One of my early challenges when I opened Paisano’s was finding products that allow me to make my food right – the way Italian food is meant to be made. I had a lot of experience managing other places and a lot of home cooking background so I did the best I could to create recipes that would reflect that. I found that Mozzarella that came from Wisconsin has a better flavor than that which comes from California. Pecorino Romano from Italy is the best. Meat products are better from Chicago. Tomato basis are the best from California. We get fresh local produce in every day. I make our lasagna, manicotti, pizza sauce, pizza dough, pesto sauce, Alfredo sauce, Italian dressing, and of course, our meatballs all from scratch. We use extra-virgin olive oil and no trans-fats (we don't even have a fryer). We either bake in an oven or cook on a stove.