NATCHEZ — Tommy and Patty Johnson retired, so they could open a restaurant.

The Johnsons opened the doors to Paisano’s Italian Grotto on Franklin Street on July 25 and haven’t stopped working yet.

“It’s been like a snowball,” Tommy said. “Each day it has just been building and building.”

The couple moved to Natchez from California where they both worked in various areas of the restaurant business, and it was a joint dream to one day combine that experience and open a restaurant of their own.

“I had 25 years of experience and she had her families recipes,” Johnson said. “So we wanted to put that together and have a place that was ours.”

To do that, the Johnsons returned to Tommy’s home. He grew up in the Cranfield Community and still has many family members in Adams County.

And two weeks after first opening the doors, neither Tommy nor Patty regret the long hours they have put in.

That is partially because they love what they are doing and partially because the customers love what they are doing.

“Everyone that has come in has just raved about the food,” Tommy said. “They all say they are going to be back, so I guess we’re doing something right.”

Paisano’s is open for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Saturday. Lunch hours are 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and dinner hours are 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. A full menu is available all day.

The menu includes pizza, pasta dishes, sandwiches and appetizers — all with a distinct Italian flair.

“My mother was Sicilian,” Patty said. “These are all her recipes. They are just a little different than other places because they are Sicilian.”

But that little bit of different is keeping the tables full.

Patty said she has seen a steady stream of faces since the first day — and some even before the first official day.

“I had just unpacked the cash registers and didn’t even know how to use it yet,” Patty said. “And some people from the furniture store came down and said, “We’re hungry. We’ve got money and you’ve got food.”

Patty said she told the group of hungry workers that they weren’t even open yet.

“They said ‘You don’t understand — we’ve got money and you’ve got food,’” she said.

And customers aren’t just coming in once.

“During our first week open, one guy came in three different times,” she said. “That’s the kind of business we have been seeing.”

Customer favorites have been the eggplant parmigiana and the lasagna — and the meatballs.

“They are huge,” Patty said. “They are the size of a small planet.”

The meatballs are Tommy’s specialty, but he isn’t afraid of sharing his secret to keeping the large meatballs tender

“I roll them all by hand, and you can’t work the meat too much,” he said. “I have a scale back there, but I never use it. It’s just a feel.”

The feel comes from years of preparing food for others. The Johnsons said during their years on the west coast, they got into the habit of hosting large groups of friends for holiday meals, and opening this restaurant, for them, is just as comfortable as inviting friends over for dinner.

“The only difference is this time we are charging for it,” Tommy said. “But not too much.”

Paisano’s is located at 406 Franklin St. Call-in orders are welcomed by calling 601-442-7771.