentioned. “And we really do not use pans like a lot of destinations. We cook dinner our pizzas in excess of an open up flame.”
Pavino’s is only open up on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, from 4-9 p.m. every day. When questioned if he could grow his hours, Chagnon’s response was firm.
“We’re only opened on weekends, and that will under no circumstances modify,” he reported.
Although Pavino’s does offer you takeout, the restaurant doesn’t do supply. Chagnon stated the rationale for that is the kitchen is basically also modest to assist that quantity of enterprise. With just a single 6-burner range cooking, only so a great deal food can be well prepared at 1 time.
A quick search at the menu exhibits a lot of classic Italian favorites, this sort of as hen parmesan, fettuccini alfredo and spaghetti with meatballs.
Nevertheless, Chagnon also claimed they are more than inclined to accommodate exclusive requests, as extensive as the buyer does not head the dish using some additional time.
“We have lobster for our seafood alfredo, but if they don’t brain ready, we can do lobster ravioli,” he claimed.
Reservations are demanded for parties of 4 or extra folks. Although almost everything else is 1st-occur-to start with-served, Chagnon stated wait around occasions haven’t been also prolonged but.