Filippo’s Pizza & Italian Food Celebrates 35 Years in Mahomet

1 hour ago

2 min read

For Filippo Paris, Italian food and family are intertwined. Paris shared how his parents’ forbidden romance began when his dad walked into the original Filippo’s restaurant in Monticello, where his mom was working. After two years of secret dating, they eloped. Within a year, the couple opened their own Filippo’s in Mahomet and had their firstborn, Filippo.

Three generations of Filippo’s family members have owned and operated “Filippo’s” Sicilian restaurants in the area, including his parents, who opened the location in Mahomet 35 years ago. Now, Filippo’s is an institution in Mahomet, with a roster of loyal customers who fill its cozy dining room and line up for carryout orders.

In Sicilian tradition, parents name their firstborn son after the child’s grandfather and their firstborn daughter after the child’s grandmother. Before his grandfather died in 2019, there were 5 Filippos in Paris’ family. Here, Filippo is at right with his father, Jerry and mother, Brigi.

Every year, the Mahomet Filippo’s celebrates the anniversary of their opening with a meal and t-shirt giveaway to the order number corresponding with the anniversary. But this year “was a little different,” Paris said.

“A year ago this month, my dad almost died. We were shut down for a month. So this year we’re just thankful. We’re thankful my dad’s still alive. We’re thankful for the business.”

Paris said the highlight of running the restaurant is the people. “The people feel like family,” he said. “When you’re in a place for so long, the people that you’re around become like family.” He described how people who were dating when they first came to his parents' restaurant in the nineties are grandparents now. He has watched customers grow from little kids to parents, too.

As Paris’s own kids grow up, he says he can imagine passing the restaurant onto them. He thinks about living to see the original Filippo’s turn 100 in 2070. “100 is a pretty big milestone,” he said. “It’s a nice legacy, if I continue it, I can pass it on to my kids. I’d like to keep the name going.”

Quick Facts

Filippo’s Pizza and Italian Food is located at 2112 Tin Cup Road off Prairie View Road
They are open Wednesday through Sunday, 4 p.m.-12 a.m.
In-person dining is limited, and carryout availability fills up fast. Call a few hours ahead and schedule your pick up!
Cash or check only