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Mother, daughter team up to create Italian restaurant
Published Saturday, March 22, 2008
NATCHEZ — A mother-daughter duo are keeping it all in the family with their new restaurant Ve’Gyarne Pasta Garden.
“It’s 99.9 percent family owned and operated,” manager Vickie Green said.
This quaint Italian restaurant on Martin Luther King Jr. Street, with its dim lighting, strings of white lights, bubbling fountains and reservation-only nooks, has been packed since its opening last Saturday, Green said.
Photo by Marcus Frazier
Ve’ Gyarne Pasta Garden offers Italian American foods ranging from lasagna to seafood dishes in a relaxed atmosphere.
The idea to open the restaurant was spearheaded by Engwin Green, Vickie and Edwin Green’s daughter.
Engwin was attending Texas Southern University in Houston as a business major when she began talking to her mother about opening a restaurant.
“My mom thought it was something we should go in to,” Engwin said.
Vickie, who used to own a seafood and pasta restaurant across the street, is in charge of the cooking, while Engwin tackles the rest.
“She’s the brains of it all, I’m just the cook,” Vickie said.
The mother-daughter team began with just a shell of a building.
“We built from the floor up,” Vickie said.
In about four months, they added tables and chairs, the kitchen, the check out counter, a small stage and all the décor.
“The décor was pretty much me,” Engwin said.
A stage is intended for live bands that will be featured on Saturdays.
The jazz band that played for Ve’Gyarne’s opening night received good response, Vickie said.
In fact, response has been all around good, Vickie said.
“We’ve had awesome response,” Vickie said. “The buzz going around is that you would only see something like this in big cities, the ambience we provide.”
And big cities are where Engwin sees her future in the restaurant business.
The 2006 Natchez High School graduate transferred to Co-Lin from Texas Southern so she could start the restaurant and will graduate this year. She wants the restaurant to have stability before she branches out to other locations.
She said she would like to move back to Texas and open a restaurant in Houston.
But her vision doesn’t stop there.
“I see us having chain restaurants all over the world,” Engwin said.
The restaurant may not have much trouble finding stability, based on how successful it’s been in its first week, Green said.
Since the doors have been opened, we’ve been slammed,” Vickie said. “There’s hasn’t been a slow day yet.”
During lunch hours, they even have to start a waiting list.
Vickie said the restaurant prides itself in service and homemade foods.
From Italian-American staples such as lasagna and spaghetti to seafood and chicken pastas, Vickie said the list goes on and on.
She said the restaurant carries special deserts, such as her Godiva liqueur chocolate truffle cake and cheesecake with Disaronno graham cracker curst.
The staff of five is mostly family members and the Greens prefer it that way.
“I think family is nice to work with, they’re easy to cooperate with, everybody has the same vision, there’s no backstabbing,” Engwin said. “Everything is positive when you have family (working together.)”
Vickie said a five-member staff is all they need.
“We’re small but very mighty, small but swift,” she said.
She said all of this could not have happened without her husband, Edwin.
“If it wasn’t for him, it wouldn’t be possible for (Engwin,)” Vickie said.
Ve’Gyarne is open Tuesday through Saturday with lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and dinner from 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. On Friday and Saturday, dinner hours are extended until 10 p.m.
The bands featured on Saturdays perform between 5:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
Comments
Posted by NtzMom55 (anonymous) on March 23, 2008 at 12:33 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Sounds great. I know I always enjoy visiting the Olive Garden Restaurant and hope this will be a treat since we have no Olive Garden in Natchez. Good luck to you all.
Posted by rushinghjr (anonymous) on March 24, 2008 at 9:47 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Good Luck in your new business!
Posted by JECS (anonymous) on March 25, 2008 at 12:47 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I took my wife to the new restaurant while visiting
Natchez, and what a wonderful treat. Keep up the good
work Engaland. (SMILE)
Posted by ConstantComment (anonymous) on March 25, 2008 at 7:25 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Very excited to hear about new Italian restaurant. If the food is as good as it looks in the photo, and the ambience, as they say, is as pleasant as one imagines from the photo, we have a winner! Can't wait to try it! Good luck!
Posted by boredwithstupidity (anonymous) on March 25, 2008 at 11:38 a.m. (Suggest removal)
It sure would be nice when they print these stories if they would include an address and a phone number for the new business....
Posted by seeemeeego (anonymous) on March 25, 2008 at 5:42 p.m. (Suggest removal)
What does the name mean? I don't find it on any Italian language sites, not even as a proper noun.
Posted by ijohnson (anonymous) on March 25, 2008 at 11:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Good luck with Ve’Gyarne Pasta Garden! I can't wait to visit you and patronize your establishment. ((boredwithstupidity)) made a great point, what is the exact address and telephone number? Do you take telephone orders for takeout and accept credit cards?
I am just overjoyed that you have returned home and started this wonderful restaurant here -- it is SO needed. Engwin spearheading this venture and having the support of her family is very refreshing to read. I wish you all the best in your venture, good health and continued success!
Posted by fedup21 (anonymous) on March 26, 2008 at 7:54 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Vickie, I remember when we were neighbors on Rice Road. Your mother was one of the best cooks in the world. The skills spilled over on her children and grandchildren. I wish you all the success in the world. My visits to the establishment have been wonderful. I highly recommend this food to anyone who likes pasta a little bit. Keep up the good work cousin.
Posted by JECS (anonymous) on March 27, 2008 at 10:38 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The name is a mixture of family names. Great idea......and
the food is double great.
Posted by ntz143 (anonymous) on March 28, 2008 at 8:35 a.m. (Suggest removal)
where is this retaurant?
Posted by JECS (anonymous) on March 28, 2008 at 5:38 p.m. (Suggest removal)
In the Robert Johnson complex-- across from the old Brickhouse. Where January Printing use to be. On
MLK. Coming from town it will be the set of buildings
on the right before you get to Pilgrim Blvd, or Jr. Food
Mart.
Posted by Teach4Peace (anonymous) on April 2, 2008 at 10:12 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Man, JCES, talk about memories! I remember when Afrilic beauty salon was over there, and I used to get my hair done salon fresh there! I remember that convenience store and that laundry mat that used to be there!
Posted by VeGyarne (anonymous) on April 3, 2008 at 5:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)
first, rendering all praise to the most high god for making this establishment possible. Now, to all of you wonderful citizens in and out of the miss-lou, THANK-YOU ALL for your awesome comments and your patronage, even those whom haven't had the opportunity to visit us yet, thank-you for your kind and encouraging words. From the bottom of our hearts here at Ve'Gyarne' Pasta Garden. We welcome you all here with the same love and kindness you all have shown us. When you arrive, please sit back, bask in the ambiance, enjoy the sounds of great jazz and know that when you're here, you're family. Saturday nights we feature a live jazz band and steak night, between the hours of 5pm-8pm. Please join us. God bless you all.
From Ve'Gyarne's Management
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