Ben Muscat, the man who launched the famous La Buona Trattoria Del Nonno in St Paul’s Bay, has passed away.

The announcement was made on the restaurant’s social media pages.

“St Paul’s Bay - and indeed our island - has lost a wonderfully kindhearted, clever and inspirational man: Ben Muscat Snr,” the post read. “Hugs to Lara Grima Baldacchino, Ben Muscat and spouses and grandchildren. Maria is there waiting for you.”

Ben Muscat, also known as ‘Benny’, had set up several restaurants in the past, and in 2012 came out of retirement to develop his desire to present his idea of a genuine Trattoria based on his experience.

The restaurant was named after the owner himself; ‘Il Nonno’. The restaurant’s website listed Mr Muscat as still being the active CEO, but said that his grandchildren are nowadays heavily involved in the operations of the restaurant.

Mr Muscat had also founded one of the oldest and well-known Maltese restaurants, Ta’ Marija, in Mosta.

He grew up in Mtarfa and originally dreamt of teaching. After studying Electronics and Telecommunications at London University, he returned to Malta and started lecturing at the Malta College of Arts, Science, and Technology. One day, he bought a bar and decided to run it himself while also keeping his day job.

Sometime after meeting his wife, Marija, they renovated the bar with murals of the Siege of Malta by renowned artist Anton Agius, and erected an American charcoal grill (the first of its kind in Malta) in an open plan kitchen, turning the bar into a steakhouse which was called the Whisper Knightclub and Farmhouse. Due to the success of the venture, he and his wife both quit teaching and got married in 1968.

He later bought Palazzo Pescatore, which he had turned into a fine dining restaurant.