Highly regarded caterer Digby Trout dies
Caterer and restaurateur Digby Trout has sadly passed away aged 59 following a battle with cancer.
Perhaps best known for developing Digby Trout Restaurants, a specialist caterer at heritage sites, Trout was very highly regarded by his peers.
The company was initially a joint venture with Catering & Allied, of which Trout was a majority stakeholder, before being acquired by contract caterer Elior in 2002.
Adam Elliott, chief executive at Lindley Group, was at Elior at the time. He said: "Digby was a lovely guy who was full of life. He understood clients' needs better than anyone else and lived for the business.
"Digby was the first man to bring hot food into museums and revolutionised the way visitors ate.
"He was almost beyond his own time when he did that and I hope everyone recognises his contribution to the industry."
Edwina St Lawrence, owner of the Kitchen in the Castle cookery school in Howth, Dublin, had the pleasure of working with Trout for more than a decade in total and described him as a charismatic character with great vision.
She said: "He was hugely respected within the industry, particularly those who worked with him who were very loyal. He did a lot for museum and gallery catering, which was tea and a bun before he came along."
Trout also spent 10 years working with Forte before joining Justin de Blank restaurants as managing director, taking a majority shareholding. He later renamed the business Digby Trout Restaurants in 1994.
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By Janie Manzoori-Stamford
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