I’m sorry to be the bearer of sad news for the second morning in a row.
Romeo Taus, longtime East Valley chef and owner of Romeo’s Euro Cafe in downtown Gilbert, died Monday after a brief battle with brain cancer. He was 68.
Born and raised in Romania, Romeo immigrated to the U.S. in 1973 and found his passion for cooking while training under famed Valley chef Nick Ligidakis.
In 1991, he opened his namesake eatery near Fiesta Mall in Mesa and moved it to Gilbert in 2004, mentoring dozens of up-and-coming chefs (not to mention servers, hostesses, and many others) along the way.
On a personal note, Romeo was one of the first and most diehard supporters of Mouth by Southwest over the past 14 years.
You can read more about Romeo’s life and impact in my 2012 profile of him.
My deepest condolences to Romeo’s wife, Janice; his mother, Elena; his other family members; and his legions of friends and colleagues.
Rest in peace, my friend.
