The couple behind L.A.’s cult-favorite (and famously expensive) Erewhon markets, Anthony and Josephine Antoci, have taken in $28.5 million on the sale of an ultra-modern mansion in Bel Air—more than $6 million above what they paid just over a year ago. It seems the couple spent little, if any, time there: they put the place up for rent almost as soon as they signed the deed, and it was last priced at $200,000 per month.
Records reveal the new owner as entrepreneur Dara Mir, better known to pop culture enthusiasts as the soon-to-be-ex-husband of attorney, businesswoman, and reality TV star Lily Ghalichi. Mir appears to have scored a deal, ultimately getting the hillside spread for $4.5 million less than the final asking price, not to mention $8.5 million below the original ask of almost $37 million.
The Sarbonne Road residence, with six bedrooms and 10 bathrooms in about 15,000 square feet, is well known among high-end property watchers in Los Angeles. An entity tied to Nigerian businessman Kola Aluko acquired the one-acre hillside property in 2012 for $24.5 million. At some later point, Thomas Flohr, founder of the private jet company VistaJet, became the owner in some kind of off-market deal to settle a debt with Aluko, according to a report in the Real Deal.
When Aluko ran afoul of the U.S. government over claims that he defrauded the Nigerian government out of more than a billion dollars, the Department of Justice attempted to seize the property, which had already been transferred to Flohr. According to reports, Flohr managed to stave off a seizure by paying $16 million for the property. The private aviation tycoon promptly re-listed the place at $63 million, a wildly optimistic number that plummeted to $39.9 million before the Antocis came along and, in May 2024, scooped up the pad for a massively discounted $22.5 million.
A gated driveway climbs to a circular motor court, where a curved stairway leads to the main entrance. A wooden door set in a corner of glass framed by towering walls of rough-cut limestone blocks opens to a triple-height entrance hall. Interior spaces are defined by soaring 16-foot ceilings, travertine floors, a sculptural staircase, and disappearing walls of glass. An elevator means moving between the home’s three floors takes no more effort than the push of a couple of buttons.
A formal living room with a wet bar and linear fireplace and a city-view formal dining room are accompanied by a spacious great room that opens to the pool and incorporates a casual lounge, a dining space, and a sleek family kitchen. (There’s a secondary chef’s kitchen for making a mess.)
Other highlights include a wood-paneled study, a screening room with another wet bar, and a fitness/wellness center with a gym. A spa sits alongside a slender infinity-edge lap pool, while a huge terrace with panoramic views over L.A. is shaded by nine mature olive trees.
Kevin Booker, David Parnes, and James Harris of Carolwood Estates repped the sellers; Tyrone McKillen and Andrew Hurley of Plus Real Estate represented the buyers.
