Theater and wine lover, Angelo Pitillo, owner of the much-loved Cafe Lily died from pancreatic cancer last Thursday.

From the AJC…

Angelo Pitillo bought a restaurant with no kitchen and, even though he never set foot in the region, built it into a popular Mediterranean cafe.

A certified sommelier, he delighted in introducing unique wines to Cafe Lily customers dining on dishes created by his son.

“He had the best Zinfandel list in town,” said longtime customer Jon Abercrombie of Decatur. The restaurant, in downtown Decatur, has won three consecutive Wine Spectator awards of excellence.

Mr. Pitillo used Mr. Abercrombie to solve a wine connoisseur’s political dilemma. “My favorite wine is a French wine he gave me when he was put out with the French,” Mr. Abercrombie said. “He wouldn’t sell it, and he wouldn’t pour it down the drain. He said he might as well give it to a liberal.”

Angelo Michael Pitillo, 70, of Sandy Springs died of pancreatic cancer Thursday at Hospice Atlanta. A private service is planned. A.S. Turner & Sons is in charge of arrangements.Mr. Pitillo’s restaurant story truly goes from dishwasher to owner. He worked his way through Georgia Tech as a dishwasher and was an assistant manager by the time he graduated with a degree in industrial management, said his wife, Bette Pitillo.

In 1961, shortly after he married, Mr. Pitillo bought an Atlanta restaurant and presided over Angelo’s Napoli for three years. When the plumbing failed, and he didn’t have enough money to bring the old building up to code, he sold it. He next had Anthony’s Cabaret in Parkaire Mall, his wife said. He later moved to Texas where he managed restaurant chains until he returned to Georgia in 1998 to care for his aging mother.

With his restaurant experience and his son’s culinary arts degree, Mr. Pitillo wanted to open another restaurant and sought a location with a town square and village atmosphere, Mrs. Pitillo said. He found it in a gelato parlor at 308 W. Ponce de Leon Ave.

“It did not even have a kitchen,” she said. Mr. Pitillo designed the kitchen while his son Anthony Pitillo of Decatur planned the menu.

“It just fell together,” Mrs. Pitillo said. Named for their granddaughter, Cafe Lily opened in July 1999 with Mr. Pitillo in charge of the front and his son in charge of the kitchen.

“You go to Cafe Lily to dine,” said Sonny Goff, Theatre Decatur managing artistic director. “The atmosphere is always welcoming.” A theater supporter himself, Mr. Pitillo made sure diners were out in time to make the 8 p.m. curtain, said Mr. Goff of Decatur.

“Angelo was interested in the arts from opera to the stage,” he said. “One of the most unique things he did was give us great business advice and understand the temperament of artists.”

Mr. Goff would create small roles for Mr. Pitillo in Theatre Decatur productions —- such as a policeman in “Dial ‘M’ for Murder” —- but the restaurateur said his customers came before the stage. After hours was another matter.

Mr. Goff would bring the “Cabaret” cast to another of Mr. Pitillo’s restaurants —- Levi’s Key West Fishouse, named for his grandson —- and diners, theater patrons, cast and crew would meet and have a sing-along.

“Angelo would walk down from Cafe Lily and hoot and howl with us,” Mr. Goff said.

At Cafe Lily, Mr. Pitillo greeted guests, recommended wines and kept a sharp eye out for lax service.

“He didn’t miss a thing,” Mr. Abercrombie said. “He made you feel special.

“When you walked in, you could tell he was glad to see you. He got people to talking to each other. He really did build community. That was one thing he was genius at.”

Survivors include another son, Angelo Michael Pitillo II of New York; a daughter, Gioiella “Gia” Davis of Portland, Ore.; and two grandchildren.