Robbie Millar was a chef and restaurateur from Ballycarry

Ballycarry

Ballycarry is a village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is midway between Larne and Carrickfergus, overlooking Islandmagee. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 981.-Archaeology:...

 in County Antrim

County Antrim

County Antrim is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,844 km², with a population of approximately 616,000...

, Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

.

Millar started his career at restaurants in Corfu

Corfu

Corfu is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the second largest of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the edge of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The island is part of the Corfu regional unit, and is administered as a single municipality. The...

, Zurich

Zürich

Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...

 and London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 before returning to Northern Ireland to work in Paul Rankin's

Paul Rankin

Paul Rankin is a Scottish born, Northern Irish celebrity chef from Ballywalter, County Down, Northern Ireland. Born in Glasgow, Scotland his parents moved back to Ballywater, where he grew up. This was stated when he was the subject of an episode of a short programme named Proud Parents on Channel...

 Roscoff restaurant in Belfast

Belfast

Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...

. 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 centre, part of the Clandeboye Estate

Clandeboye Estate

The Clandeboye Estate is a country estate located in Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland, outside Belfast. Covering , it contains woodlands, formal and walled gardens, lawns, a lake, and of farmland...

 in Bangor

Bangor, County Down

Bangor is a large town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is a seaside resort on the southern side of Belfast Lough and within the Belfast Metropolitan Area. Bangor Marina is one of the largest in Ireland, and holds Blue Flag status...

. In 1996 the restaurant was awarded a Michelin Star

Michelin Guide

The Michelin Guide is a series of annual guide books published by Michelin for over a dozen countries. The term normally refers to the Michelin Red Guide, the oldest and best-known European hotel and restaurant guide, which awards the Michelin stars...

, an award it held for ten years. Other awards include the Egon Ronay Guide Newcomer of the Year in 1995 and three Automobile Association

Automobile Association

Automobile Association may refer to:*Australian Automobile Association in Australia.*Automobile Association of South Africa*Canadian Automobile Association in Canada.*Dominion Automobile Association in Canada....

 rosettes. Millar was columnist for the Belfast Telegraph and made regular television appearances as a judge on the BBC's

BBC

The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

 MasterChef programme with Lloyd Grossman.

Influenced by Rankin, Shanks had a Californian

Cuisine of California

The cuisine of California is the local cuisine of the U.S. state of California.- Local ingredients :A highly varied range of micro-climates, dominated by a mild Mediterranean climate, and popular health-conscious diets and lifestyles in California promote the production, use and consumption of...

 style. The interior of the restaurant was designed by Terence Conran

Terence Conran

Sir Terence Orby Conran, FCSD, is an English designer, restaurateur, retailer and writer.-Early life and education:Terence Conran was born in Kingston upon Thames, the son of Christina Mabel and South African-born Gerard Rupert Conran, a businessman who owned a rubber importation company in East...

.

In August 2005 Millar was killed in a car accident on the Ballysallagh Road near Holywood

Holywood

Holywood is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies on the shore of Belfast Lough, between Belfast and Bangor. Holywood Exchange and Belfast City Airport are nearby. The town hosts an annual jazz and blues festival.-Name:...

, County Down

County Down

-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...

. His Maserati

Maserati

Maserati is an Italian luxury car manufacturer established on December 1, 1914, in Bologna. The company's headquarters is now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. It has been owned by the Italian car giant Fiat S.p.A. since 1993...

 left the road, hitting a fence and killing him instantly. The road is an accident blackspot

Accident blackspot

An accident blackspot is a term used in road safety management to denote a place where road traffic accidents have historically been concentrated...

, with two other deaths in April 2006. His funeral was attended by other prominent local chefs Paul & Jeanne Rankin and Michael Deane

Michael Deane

Michael Deane is a chef from Lisburn, Northern Ireland.Deane started his career at Claridge's in London. In 1993 he moved back to Northern Ireland and opened Deane's on the Square with his cousin, the entrepreneur, Haydn Deane in Helen's Bay, County Down...

. On 31 May 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 might have survived the crash. While his blood alcohol level

Blood alcohol content

Blood alcohol content , also called blood alcohol concentration, blood ethanol concentration, or blood alcohol level is most commonly used as a metric of alcohol intoxication for legal or medical purposes....

was found to be marginally over the legal limit, the coroner did not find this to be a significant cause.