The owners of Palermo have converted their main parking lot into an outdoor dining room, complete with its own bar, shown in the background. (Photo courtesy of Palermo)
A two-alarm fire broke out early today at Palermo restaurant near downtown San Jose, destroying the front porch, damaging part of the interior and sending one firefighter to the hospital.
Crews knocked down the 12:40 a.m. blaze in about an hour, fire Capt. Luis Alanis said, and stayed on the scene until 3:30 a.m. mopping up and boarding up the 791 Auzerais Ave. building.
“One firefighter was transported for a medical complaint, treated and released,” Alanis said.
The fire’s cause remains under investigation, he said.
Owner Diane Cusimano said flames damaged the front porch and the first room of the interior and melted the power lines that run from across the street, knocking out power. The impact on the kitchen and the rest of the interior was limited to smoke damage, she said.
“All of this damage can be fixed. We are blessed. The street has been filled today with customers coming to offer support.”
The Cusimanos — Diane and husband Renato — bought this iconic space, the former Paradiso’s Deli, in 2016 from longtime owner Tony Paradiso, who had served this cannery district for 50 years. They opened it a year later as Palermo. Soon after, they started transforming the parking lot into patio seating, long before the pandemic made alfresco dining a must.
With seating for more than 250 people, those areas have become popular for large celebratory events. In fact, the Cusimanos had left the restaurant about midnight Saturday after hosting a Sweet Sixteen party for guests.
Thankfully, Diane Cusimano said, those massive patios and the most recent expansion areas were not affected by the fire. “The patios are good — the front patio, the side patio, the back deck, the Garden Room. It’s all perfect,” she said.
And the signature Sicilian cart, a feature from the couple’s South Second Street restaurant long ago?
“It’s fine. It might just have to be dusted off a bit,” Cusimano said.
Originally published at Linda Zavoral