The proprietor of Derry Township’s Fenicci’s of Hershey restaurant, Philip Guarno, passed away. Guarno died on March 24 at the age of 62. He was well-known as a philanthropist, a leader in local industry and tourism, and an advocate for downtown Hershey.
He was on the board of Visit Hershey’s for nine years. The native of Trenton, New Jersey, spent 20 years as a general manager at Marriott before moving to the Harrisburg area. After leaving Marriott, he bought the iconic Fenicci’s in 2006, which serves Old World Italian fare like lasagna, handmade meatballs, and upside-down pizza.
Fenicci’s is a “really good red sauce Italian restaurant,” according to Guarno, who made this statement in a Visit Hershey advertising video a few years ago. He consistently described himself as the proud steward of a Hershey tradition rather than its owner.
Later, in honor of his late father, Phillip Arthur Guarno, who had run ice cream shops in Trenton, New Jersey, and Doylestown, Pennsylvania, he opened Phillip Arthur’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream. Last year, Guarno handed the keys to Stuff’D Steaks & Hoagies’ proprietors and closed the establishment. Nyman went on to say that because Guarno was so vocal, occasionally people didn’t respect him.
Guarno was not afraid to voice his opinions, whether they were in opposition to a proposed Chipotle in downtown Hershey in 2013 or state regulations that targeted businesses because of the epidemic. In December 2020, when the state gave proprietors two days’ notice to close indoor eating, he was one of a few eateries that disregarded then-Governor Tom Wolf’s directives.
During the pandemic, Guarno started a GoFundMe page to generate money to purchase food from nearby restaurants to feed medical staff at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. He also made donations to numerous charities and causes. almost the course of 15 years, he helped Children’s Miracle Network raise almost $400,000. Melissa, his grown daughter, survived childhood cancer.
Guarno backed Ronald McDonald House as well. He oversaw a number of fundraising events that featured Guinness World Record feats, like lining up 300,000 Hershey Kisses in a row in the parking lot of the Giant Center, creating a 350-pound meatball, and riding the most roller coasters in a 24-hour period.
Guarno went with three pals, including Adam Spivak from the Philadelphia region, to ride 75 coasters in ten parks across four states. For CMN, they raised $40,000. Guarno was an adventurous man who loved scuba diving and skiing, but he will be remembered most for his kindness, according to Spivak.
