Secret Ingredients - Vainisi's restaurant (New Albany, MS)

James from Parts Town interviews Frank from Vainisi’s restaurant.

Looking at your menu, is that your sense of humor coming through with the helipad directions and carry-out/reservation disclaimer?

Yeah, I wrote all that.

Is that sort of humor part of the restaurant culture and experience?

I just like to keep it loose. We try to run a serious business, and we try and provide the utmost service and food quality; provide value.

But at the same time, you have to enjoy it. I’m kind of snarky and sarcastic; I grew up in Chicago, so it’s really different for me, being in the south and becoming accustomed to the environment. It’s just my way of breaking the ice and letting people know that I’m serious at work, but I like to have a good time and be approachable.

You mentioned that you’re from Chicago. I know you have hot dogs on your menu—Chicago style hot dogs are nowhere to be found …

I’m not a big fan of tomatoes … plus, we can’t get sport peppers; it’s a hassle to try and source stuff like that. Like giardiniera—I buy two gallon buckets of giardiniera every time I go home, to bring back so I can serve it. It’s really hard to get it.

As far as hot dogs go, I’m a Gene and Jude’s guy, forever and always. My wife leans towards Superdawg a little bit, but our hot dogs—there’s no Chicago dog here because we can’t do it right, so we just don’t do it.

Let’s talk about your location—you’re a mere 75 minute drive from Graceland, home of Elvis.

We live in New Albany. What it’s known for, basically, is (being) the birthplace of William Faulkner. Even though he’s really known for being over in Oxford, he was born two blocks from my house . I’m not going to pretend like I’ve read Faulkner or even really care … that’s the thing we need to say. That, and the bank made it through the Depression. There’s a bunch of other stuff: it’s a really great place, and the people are really cool.

Give us some history: how long ago did you open?

In 2003, so it’ll be 10 years this year.

That’s a nice milestone.

Yeah, we’re really excited about it. Being in a small town, and being outsiders—being yankees or whatever, people have embraced us, so we’re glad that we’re still here and still able to be doing what we’re doing.

In ten years’ time, what’s been your biggest challenge?

Finding help. Finding people that understand what it’s like to be in the restaurant business.  I started working in restaurants at a little place called Barbarino’s, on the Northwest side of Chicago, when I was 16 years old. I’m 40, and that’s all I’ve done is the restaurant business. It’s hard to find people that really understand the kind of dedication–there are not a lot of people that just love it and do it because they love it. So that’s been the hardest thing for me—finding help and keeping great help. That’s the biggest thing for me.

What’s been your greatest success since you opened?

The longevity—you see so many restaurants come and go. I’m glad to still be here. I’m glad that I have the confidence that I know what I’m doing to keep these things going in adversity. Just the fact that any restaurant in a smaller environment, or someone that’s doing it by themselves—they go into it and they’re out of it in six months or a year. They really didn’t understand what the deal was. I think my greatest simple accomplishment is that I’m still providing jobs for people, I’m still providing food for my family, I’m still enjoying it. I’m continuing to do it.

I guess that would be my greatest success: I’m still here.

If we were to drive down to New Albany for a visit today, what should we order off your menu? What’s your signature dish?

If you’re coming at night, we serve a lot of our blackened Chicken Alfredo. We really strive to serve a lot of basic, comforting, filling, satisfying meals. We’re not trying to do anything too fancy; just when you come in, you know if you order this, it’s going to taste the same as it did last time, and it’s good, and it’s comforting, and you’re going to enjoy it, and you’ll want to come back.

Our blackened Chicken Alfredo is one of those things where it’s nothing too fancy, but we do it the right way. We make every Alfredo to order, so there’s no big pot of creamy sauce lying on a stove somewhere getting dumped in with the pasta. We don’t do it that way. We make everything to order, when you order. That’s one of our good ones. We serve a lot of sandwiches in the afternoons, and our pizza’s pretty popular, too.

Any advice for aspiring or current independent restaurateurs?

I ask (people) the question; do you understand what you’re getting yourself into? You better be ready. The people around you better understand that if you’re really going to make a go of this, this is going to be your new wife, your new husband, and your new girlfriend all at the same time. Once you’re in here, and once you get it going, it consumes you, so you have to be able to control that. And the people around you have to understand that this is what you do, and it’s going to get done–otherwise it’s not going to happen, and then you’re going to wind up in trouble. You really have to have that support group. My wife has been the best—she’s taken care of all the house things, the kid things, she still goes to work. She basically lets me come here to be successful. You really have to have a support group around you, even though you feel like you’re the one doing all the work.

by James VanOsdol

Vainisi’s restaurant

108 W. Bankhead

New Albany, MS 38652