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Christopher Richard "Rick" Stein OBE (born 4 January 1947) is an English chef, restaurateur and television presenter. He is currently the head chef and co-owner of "Rick Stein at Bannisters" at Mollymook, New South Wales, Australia,^[1] owns four restaurants in Padstow, a fish and chip shop in Falmouth, Cornwall and has written or presented a number cookery books and television programmes.

Early years[link]

Of German descent, Stein was born in Oxfordshire to Eric and Dorothy Stein, and attended Uppingham School and studied English at New College, Oxford.^[2] Later, he moved to Padstow, Cornwall where he had spent many childhood holidays.^[3][4]

Career[link]

Rick Stein's Seafood Restaurant, Padstow

Stein opened his first business in Padstow in 1974, and now specialises in fish cookery. His business operates four restaurants, a bistro, a cafe, a seafood delicatessen, patisserie shop, a gift shop and a cookery school.^[5] His impact on the local economy of Padstow is such that it has been nicknamed "Padstein" despite the phrase being openly disputed by Rick himself.^[6]

In 2009 Stein made his first acquisition in the nearby trading village of St Merryn, which is 3.5 miles from Padstow. When taking over the Cornish Arms public house, which is located on the outskirts of St Merryn, Stein's stated aim was to 'keep it a traditional Cornish pub'.^[7]

On 1 October 2009, Stein opened with his fiancee publicist Sarah Burns, "Rick Stein at Bannisters" in Mollymook, on the South Coast of New South Wales, Australia. Rick said at the time of opening, “Ever since a memorable weekend eating Pambula oysters and flathead in Merimbula in the sixties, I’ve had the image of the clean blue sea and sweet seafood of the South Coast fixed in my head so when I was introduced to Mollymook about six years ago I knew that one day I would open up a restaurant celebrating local fish and shellfish but keeping it really simple. Bannisters was the relaxed seaside hotel that I was looking for, so when they asked me if I’d be interested in cooking there I jumped at the opportunity.”^[8]

As well as running his business, Stein has become a popular television presenter on food. Gaining early exposure after appearing on Keith Floyd's 1984 series Floyd On Fish as a guest chef, he was noticed by the show's producer and was later offered the chance to present his own series – similar in vein to the "travelogue" style of cookery show pioneered by Floyd – on BBC television including Rick Stein's Taste of the Sea, Fruits of the Sea, Seafood Odyssey, Fresh Food, Seafood Lovers' Guide, Food Heroes, and in 2005 French Odyssey about a memorable journey down the canals of South Western France to the Mediterranean, Mediterranean Escapes. This starts where French Odyssey left off, and explores the Mediterranean coastline and islands in search of the best in the region's foods. Rick Stein's Far Eastern Odyssey, travelling around Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia. His current television programme is about the cooking of Spain off the beaten track.^{[citation needed]} Stein was often accompanied by his Jack Russell terrier, Chalky, who died in January 2007.^[9]

A book has accompanied each series, and his book English Seafood Cookery won the Glenfiddich Award for Food Book of the Year in 1989. Stein was awarded the OBE in the 2003 New Year Honours list for services to tourism in Cornwall.^[10]

Personal life[link]

Rick Stein in a 2006 cookery demonstration, in Melbourne, Australia

Stein lives in Padstow, Cornwall for part of the year but also has a house in Sydney with his wife, Sarah Stein and her two children. He has three sons from his marriage to his business partner Jill, which ended in 2002,^{[citation needed]} their divorce was granted on 8 June 2007.^[11]

Rick Stein's brother is the famous neurophysiologist John Stein.^{[citation needed]}

When Stein was eighteen his father committed suicide in Cornwall after suffering from bipolar disorder.^[12] Stein's brother, Professor John Stein teaches and researches medicine, and in particular dyslexia and neurophysiology, at Oxford University, where he is a fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford. He also has a sister Henrietta and a half brother Jeremy who was from his mother's first marriage.

Stein and his ex-wife Jill jointly built up the food business which today is valued at £32 million, and employs over 300 people in Padstow.^[13]

Charity work[link]

Rick Stein is Patron of the charities Padstow Youth Project, South West PESCA (Duchy Fish Quota Co.), the National Mission for Deep Sea Fishermen, the National Coastwatch Institution, the Dyslexia Research Trust and The National Trust.

Publications[link]

• English Seafood Cookery, 1988 – (Glenfiddich Cook Book of the Year 1989)
• A Beginner's Guide to Seafood, 1992 (Chapter 4 Marine Cuisine Guides)
• Beach to Belly, 1994 (foreword)
• Taste of the Sea, 1995 (André Simon Cook Book of the Year 1996)
• Good Food Award Best Cookery Book, 1995/1996
• Rick Stein Fish, 10 Recipes 1996
• Fruits of the Sea, 1997 (ISBN 0-563-38457-3)
• Rick Stein’s Seafood Odyssey, 1999 (ISBN 0-577-33874-0)
• Rick Stein’s Fish Paste Odyssey, 1999 (ISBN 0-563-55186-0)
• Rick Stein’s Seafood Lovers’ Guide, 2000 (ISBN 0-563-48871-9)
• Rick Stein’s Seafood, 2001
• Gourmand World Cookbook Awards, 2001 – winner of category: Best Seafood and Fish in English & – winner of category: Best in the World Fish and Seafood (German translation – Gold medal – Gastronomische Akademie Deutschland 2003)
• My Favourite Seafood Recipes, 2002 (Marks and Spencers cookery book)
• Rick Stein’s Food Heroes, 2002 (Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2002 – winner of category: Best Local Cookery Book – winner of category: Best Cookery Book of the Year in Great Britain)(Jacob’s Creek World Food Media Awards 2003 – Silver for best hard cover recipe book)
• Rick Stein’s Guide to the Food Heroes of Britain,(ISBN 0-563-52175-9) 2003 (Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2003 – winner of category: Best Guide)
• Rick Stein’s Food Heroes, Another Helping, 2004
• Rick Stein's Complete Seafood (ISBN 1-58008-568-7) winner of the James Beard Foundation Award 2005 for Cook Book of the Year
• Rick Stein's Mediterranean Escapes (ISBN 0-563-49366-6), 2007
• Rick Stein Coast to Coast (ISBN 9781846076145), 2008
• Rick Stein's "Far Eastern Odyssey" 2009
• My Kitchen Table: Rick Stein's 100 Fish and Seafood Recipes (ISBN 9781849901581), 2011
• Rick Stein's Spain(ISBN 9781849901352)

TV[link]

• Floyd on Fish, BBC TV, 1985 (Stein's first television appearance – Floyd called him Nick several times)
• Taste of the Sea, BBC TV, 1995 (Glenfiddich TV Programme of the Year Award, Good Food Award Television Cookery Programme of the Year)
• Fruits of the Sea, BBC TV, 1997 (Silver Medal World Food Media Awards Adelaide 1997)
• Rick Stein’s Seafood Odyssey, BBC TV, 1999 (Bronze Medal World Food Media Awards Adelaide 1999)
• Fresh Food, BBC TV, 1999
• Personal Passions, BBC TV 1999
• Food & Drink, BBC TV, 1999 (Gold Award for Best Television Food Segment Within a Show – World Food Media Awards Adelaide 1999)
• Rick Stein’s Seafood Lover’s Guide, BBC TV, 2000 (Glenfiddich TV Programme of the Year Award 2001)
• Jacob’s Creek World Food Media Awards – Silver for best Television Food Show
• Friends for Dinner, BBC TV, 2000
• Rick Stein on Fishing, Carlton TV, 2001
• Rick Stein’s Food Heroes, BBC TV, 2002 (Jacob’s Creek World Food Media Awards 2003 – Gold for Best Television Food Show)
• Rick Stein’s Food Heroes, Another Helping, BBC TV October 2003, Series 2 BBC TV February 2004
• Rick Stein's French Odyssey, May 2005
• Betjeman and Me: Rick Stein's Story, August 2006
• Rick Stein and the Japanese Ambassador, BBC2, 2006
• Rick Stein in Du Maurier Country, BBC2, May 2007
• Fishy Treats and Simple Eats, Japanese Food Network, Autumn 2007
• Rick Stein's Mediterranean Escape, BBC2, 8 August 2007 (6-part series to accompany his book)
• On 16 February 2009 Stein was featured in an episode of the BBC's Who Do You Think You Are? genealogy documentary series.
• "Rick Stein's Far Eastern Odyssey", BBC2, July 2009.
• "Rick Stein's Food of the Italian Opera", BBC HD, June 2010
• "Rick Stein's Cornish Christmas", BBC2, December 2010
• "Rick Stein's Spain", BBC2, July 2011

Other awards[link]

For the restaurant:

• RAC/Sunday Times Taste of Britain Best Restaurant Award 1984
• Decanter Magazine Restaurant of the Year 1989
• The Good Hotel Guide Cesar Award 1995
• Egon Ronay Guide Restaurant of the Year 1996
• Hotel & Restaurant Magazine Seafood Restaurant of the Year 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 & 2003
• AA Award – English Seafood Restaurant of the Year Award 2002

For the man:

• The Good Food Award Television and Radio Personality – 1995/1996
• The England for Excellence Awards – Outstanding Contribution to Tourism Award – 1988–1998
• Caterer and hotelkeeper 1999 Chef Award – Chef of the Year The Catey Awards
• AA Guide Chefs’ Chef of the Year 1999–2000
• Waterford Wedgwood Hospitality Award – 1999
• The Glenfiddich Trophy – 2001
• The Cornwall Tourist Award – A special award for outstanding services to Cornwall 2002
• OBE – New Year’s Honour 2003: For services to West Country Tourism
• CatererSearch 100 – 14th most influential chef in UK in 2005

References[link]

External links[link]

• Rick Stein's Official Homepage
• Interview with Rick Stein – RadioLIVE New Zealand, June 2010.