About Dining With Dignity

Meet Bob Bayton

The Man Behind Dining With Dignity Silverware

Dining with Dignity Corporation was founded in 2002 and is based in Williamsburg, VA. Under development for 2 years, the flatware is the realization of a dream for company founder and former chef, Bob Bayton, who developed the product out of personal need after an automobile accident left him paralyzed from the chest down.

Says Bob, “I love fine food and fine dining. After the accident, I had to rely on someone to feed me because none of the assisted living products available enabled me to eat independently. Mealtime was not a dining experience; it was simply a feeding task. I desperately wanted to be able to dine again, independently, and with dignity…even in public. It is simple things like this that seem to help each of us feel better about ourselves.”

After 16 years as a civilian working for the Dept. of Navy, Bob took an opportunity to follow his growing cooking passion in 1993 and entered Johnson & Wales University. Working full-time while in school, he graduated with honors in 1995.

Bob worked for and excelled at some of Hampton Roads’ finest restaurants before a February 2001 car accident left him paralyzed from the chest down.

Upon returning home after 6 months of rehabilitation, Bob immediately began developing the Dining with Dignity flatware.