Chef Toni Pais remembered as mentor, influential culinary force in Pittsburgh

Portugal native, global restaurateur and chef Antonio “Toni” Pais was a culinary leader and fixture in Pittsburgh for more than 40 years.

Pais died July 7 from complications of Parkinson’s disease. He was 69.

“This was an extraordinary man and there’s not one person who could say anything unkind about him. He was so respectful of everyone,” said Pais’ wife, Becky, on Tuesday.

She praised her late husband for “totally changing” the Pittsburgh elegant dining scene. Pais introduced diners to Mediterranean dishes with a Portuguese influence, ushering in a fusion food movement in Pittsburgh. He was also known for his constant smile, warm greetings and hospitality.

“He was doing farm-to-table before anyone else was,” she said. “The New York Times visited and he created a dish with seven different onions.”

The couple, married since 1993, lived in Point Breeze. She described him as a “stepfather extraordinaire” to her two children. “I will miss his hugs — and he was hugger. He would hug everyone.”

The news of his death was posted Sunday by a friend, at the request of Becky, on Pais’ personal Facebook page. “God Speed, Toni. You were loved,” was the simple message informing friends that Pais died that night.

The hundreds of online condolences posted there are a testament to the impact Pais had on Pittsburgh’s restaurant scene. Over the years, he owned Baum Vivant and Cafe Zinho in Shadyside and Cafe Zao in Downtown Pittsburgh.

Abdel Khila of Upper St. Clair first met Pais on the soccer field, but the two men would later share the kitchen at Cafe Zinho (“Little Cafe” in Portuguese), where Khila was head chef.

Khila called Pais a pioneer in the Pittsburgh restaurant industry of the 1990s, pointing out how Pais would rise early to shop daily for fresh food and new ingredients in the Strip District.

“That was unheard of at the time,” Khila said. “Most chefs ordered frozen crap from Sysco and the likes. Toni would have farmers deliver their products to the restaurant several times a week. Nobody was doing that in the mid-to-late-1990s.”

Khila grew up in Morocco. “We shared a lot, as our countries are so close and had plenty of history throughout the centuries,” Khila said.

One meal prepared by Pais still stands out in Khila’s memory. “He cooked a giant Chilean sea bass filet, white as snow, so fresh it melted in my mouth. For someone used to good seafood growing up in Morocco, it was the best fish I’ve had anywhere, let alone Pittsburgh,” Khila recalled.

Pais was known for his creative use of local vegetables and for his signature sauces.

“It was all reduction or purees, never any flour or thickening agents. Toni did all of this and more in the absence of hype and social-media gimmicks. Through it all he stayed humble, caring, and just an overall terrific human,” Khila said.

Born in 1954, Pais was raised in the seaside village of Cascais, with abundant fresh seafood and farm-to-table produce and family-made olive oil and wine. He completed a two-year culinary program at the Portugal Hotel School in 1974. That year, he fled Portugal after the political upheaval of the Carnation Revolution.

He worked as a dining room captain for Cunard Lines, where he mingled and learned from an international crew and chefs from various countries.

He moved to Pittsburgh in 1978, finding work in the better restaurants at the time. In 1992, he and Becky opened Baum Vivant on Baum Boulevard, near Shadyside Hospital. It was an immediate hit.

“Bend over backwards to take care of people,” Tony Pais said in a TribLive interview in 2005, explaining his philosophy. “Treat them like guests in your home.”

His career as chef and restaurateur resulted in numerous awards. In 2002, he was Pittsburgh’s first chef to receive a James Beard Chef of the Year nomination.

His health issues began in 2004 when he developed Parkinson’s disease. It affected his left arm, resulting at times in uncontrollable shaking. UPMC showcased Pais’ medical journey on their website, profiling the deep-brain stimulation surgery he received in 2013.

Former Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto proclaimed May 31, 2014, to be Toni Pais Day in the City of Pittsburgh.

Pais retired last year after closing Cafe Zinho.

In 2008, Jack Brice of Highland Park was looking for a venue that would accommodate a small wedding party for his marriage to Kate Freed.

“I told Toni that all the places wanted a large group of people. He said, ‘Come to my house, I’ll cook you dinner.’ ”

Brice, a corporate consultant, had known Pais for about five years at that point. He took him up on the generous offer. The couple married at the Pais residence and enjoyed an amazing wedding reception meal, created and prepared by Pais.

“His ability to match food and wine — he was doing this way before anyone else,” said Brice, who’s also a wine expert and educator. “It was meaningful to us but also to our parents, who certainly had not had a meal in a setting like that.”

Pittsburgh has lost an instrumental culinary genius with the passing of Pais, Brice said. “I’m sad that his joy, warmth and his incredible talent is no longer going to be part of the Pittsburgh scene.”

Brice recalled praising a sauce Pais made. “He smiled back at me and, with a glint in his eye, said, ‘That’s because I don’t take shortcuts.’ And he was quite pleased and proud of that.”

Greg Alauzen, the chef/owner of LeoGreta in Carnegie, met Pais through friends in the late 1980s. He recalled Pais’ love of four things: wine, soccer, food and hospitality.

Alauzen, who opened LeoGreta six years ago, said Pais will be greatly missed.

“He was just a good guy to hang out with. He was always smiling and was very nice to be around,” Alauzen said. “He did a lot for the Pittsburgh culinary scene.”

Becky Pais said she’s “just so overwhelmed about the outpouring of love for this beautiful man. He made people feel so at home. He loved cooking, he dreamed cooking and was so unique in his approach.”

Brandon Snow, 51, of Frederick, Md., worked under Pais at Baum Vivant in 2004.

“His attention to detail, Portuguese cuisine, early in my career — the license to be creative with starches and vegetables — has stuck with me,” said Snow, an executive chef. “He was not a prima donna, the yelling chef. He was calm and collected.”

Snow remembered a signature dish prepared by Pais: roasted sole with banana caramelized with brown butter.

“He made a huge impact in Pittsburgh because he was using fresh produce, local purveyors and his European influence. Toni was true to the ingredients and Toni loved to show and tell people about food. I’ve really taken that throughout my career,” Snow said. “He’s the one who gave me my start and I’m forever grateful.”

A celebration of life has yet to be determined.

“He loved grilled sardines and hot dogs, so we’ll plan on something, and Toni loved teaching,” Becky said. “He was a lover of life, food, the Earth and of me. We were so lucky to have had each other. We had a life together that very few people can say that they had.”