A new restaurant serving an assortment of seafood dishes celebrated its grand opening and ribbon cutting Monday in Paso Robles.

Paso Terra — open about two months — is an endeavor by Chef Andre Averseng and his wife, Cristina Averseng, who also own local catering company Dining with Andre.

In 2008, the couple incorporated as Averseng Enterprises Inc., setting aside the Paso Terra name for their new restaurant and continuing Dining with Andre as the corporation’s arm for catering, classes and wholesale operations, Cristina Averseng said. Paso Terra has brought about 15 employees to its downtown location at 1032 Pine St. The dining room holds up to 30 customers; there’s also a small outside patio.

The number of people Dining with Andre employs depends on the job.

“We have had as many (as) 75 to 100 (staffers) for a sit-down of 400 people to 15 for a dinner of 35,” Cristina Averseng said of the varying employee counts.

At the restaurant, seafood became the focal point because the couple felt Paso Robles needed more cuisine of that nature. And, because catering menus and restaurant menus “are quite different,” Cristina Averseng said she feels the move to a brick-and-mortar eatery was a way to showcase more of their food.

She declined to state either of the businesses’ sales or profits, nor how much they invested in the new restaurant space.

Paso Terra’s menu also showcases Chef Andre Averseng’s beef bourguignon and free-range chicken as well as vegetarian dishes.