Vincent Panetta

Vincent Panetta born in Borough Park, Brooklyn, N.Y., Oct. 21, 1921, passed away Thursday, Nov. 15, 2012, in Las Vegas, at the age of 91. Vinnie was the owner of the well-known New York institution, Rocky Lee Restaurant Chu Cho Bianco &..and Vinnie on Second Ave. and 67th St. Vinnie and his family ran Rocky Lee for close to 50 years on Second Ave. and 52nd St. Regular clientele included Frank Sinatra, Donald Trump, Rudy Giuliani, William B. Williams, Lauren Bacall and the list goes on. Vinnie was one of the pioneers of the now popular "food truck phenomenon." He had two mobile kitchens in the 1960's, trucks that made pizzas en route to customers' homes. Vinnie moved to Las Vegas in the late 1980's, where he opened a second successful Italian restaurant called Rocky Lee West, which served a similar clientele. Vincent was an avid golfer and sponsored many tournaments in the tri-state area. He served in the National Guard in the early 1940's. It was also important to him to give back and he was a donor to many organizations such as March of Dimes, cancer research, St. Jude Foundation, Barbara Sinatra's Children's Foundation and veterans organizations. He is survived by his wife, Lucy Panetta; his daughter, Anne Panetta; and his grandchildren, Gianno Buonaguro and Gia Buonaguro. He will be deeply missed by his many loving friends and family members. Visitation will be 3-7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 20. Services will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 21, both at Palm Mortuary, 7600 S. Eastern Ave., Las Vegas. Entombment following at Palm Valley View Memorial Park.