In 1989 Paul Rankin opened
Roscoff, the restaurant that was to become the first to win a Michelin Star in Northern Ireland. Soon after opening, it became the favourite meeting place for the Belfast business and arts community, and people travelled from Dublin simply to experience what was considered to be the best cooking in Northern Ireland at the time. Forced by financial difficulties, Rankin sold the restaurant in 2005. The building is now occupied by restaurant CoCo. Many chefs and head chefs, such as
Dylan McGrath,
Michael Deane and
Robbie Millar, received part of their training there. In 2009 it was reported that Rankin had sold most of the Rankin Group to cover business debts, leaving only the flagship Cayenne restaurant under his control, although this too was under negotiation as part of an
IVA. This IVA was successful and bankruptcy was avoided. However, the restaurant finally closed on Sunday 24 March 2013 with Rankin citing the economic climate and disruptive protests in the city as being two of the reasons for the closure. The late
Robbie Millar made his name while working at
Roscoff.
Television appearances His first foray into television was in the series
Gourmet Ireland, produced by Irish company Waddell Productions, and shown on both BBC and RTE. As of 2015, the range included
soda bread,
potato farls, and
barmbrack. In 2021, the products were rebranded as Irwin's Together and no longer bear Rankin's name. Rankin Selection also extended to pork sausages, produced by the Northern Irish manufacturer Finnebrogue. Rankin supported a campaign to keep Finnebrogue's venison factory open when it was threatened with closure, saying it was "world class and something for Northern Ireland to be proud of". ==Awards==