Rick Stein
Encyclopedia
Christopher Richard "Rick" Stein OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...

 (born 4 January 1947) is an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 chef
Chef
A chef is a person who cooks professionally for other people. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who cooks for a living, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation.-Etymology:The word "chef" is borrowed ...

, restaurateur and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...

 presenter. He is currently the head chef and co-owner of "Rick Stein at Bannisters" at Mollymook, New South Wales
Mollymook, New South Wales
Mollymook is located on the South Coast of New South Wales, Australia and is part of the Milton–Ulladulla area, which is approximately 3 hours drive south of Sydney. At the 2006 census, Mollymook had a population of 1,054 people. It forms part of a seven kilometre stretch of unbroken urban...

, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

, 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.

Early years

Of German descent, Stein was born in Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....

 to Eric and Dorothy Stein, and attended Uppingham School
Uppingham School
Uppingham School is a co-educational independent school of the English public school tradition, situated in the small town of Uppingham in Rutland, England...

 and read English
English studies
English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language , English linguistics English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S.,...

 at New College, Oxford
New College, Oxford
New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.- Overview :The College's official name, College of St Mary, is the same as that of the older Oriel College; hence, it has been referred to as the "New College of St Mary", and is now almost always...

. When Stein was eighteen his father committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...

 in Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...

 after suffering from bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder or bipolar affective disorder, historically known as manic–depressive disorder, is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated energy levels, cognition, and mood with or without one or...

. Stein's brother is Professor John Stein who teaches and researches medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....

, and in particular dyslexia
Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a very broad term defining a learning disability that impairs a person's fluency or comprehension accuracy in being able to read, and which can manifest itself as a difficulty with phonological awareness, phonological decoding, orthographic coding, auditory short-term memory, or rapid...

 and neurophysiology
Neurophysiology
Neurophysiology is a part of physiology. Neurophysiology is the study of nervous system function...

, at Oxford University, where he is a fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £153 million. Magdalen is currently top of the Norrington Table after over half of its 2010 finalists received first-class degrees, a record...

. 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
Padstow
Padstow is a town, civil parish and fishing port on the north coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town is situated on the west bank of the River Camel estuary approximately five miles northwest of Wadebridge, ten miles northwest of Bodmin and ten miles northeast of Newquay...

, Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...

 where he had spent many childhood holidays.

Career

Stein opened his first business in Padstow in 1974, and now specialises in fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...

 cookery. His business operates four restaurants, a bistro, a cafe, a seafood delicatessen
Delicatessen
Delicatessen is a term meaning "delicacies" or "fine foods". The word entered English via German,with the old German spelling , plural of Delikatesse "delicacy", ultimately from Latin delicatus....

, patisserie
Pâtisserie
A pâtisserie is the type of French or Belgian bakery that specializes in pastries and sweets. In both countries it is a legally controlled title that may only be used by bakeries that employ a licensed maître pâtissier ....

 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 trading village of St Merryn
St Merryn
St Merryn is a civil parish and village in north Cornwall, United Kingdom approximately three and a half miles south of the fishing port of Padstow and approximately 11 miles northeast of the coastal resort of Newquay....

, which is 3.5 miles from Padstow.

When taking over the Cornish Arms public house, which is located opposite the Church on the outskirts of St Merryn
St Merryn
St Merryn is a civil parish and village in north Cornwall, United Kingdom approximately three and a half miles south of the fishing port of Padstow and approximately 11 miles northeast of the coastal resort of Newquay....

, 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
St Merryn
St Merryn is a civil parish and village in north Cornwall, United Kingdom approximately three and a half miles south of the fishing port of Padstow and approximately 11 miles northeast of the coastal resort of Newquay....

 for sporting purposes only, by local St Merryn
St Merryn
St Merryn is a civil parish and village in north Cornwall, United Kingdom approximately three and a half miles south of the fishing port of Padstow and approximately 11 miles northeast of the coastal resort of Newquay....

 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
St Merryn
St Merryn is a civil parish and village in north Cornwall, United Kingdom approximately three and a half miles south of the fishing port of Padstow and approximately 11 miles northeast of the coastal resort of Newquay....

 as well as Padstow
Padstow
Padstow is a town, civil parish and fishing port on the north coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town is situated on the west bank of the River Camel estuary approximately five miles northwest of Wadebridge, ten miles northwest of Bodmin and ten miles northeast of Newquay...

.

On 1 October 2009, Stein opened with his fiancee publicist Sarah Burns, "Rick Stein at Bannisters" in Mollymook
Mollymook, New South Wales
Mollymook is located on the South Coast of New South Wales, Australia and is part of the Milton–Ulladulla area, which is approximately 3 hours drive south of Sydney. At the 2006 census, Mollymook had a population of 1,054 people. It forms part of a seven kilometre stretch of unbroken urban...

, on the South Coast of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. Rick said at the time of opening, “Ever since a memorable weekend eating Pambula
Pambula, New South Wales
Pambula is a town in Bega Valley Shire on the far south coast of New South Wales, Australia south of Sydney via the Princes Highway. At the 2006 census, Pambula had a population of 1,146 people.-History:...

 oysters and flathead in Merimbula
Merimbula, New South Wales
Merimbula is a coastal town on the Far South Coast or Sapphire Coast of New South Wales, Australia. At the 2006 census, the population within a 10km radius of the Merimbula Post Office was over 8,775, Merimbula has a town population of 3,851 people...

 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
Jack Russell Terrier
The Jack Russell terrier is a small terrier that has its origins in fox hunting. It is principally white-bodied smooth, rough or broken-coated which is commonly confused with the Parson Russell terrier and the Russell terrier with the term "Jack Russell" commonly misapplied to other small white...

, Chalky
Chalky
Chalky was TV chef Rick Stein's rough-haired Jack Russell Terrier dog, who regularly accompanied Stein when filming his popular cookery shows and became recognised and popular in his own right - many of Stein's friends and interviewees claimed he was more famous than the chef himself.The fearless,...

, who died in January 2007. Stein has written and presented a number of cookery series on BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

 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.

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
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...

 in the 2003 New Year Honours list for services to tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...

 in Cornwall.

Personal life

Stein lives in Padstow for part of the year but also has a house in Sydney with his wife, Sarah Stein and her children. He has three sons from his marriage to his business partner Jill, which ended in 2002. Edward (32), Jack (30), and Charles (25). Stein is the uncle of Radio 1 and nightclub DJ Judge Jules
Judge Jules
Judge Jules is a British dance music DJ and producer, known for his DJ activities and popular radio show which achieved global success.-Education:...

 and artist Lucy Stein. Rick Stein's brother is the famous neurophysiologist Professor John Stein.

Charity work

Rick Stein is Patron of the charities Padstow
Padstow
Padstow is a town, civil parish and fishing port on the north coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town is situated on the west bank of the River Camel estuary approximately five miles northwest of Wadebridge, ten miles northwest of Bodmin and ten miles northeast of Newquay...

 Youth Project, South West PESCA (Duchy Fish Quota Co.), the National Mission for Deep Sea Fishermen, the National Coastwatch Institution
National Coastwatch Institution
The National Coastwatch Institution is a voluntary organisation and registered charity providing a visual watch along the UK's coasts, and is not to be confused with HM Coastguard.-History:...

, the Dyslexia Research Trust and The National Trust.

Publications

  • 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

  • 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

For the restaurant:
  • RAC
    RAC plc
    RAC Limited is a breakdown company in the United Kingdom supplying products and services for motorists. Initially formed as the "Associate Section" of the Royal Automobile Club, it was incorporated as R.A.C. Motoring Services Ltd. in 1978. It was then sold by the members of the Royal Automobile...

    /Sunday Times Taste of Britain Best Restaurant Award 1984
  • Decanter Magazine
    Decanter (magazine)
    Decanter is an up market magazine on wine and spirits, published in over 90 countries on a monthly basis. The magazine content includes news from the industry, vintage guides and wine recommendations. Decanter organizes the annual Decanter World Wine Awards.-Wine Ratings:Decanter employs a 1 to 5...

     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
    The Automobile Association
    The Automobile Association , a British motoring association founded in 1905 was demutualised in 1999 to become a private limited company which currently provides car insurance, driving lessons, breakdown cover, loans and motoring advice, and other services...

     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
    Caterer and hotelkeeper
    Caterer and Hotelkeeper is a weekly magazine for hospitality professionals. Published since 1878, Caterer and Hotelkeeper is part of the Caterer Group which also includes the Caterer Search website and various industry events....

     1999 Chef Award – Chef of the Year The Catey Awards
    The Catey Awards
    First occurring in 1984, the Caterer and Hotelkeeper awards, or Cateys, are a UK award ceremony for the hospitality industry. They have been described as the hospitality industry's equivalent of the Oscars....

  • AA Guide Chefs’ Chef of the Year 1999–2000
  • Waterford Wedgwood
    Waterford Wedgwood
    Waterford Wedgwood plc is the former holding entity for a group of companies headquartered in Ireland, which specialised in the manufacture of high quality china, porcelain and glass. The group was dominated by Tony O'Reilly and his immediate family, and the family of Mr. O'Reilly's second wife,...

     Hospitality Award - 1999
  • The Glenfiddich
    Glenfiddich
    The Glenfiddich Distillery is a Speyside single malt Scotch whisky distillery owned by William Grant & Sons in Dufftown, Scotland. Glenfiddich means ‘Valley of the deer’ in Gaelic, hence the presence of a deer symbol on Glenfiddich bottles.- History :...

     Trophy – 2001
  • The Cornwall
    Cornwall
    Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...

     Tourist Award – A special award for outstanding services to Cornwall 2002
  • OBE – New Year’s Honour 2003: For services to West Country
    West Country
    The West Country is an informal term for the area of south western England roughly corresponding to the modern South West England government region. It is often defined to encompass the historic counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset and the City of Bristol, while the counties of...

    Tourism
  • CatererSearch 100 - 14th most influential chef in UK in 2005

External links

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