A GASTROPUB run by an award-winning Huddersfield chef has closed – allegedly leaving customers and businesses out of pocket.
The Old Bore at Rishworth, near Ripponden, has closed down.
Diners with reservations turned up to find themselves locked out and those who had purchased dining vouchers were unable to redeem them.
A number of suppliers say the pub owes them money for meat and groceries.
The Old Bore, which served fine dining and Thai fare, was owned and run by award-winning chef Scott Hessel and his wife Lisa, who managed the front of house.
The pub, which opened for Sunday lunches, appeared to be closed last Sunday lunchtime.
Mr and Mrs Hessel also run the Carlton Bore gastropub near Thirsk, North Yorkshire.
But the Carlton Bore is also believed to have closed and despite repeated attempts, the Examiner has been unable to contact the Hessels.
A neighbour who lives near the pub said: “We went past it just before Christmas and it was open, but we came back after Christmas and it was closed.
“All the stuff outside, like the picnic tables had been taken inside.”
Huddersfield-based meat and fish supplier Sail Brand says it is owed more than £2,000 and has called in a debt recovery company.
It is thought cash is also owed to a meat supplier, in Thirsk, and a groceries supplier, in Lancashire.
Mr Hessel, who was a chef at the Mustard and Punch, Honley, was the youngest ever winner of the Roux Brothers Scholarship back in 1990.
He was one of three finalists chosen to take part in a cook-off for the Pub Chef Food Excellence Awards in 2007.
The Old Bore was included in the prestigious Harden’s Restaurant Guide.
The pub won the prize for best cheeseboard at the 18th British Cheese Awards.
