LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Carmine Vento, founder of Carmine’s Pizza and a fixture of the Las Vegas food scene for nearly 50 years, died last Friday at age 78 after suffering a stroke.
Vento’s career spanned five decades, beginning with his immigration from Italy to New York before moving to Las Vegas. In 1976, he opened the valley’s first pizzeria by the slice featuring a walk-up window.
“He decided to leave New York, come to Vegas. There was no pizza out here. There was nothing,” his son, Frank Vento, said. “Opened the first Pizzeria by the Slice with the first walk-up window in 1976. Took a shot and they told me he was crazy and here we are 50 years later.”
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Building a footprint in the Las Vegas Valley
The business has since grown to four locations across the valley. Family members noted that throughout his life, Vento not only expanded his own brand but also assisted others in starting their own businesses.
Frank Vento said the family operation was built on discipline and expectations from an early age.
“He made it so easy to see success without hard work,” Frank Vento said. “We had to work in the business not by choice. He made us, you know? You would think that he gave you a name tag and said, you’re the boss. No. He said, ‘Okay, go wash dishes, and I’ll see you in a year.’”
Carrying on the legacy
Frank Vento said his father’s legacy will continue through a new restaurant opening off Rainbow Boulevard dedicated to his parents.
“I would have liked to have seen him go through it, but we’ll do it for him,” Frank Vento said, recalling his father’s personality and common question when walking into a busy shop: “‘Frankie, why is there so many people here?’ That’s what he would say all the time. I’m like, we didn’t even start yet, hold on.”
Family members said community support following Vento’s death has been overwhelming, with patrons noting his presence at his regular dining table and his lasting impact on the local pizza market.
The family is hosting a memorial service this Sunday 2 to 8 p.m. at Palm Eastern Cemetery, as well as a mass on Monday from 1 to 2:30 p.m. at St. Francis of Assisi church.
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