This week’s episode features Patrick Guilbaud, the French chef who brought fine dining to Ireland 44 years ago.
Situated beside the Merrion Hotel in central Dublin, Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud continues to thrive with two Michelin stars.
Guilbaud moved to Ireland in the early 1980s when the country was in recession, and it wasn’t always plain sailing. A visit from the sheriff for unpaid debts led to a partnership with successful businessmen Lochlann Quinn and Martin Naughton that helped put the restaurant on a sound financial footing. It also led him to relocate the restaurant to the Merrion Hotel site which was developed by Quinn and Naughton. A move that he considers to be the making of the business.
In February Guilbaud received the Distinguished Leader in Business award at the Irish Times Business Awards.
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In this interview with host Ciarán Hancock he discusses those difficult early days of trading, changes in the Irish restaurant trade over the past four decades, the current challenges facing the sector in terms of cost, and his plans for retirement.
Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound.
