RIP

Condolences to the family and friends of chef and restaurateur Donna Scala, who passed away yesterday morning at age 60 from a brain tumor. Scala and her husband Giovanni have owned Napa's popular Bistro Don Giovanni for over 20 years, and also had a hand in both the Piatti restaurant chain and SF's Scala's Bistro at various points in time. Michael Bauer offered a lovely remembrance: "If food connects people, and I truly believes it does, then Donna Scala was one of the most connected people in the universe. Her life and her love was cooking and her customers." [Inside Scoop]