Renato Onesti grew up as one of eight siblings in Castelvecchio in Tuscany. He came to Scotland in 1957, aged 21. One of his sisters, Liliana, had already settled in Inverness.
For the first two years, he worked as a farm labourer near Nairn before moving to Dingwall where he worked at Donati’s Cafe and Ice Cream Parlour.
In 1964 he opened Renato’s Fish and Chip Shop on Dingwall High Street. He married Rosemary in the same year.
The shop was eventually taken over by his son Roberto and in 2023 it remains in business.
Popular as an institution in the town, it was reported in the Ross-shire Journal that when Renato died, ‘the community is mourning the loss of a much-loved fish and chip shop owner’.
Renato died in 2021, aged 84.
Renato’s sister Liliana was married to Enrico (Henry) Pieraccini.
Enrico ran the Highland Restaurant in Inverness, previously owned by his father Primo.
Enrico and Liliana’s son Adrian (Renato’s nephew) was a well known restaurateur in Inverness and St Andrews.
Adrian’s son Stefano is also a restaurateur.
