Antonino and Carmela (Tirrito) Caldarone and their four children opened Palermo's at the corner of 63rd Street and Maplewood in 1961, shortly after emigrating from Italy.  Using ancient recipes that were passed down within the Tirrito family, they served pizza and spaghetti, primarily in take-out form, until 1975, when they achieved such notoriety that they purchased a building about a mile-and-a-half west and opened a full-scale restaurant with an extensive menu.  They continue to dish out thin and thick crust pizza at this location today, and they have an undeniably loyal base of fans all over the city.