Carmine’s Pizza Kitchen in Las Vegas is marking its 50th anniversary, an impressive milestone for this family-run eatery. Originally named Villa Pizza, it now operates four locations.
Carmine Vento, the founder, opened Villa Pizza on Sahara Avenue in 1976 during a strike that closed many hotel-casinos. This timing helped the business gain a foothold. Villa Pizza introduced something new to the area: New York-style pizza by the slice.
“I couldn’t find a place that sold pizza by the slice,” Vento told Las Vegas Weekly. Vento began his work in pizza 63 years ago, starting as a dishwasher in a New Jersey pizzeria known for selling 700 pizzas a day…