‘Remember her with her food and her wine.’ Beloved Columbus restaurateur dies of cancer
Beloved Columbus restaurateur Faye Simmons died of cancer at her home early Monday morning. She was 67.
A pearl-wearing wine aficionado who often had her hair in a perfect bun, Simmons was a popular fixture in Columbus’ dining scene. She dabbled in private entertaining and catering for nearly three decades before purchasing Miriam’s Cafe and Gallery from Miriam Tidwell in 2004. Simmons would later change the restaurant’s name to Meritage, which closed in 2018.
Simmons also spent time at the now-closed River and Rail before serving as the sommelier at Columbus’ Big Eddy Club.
Simmons died less than a month after being diagnosed with cancer. She spent the majority of her final weeks at home surrounded by loved ones. Few knew about her illness, her daughters said in an interview with the Ledger-Enquirer.
“This was very fast. ...My mom was very private. She didn’t want people to remember that. She wanted them to remember her with her food and her wine and her family,” said Ashley Simmons Bailey, Simmons’ oldest daughter.
Her daughters remember Simmons as a classy Southern woman who loved to entertain and cook. She’d throw elaborate tea parties for her daughters or baby showers for family members. Holidays were big affairs in the Simmons household where hockey players with no families in Columbus would show up for Christmas.
“There was one year where there were probably 40 people at the house,” Bailey said. “Maybe even more. She just thrived on hosting and making people feel welcomed.”
Her love of wine was well-documented. Her fluffy, white Maltese is named Vino. Her Instagram handle was purpleteeth_and_pearls, and even from her hospital bed, Simmons was working on Big Eddy’s wine list and menu, her daughters said.
“She loved to drink wine. But a lot of times she would just taste it and have an appreciation for all the flavors,” said Alayne Gamache, Simmons’ youngest daughter. “She could tell you what river ran through where the grapes were harvested. It’s insane what she could tell you.”
The news of Faye’s passing caught friends and colleagues by surprise, but the family has received an outpouring of support in the last several days.
“It was overwhelming — the love that is being expressed,” Bailey said. “The community has really stepped up and shown how much they loved and appreciated my mom.”
Simmons was preceded in death by her husband, John, who died of prostate cancer in 2005. His diagnosis came after Gamache, the couple’s youngest daughter, was diagnosed with Ganglioneuroblastoma, cancerous tumors that developed in her nerve tissues, when she was 12. Gamache was given a clean bill of health at 16.
“She has been heartbroken without dad for all these years,” Gamache said. “That’s one thing that we find comfort in … the amazing reunion that my mom and dad had. ...Their love was something very, very special.”
A celebration of Simmons’ life will be held on Sunday from 2-4 p.m. at Pop Uptown, 1234 Broadway. The family requested contributions be made to the Aflac Cancer & Blood Disorders Center.
This story was originally published October 30, 2019 at 4:31 PM.