Obituary: Charles Hays

November 9, 1969 – January 14, 2026 
Charles DeLeslie Hays, age 56, was born on November 9, 1969, and passed away peacefully on January 14, 2026, after a long and courageous battle with a rare form of cancer. Charles faced his illness with strength, resilience, and quiet grace, leaving a lasting impression on all who knew him.
Charles was born in Rochester, New York, to Leslie and Henry Hays. Shortly thereafter, the family moved to Palm Beach, Florida, where he spent his early childhood. Following his parents’ divorce, Charles returned to Rochester, where he attended Harley School and graduated in 1987.
After high school, Charles headed west, attending Colorado State University for one year before settling in Avon, Colorado a place that would become home. There, he discovered a passion for cooking that evolved into a remarkable thirty-year culinary career. He began in the kitchen at the Wildflower Restaurant at the Lodge at Vail, apprenticing under Chef Jim Cohen, who gave him his first opportunity as a prep cook. Charles went on to serve as Executive Chef at Toscana in Beaver Creek and ultimately became Executive Chef and partner at Vin 48 in Avon. Later in his career, he worked with Foods of Vail, contributing to their catering operations. Charles further refined his craft through culinary studies in Calabria, Italy, a region he returned to often and deeply loved.
Beyond the kitchen, Charles enjoyed traveling especially to Canandaigua Lake in New York along with golfing, skiing, and playing his guitar, often jamming to his favorite music, including the Grateful Dead. A lifelong Miami Dolphins fan, a passion passed down by his father, Charles cherished attending games with his dad as a young boy. Gentle and private by nature, he was known for the twinkle in his eye, his warm smile, and his uncanny ability to order the best dish on any menu. His daughters often joked that they wished they had ordered what he did when they dined out together.
Charles is survived by his two daughters, Savara and Mia Hays; his wife, Ashley Piacentini, and her children, Dante Piacentini and Haley Harris, all of Avon, Colorado; his brother, David Hays (wife Lynn Hays, nephews Taylor and Christopher Hays) of Basalt, Colorado; his cousins, Mimi Clarke of Los Angeles, California, and Oliver Clarke of Denmark; his aunt, Barbara Hays of Santa Fe, New Mexico; and his stepmother, Audrey Hays of Steamboat Springs, Colorado.
A celebration of Charles’s life will be held at the Eagle Vail Pavilion at 4pm Friday March 6th 2025.