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, owns four restaurants in Padstow, a fish and chip shop in Falmouth, Cornwall and has written 11 cookery books and presented a number of television programmes.
Of German descent, Stein was born in Oxfordshire to Eric and Dorothy Stein, and attended Uppingham School and read English at New College, Oxford. When Stein was eighteen his father committed suicide in Cornwall after suffering from bipolar disorder. Stein's brother is Professor John Stein who 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. Tiring of life in the city, he moved to Padstow, Cornwall where he had spent many childhood holidays.
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. 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.
In 2008 Stein's original The Seafood Restaurant was reshaped to almost double seating capacity. Equally his fish and chip shop near the seafood school was by then doing a roaring trade, especially in the summer months.
In 2009 Stein made his first acquisition in the nearby traditional and thriving trading village of St Merryn, which is only 3.5 miles from Padstow. The village centre (near the crossroads) has many useful shops and restaurants, with the added benefit to visitors of free parking.
When taking over the Cornish Arms public house, which is located opposite the Church on the outskirts of St Merryn, Stein's stated aim was to 'keep it a traditional Cornish pub'. He encouraged increased use of the skittle alley in the 'young men's field' opposite. (The 'young men's field' was left as a legacy to St Merryn for sporting purposes only, by local St Merryn young men, and for many years has been used for skittles for charity fundraising by locals). It remains to be seen whether visitors may be keener to try the food than the beer, now that Padstow's most famous TV celebrity chef is in the village. A sign in the entrance says "Why not try a bowl of mussels with your pint, instead of a bag of crisps", perhaps an unusual twist on the traditional Cornish pub theme, and one which illustrates that Rick Stein has stamped his brand on St Merryn as well as Padstow.
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.”
As well as running his business, Stein has become a popular television presenter on food, and was often accompanied by his Jack Russell terrier, Chalky, who died in January 2007. Stein has written and presented a number of cookery series 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 in which he undertakes a gastronomic tour across France on the hotel barge Anjodi from Bordeaux to Marseille and his most recent series 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.
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.
Stein lives in Mollymook, Australia, with his publicist fiancée, Sarah Burns, and her children Zach and Olivia. He still has residences in Padstow, Cornwall and Sydney, Australia. He separated from his first wife Jill, although they remain business partners. He has three sons, Edward (30), Jack (28), and Charles (23), who are all involved in the family business. Stein is the uncle of Radio 1 and nightclub DJ Judge Jules and artist Lucy Stein.
Charity work
Rick Stein is Patron of the charities Padstow Youth Project, South West PESCA (Duchy Fish Quota Co.), the National Mission for Deep Sea Fishermen and the National Coastwatch Institution
English Seafood Cookery, 1988 - (Glenfiddich Cook Book of the Year 1989)
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 0-563-55186-0)
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 Seafood - Complete Seafood - James Beard Foundation Award 2005 for Cook Book of the Year
Rick Stein's Complete Seafood (ISBN 1-58008-568-7)
Rick Stein's Mediterranean Escapes (ISBN 0-563-49366-6), 2007
Rick Stein Coast to Coast (ISBN 9781846076145), 2008
