Paisano's Ristorante
Photos by: JOHN BURNS & RACHEL LOCK
Serial entrepreneurs and business partners Joe and Crysi Sessel and Kevin Dunford, the restaurant’s third owners in 31 years, were drawn to Paisano’s because of its proven popularity and potential.
Joe Sessel said honoring the restaurant’s heritage is integral to their operations.
“There is a ton of history here and we respect it and want to be good stewards of the previous owners’ legacies while bringing forward some creative ideas for continued success,” said Sessel.
Bottomless salad bowls with house-made Italian dressing, baskets of breadsticks and hearty fan favorites like Roman Twins and Marco Polo remain on the menu along with new specialties like a honey-pecan-crusted salmon dish and Diavolo Chicken Fresca, spaghetti tossed in a carbonara mix of ham and bacon mixed with fried chicken smothered in a homemade Diavolo sauce. Entrée specials are also offered on occasion, including a dish incorporating Mushrooms Italiano and rosemary chicken over fettuccine in an alfredo sauce.
“The real eye-opening allure here is that everything but the pasta is made from scratch from our recipe book,” Sessel said. “It’s an experience you can’t get somewhere else. And it means we can customize preferences for our customers too.”
The partners have also enhanced the restaurant’s cocktail menu, adding daily specials and several Scotch options. Sessel contributed his own Moscow Mule recipe made with Tito’s vodka served in requisite copper mugs. The restaurant carries a variety of wines from Sean Minor, a Kansas native.
“Sean works in the California wine industry and the wines on his label taste as good as those priced for twice as much,” said Sessel. “We’re making better wine more accessible at a great value. We’re also increasing the scope of our fine wine menu too.”
Sessel said the restaurant’s décor, from the booths to the wall coverings, hasn’t changed much since he brought his prom date to Paisano’s in 1998. To achieve an inviting, upscale ambience reflective of today’s minimalist design trends, the partners will be adding new seating, plates, glassware, cutlery and tabletops obtained through Heartland Granite.
The restaurant has a refreshed logo, website and promotional strategy too. Although Paisano’s has had a flourishing catering business for years, Sessel said many people are still not aware of it.
“We’re spending our marketing budget to let Topekans discover for themselves how amazing our food is,” he said. “Every gift certificate we pass out gets new people in the door. Our engagement with the local community is exciting and seems to be working.”
Sessel’s confidence in the caliber of the restaurant’s cuisine was particularly fortuitous on the restaurant’s opening day, December 15, 2021, when a power outage precipitated giving away free meals and closing early “We didn’t have power the next day either and had to throw away a lot of our inventory,” he said. “It was an exciting opening for sure, but people came back.”
Sessel said a key ingredient in the partners’ business approach is ensuring they’re employing a happy workforce.
“We offer flexible scheduling and pay well and pride ourselves on cultivating a family atmosphere,” said Sessel. “It’s still a restaurant and hard work but we know if our employees feel cared for, they’ll make sure our customers feel cared for too.”
Sessel experiences that same comfortable feeling his Paisano’s employees project when he and his family need a dining change of pace.
“A couple of times a week, we head to Oriental Express for sushi,” he said. “We know our favorite server by name, and he knows all of us by name and it’s like family.”
A Lean Six Sigma black belt with extensive experience in materials management for large companies like Goodyear and Michelin, Sessel said he and his partners have no shortage of ideas to take an already strong dining experience and make it an even better one for their patrons.
“We have a solid strategic plan and a creative team to make this the best Italian restaurant in the region,” he said.
