Legendary Toronto Restaurateur Passes Away

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TORONTO — Toronto restaurateur Athanasios Karamanos, owner of Carman’s Steak House, passed away last week at the age of 84.

Better known as Arthur Carman, Karamanos was born in Patras, Greece and immigrated to Canada where he worked in New Brunswick and Quebec before moving west and opening Carman’s Dining Club in 1959 in Toronto. Carman’s became a fixture in The Big Smoke for half a century, attracting celebrities who flocked for the good ambiance, steaks and smell of garlic in the air.

In addition to being one of the longest-standing restaurateurs in the city, Carman was also a humanitarian, receiving the key to his adopted city for myriad contributions to philanthropy. He was the founder of Caravan, the multi-cultural, annual festival that focused on sharing the customs, traditions and food of the various ethnic communities that make up Toronto.

The restaurant icon is survived by his wife, Kathleen.

 

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