By FRED KRONER
Brigi Paris saw this day coming.
The co-owner of Filippo’s Pizza, on Tin Cup Road in Mahomet, is not surprised that a milestone anniversary is approaching this weekend.
Her role model father (Filippo Galbo) set the example with his work standard of excellence.
“I watched Dad do it for over 45 years,” said Paris, who was helping out around the Monticello restaurant when she was 5 years old.
Brigi Paris and her husband, Jerry, will mark their 30th anniversary operating the Mahomet Filippo’s on Saturday (Oct. 16).
When the restaurant opened, she said, “I knew it was a lifetime commitment, so it’s not a big shock in terms of knowing what road I was taking.”
Like many eating establishments, the past 19 months since COIVD-19 began running rampant has created new challenges.
The dining room at Filippo’s has not yet re-opened.
When it does – and that date has not yet been determined – it will be with a new look.
“We’ve ordered all new tables and chairs,” Brigi Paris said. “We’re moving forward with that. We just don’t know when that will be.”
The plan is to add to the staff, which currently consists of three family members, along with some delivery drivers.
Brigi and Jerry Paris are joined at work by their son, Filippo Paris.
“There’s a lot more work, with just the three of us,” Brigi Paris said.
Currently, Filippo’s is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Jerry Paris spent a part of his day off on Tuesday giving the floor under the kitchen equipment a deep scrubbing.
“And even after 30 years,” he was still excited to go to work on Wednesday,” Brigi Paris said. “We love our jobs. It has been this way so long, it’s our lifestyle.”
Though the restaurant opens at 4 p.m., Jerry Paris is more than eight hours into his workday by then.
“He was at work by 7:30 (a.m. on Wednesday),” Brigi Paris said, “getting a delivery from the cheese truck.
“He started cooking by 9:30 or 10.”
Jerry Paris is insistent on how some tasks should be done. Twice a day, he mixes dough.
“By hand,” Brigi Paris emphasized. “No machine.
“He takes great pride in the food we serve. That’s why the food is so good.”
When the last pizza goes out the door, perhaps between 11:30 and midnight, the family doesn’t just lock the door and leave.
“We tear down, and clean,” Brigi Paris said. “Some nights, we’re not out until 1 or 2 (a.m.)”
Their food – which also includes lasagna, spaghetti, sandwiches and salads – remains in high demand, especially on Fridays and Saturdays. It’s not uncommon for the wait to be more than 90 minutes.
Brigi and her son, Filippo, handle the phone duty. They acknowledge the wait at the outset.
“We tell them (the wait time) when we answer the phone,” Brigi Paris said. “A lot of people plan ahead.
“Ninety-five percent say, ‘We knew.’”
A future goal is to get in position to reduce wait times. With just one oven to work with, not more than seven extra-large pizzas can cook at any given time.
It’s almost a continual monitoring process during the busy times, since the pies go into the oven at different times.
“Cheese (pizzas) cook in 10 minutes, but for the special, it’s at least 20 minutes,” Brigi Paris said.
“Jerry makes the pizzas and mans the oven, but we all tag-team it.”
Expansion is on Filippo’s wish list.
“If I could find the right people, we would love to expand and add another oven,” Brigi Paris said, “so the wait time is not so long on Friday and Saturday.”
Though customers haven’t been seated inside the restaurant since March of 2020, Brigi Paris is still able to have some face time with many of them.
“I still interact,” she said. “I take the food outside.
“It’s shorter (time to visit), but I get to see them all and still tease the ones who like to be teased.”
She and her family remain blown away by the kindness, appreciation, and understanding shown by community members.
“I’m shocked how awesome the community has been,” she said. “They have been so supportive, especially the last year-and-a-half with the pandemic.
“We feel the love and are so happy with the community support for so long.”
Brigi Paris has two older siblings, a sister who operates the Monticello Filippo’s and a brother who runs the Mount Zion Filippo’s location.
“The rivalry is whose pizza is better,” Brigi Paris said. “They are the same (recipe), but there’s no exact measurement, so they are different.”
Not surprisingly, there’s no agreement as to which site serves the best pizza.
“My sister thinks hers is the best (at the original location, which opened in May, 1970) and my brother (who opened his restaurant more than a quarter-century ago) thinks his is better than all of us,” Brigi Paris said.
There is no dispute on Brigi Paris’ favorite pizza or the top-seller at the Mahomet Filippo’s.
“I like cheese, parmesan and mozzarella, extra sauce, and extra oregano,” she said. “Well done. I try to eat a piece five days a week.”
The restaurant’s most requested pizza is the Filippo’s Special, which consists of sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, green pepper, onions, and real bacon.
Brigi’s two siblings were born in Sicily, but Brigi was born in the United States.
Her parents came to the U.S. when her mother (Rosa) was expecting.
“She was seven months pregnant with me,” Brigi Paris said.
Though she wound up living in Sicily until she was about 2 years old, the family immigrated to the U.S. in the late 1960s. Brigi graduated from Monticello High School.
“My first language is Italian,” she said. “My sister and brother knew no English when they started school.
“I have no idea how I learned English, maybe through Mom and Dad, their employees, the TV, and school.
“When I was 15, Mom hired a tutor to teach us how to read and write Italian. Speaking it is one thing, but reading and writing is another.”
No matter the language, don’t mention the ‘R word’ to Brigi Paris. ‘Retirement’ is not in her vocabulary.
“Honestly, my dad did it for over 45 years,” she said. “I hope to go at least another two decades.”
At some point, Jerry and Brigi’s son, Filippo, will take over and will continue to serve the same authentic Italian food that has been a staple in Mahomet for three decades.
Filippo and his wife have a 3-year-old daughter, Brigida.
The official date of the 30th anniversary of Filippo’s Pizza is Saturday (Oct. 16). It’s a workday and, for one customer, that will be a good thing.
“We will give away a $30 gift card to the 30th customer,” Brigi Paris said.
While supplies last, there will also be magnets celebrating the 30th anniversary.
As to what the milestone means, Brigi Paris said, “Thirty years is a testimony to the food we serve.”
