LOS FELIZ—On July 10, former gubernatorial candidate, and owner of the landmark Palermo Italian Restaurant, located at 1858 N. Vermont Avenue, Tony Fanara died. According to his daughter, Michelle, he died at the restaurant. He was 79.
Fanara’s daughter, Michelle, first told the Los Angeles Times that the restaurant was closed for its summer break. Her father was working at a nearby property when he entered the restaurant to take a rest. He laid down and never got back up. The coroner has not given an official cause of death. Mr. Fanara did have a history of heart problems.
Tony Fanara was authentic. The restauranteur was born into a big Italian family in Sicily. He emigrated as a teenager to the United States. He served in the United States Army from 1967-1969 and earned a degree in Electronic Engineering. He also worked at the San Antonio Winery prior to opening his first “Palermo,” restaurant in 1976.
In 1982, he moved his business into the Vermont Avenue location, where it still stands today.
Tony Fanara was loved by the community he served. In 2020, when the State of California was locked down, and businesses were shuddered, the community rallied around him, raising over $68,000 in funds to keep the doors open and the employees paid during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He ran in the gubernatorial campaign in 2022, and in 2021, raising over $21,000 in funding before he suspended his campaign. In 2024, Anthony Fanara ran against 9 others for California Assembly 52, receiving 1.3 percent of the vote.
The family indicated that they haven’t decided what to do with the restaurant. The restaurant will remain closed during the usual summer break, giving the family the time they need to decide.
