TROY, N.Y. (NEWS10) – Chef Michael LoPorto was known for chatting with passersby in front of his Fourth Street restaurant, LoPorto Ristorante Caffe, before he passed away at Albany Medical Center on February 24. The City of Troy will honor Loporto, who was a former councilman and a popular figure across the community, by dedicating the section of Fourth Street where his restaurant stands.

The one-block stretch will be renamed “LoPorto Way,” Mayor Patrick Madden announced Monday. “For those who knew him, Michael was a constant presence outside his restaurant on Fourth Street, engaging with customers, friends, and acquaintances passing by LoPorto Ristorante Caffe merged his passions: food and family, and he shared them with countless Trojans and customers from around the world during the last three decades,” Madden said.

The Italian eatery was known to locals by its founder’s name- LoPorto’s. LoPorto was an immigrant from Italy, who came to the United States in 1970 from Sicily. A City Council resolution for the street dedication will be sponsored by Councilmembers Susan Steele and Emily Menn.

“My father would have been overjoyed and honored with this dedication. Fourth Street is home to one of his greatest accomplishments, LoPorto’s Ristorante Caffe, both his and the city’s first five-star restaurant which attracted many to the city during the 90s when Troy was not the popular destination it is today,” said his daughter, Francesca LoPorto-Brandow.

“I have many memories of my father as an involved community member of the city. He always cared and advocated for Fourth Street businesses and neighbors, and his block always represented a piece of his heart. I look forward to it becoming part of his legacy,” she said.