Robbie Millar
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Robbie Millar (April 26, 1967 - August 13, 2005) was a chef and restaurateur from Ballycarry in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.
Millar started his career at restaurants in Corfu, Zurich and London before returning to Northern Ireland to work in Paul Rankin's Roscoff restaurant in Belfast. While at Roscoff he met his future wife Shirley, who managed the restaurant and went on to manage Shanks. In 1994 he opened Shanks restaurant at the Blackwood golf club, part of the Clandeboye Estate in Bangor. In 1996 the restaurant was awarded a Michelin Star, an award it held for ten years. Other awards include the Egon Ronay Newcomer of the Year in 1995 and three Automobile Association rosettes. Millar was columnist for the Belfast Telegraph and made regular television appearances as a judge on the BBC's Masterchef programme with Lloyd Grossman.
Influenced by Rankin, Shanks has a Californian style. The interior of the restaurant is designed by Terence Conran.
In August 2005 Millar was killed in a car accident on the Ballysallagh Road near Holywood, County Down. His Maserati left the road, hitting a fence and killing him instantly. The road is an accident blackspot, with two other deaths in April 2006. His funeral was attended by Paul Rankin and his wife, and bitter rival Michael Deane. On May 31, 2006 the coroner's report into Millar's death was released. It found that he died of multiple injuries, mainly caused by the fence he crashed into. A road accident expert stated that if the fence had met new safety standards, Millar may have survived the crash. While his blood alcohol level was found to be marginally over the legal limit, the coroner did not find this to be a significant cause.[1]
