Paisano’s – Made from Scratch Italian

BY JACLYN ROSE –

Brandon Vereyken grew up in Palm Beach, Florida where his favorite food to eat was pizza.  “This was in the 1960s to the 1970s and there were two pizza places we ate at when I was younger.  It was my favorite food and I knew as a little kid I wanted to own a made from scratch Italian Restaurant,” explained Vereyken.

Vereyken worked for several different Italian Restaurants over the years so he could learn from many different people the best way to cook Italian food. “I learned something from each place I worked, I believe in making food from scratch and everything else will take care of itself,” said Vereyken.

Around five years ago, Vereyken’s brother, Greg, bought the Branding Iron and moved to Mena and within two years, Vereyken, who also works on electronics, followed to assist his brother.  When the Branding Iron moved to their new location their old building was available so they saw the opportunity to open a made from scratch Italian Restaurant, something they had done in the past and thoroughly enjoyed.

In June of 2014, after several months of remodeling, Vereyken opened Paisano’s, at the Branding Iron’s previous location, 1110 Highway 71 South, in Mena.  “Everything is made from scratch, we may not have the fanciest restaurant but we try to have the best food.  Every week I order the best cheese and meats I can find, it costs quite a bit more, but it is worth it.  Most weeks I place a $5,000.00 food order, which is a lot!  We like making the very best food we can and the smiling faces. When we ask people how it was and they rave about the food, it motivates me.  When a family comes in and 20 minutes later you ask how the food was and they respond with, ‘it really was as good as I have heard,’ that is what makes the bureaucracy of being in business worthwhile,” explained Vereyken.

Paisano’s, a very family oriented business, with two of Vereyken’s five children working with him, serves pizza, pasta, sub sandwiches, paninis, calzones, and salads.  They do not pre-make anything, including salads, which are all made to order.  They are open from 11 am until midnight, Monday through Saturday, which is a change they have made to their previous schedule of Tuesday through Sunday to attempt to meet the demand of Polk County residents.  “We were closed on Monday but have decided to close on Sunday’s instead,” explained Vereyken.  They also deliver anything on their menu, within a five mile radius.  You can reach Paisano’s by calling, 479.385.5055.

“The reason I love Arkansas is the friendly people.  I have been to several places in Arkansas and the people are always so friendly.  We are very thankful for the response we have received.  It is very gratifying to see there was a demand for this type of food and we will continue to bring exactly what there is a demand for,” said Vereyken.

About Author

Jeri Pearson

Jeri is the News Director for Pulse Multi-Media and Editor of The Polk County Pulse. She has 10 years of experience in community focused journalism and has won multiple press association awards.

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