Renowned Pittsburgh Restaurateur Dies

PITTSBURGH, PA — Toni Pais, a Portugese native who operated several restaurants that helped set the standard for elegant dining in Pittsburgh, has died.

Pais, 69, had battled Parkinson's disease for many years and died from complications of that ailment, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported. He retired last year after closing Cafe Zinho in Shadyside.

According to a Pittsburgh magazine profile, Pais arrived in Pittsburgh in 1978 and worked at such premier eateries as The Living Room, La Normande, La Gourmande and Jacquie's and Jacqueline's. He opened his first restaurant, Baum Vivant, in Shadyside in 1992.

Pais also owned Cafe Zinho and the former Cafe Zao, which had a seven-year run in the Downtown Cultural District in the early 2000s.

Pais received numerous Pittsburgh magazine awards, and once received a chef of the year award nomination from the James Beard Foundation. He also served as a visiting chef at the Beard foundation house.

Becky Pais, Pais' wife, told the Post Gazette she will hold a celebration of her husband's life in the near future.