Founder, Co-owner and Chef

In 1975, Rick co-founded The Seafood Restaurant with Jill Stein.

Rick Stein is a British chef, restaurateur, cookery book author and television presenter. He has written over 25 cookery books, a memoir and made over 30 programmes including 12 cookery series. In 2018 Rick was awarded a CBE for Services to the Economy. He has cooked for The Queen and Prince Philip, Tony Blair, Margaret Thatcher, French President, Jacques Chirac and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Rick divides his time between his businesses and homes with his wife, Sarah between Padstow, London and Australia.

Rick is best known for a love of fresh, simple seafood and made his name in the 90s with his earliest books and television series based on his life as chef and owner of The Seafood Restaurant (established in 1975) in the fishing port of Padstow. As he said at the time “nothing is more exhilarating than fresh fish simply cooked” – an ethos he has both lived and run his restaurants by. Since then this has grown to include 10 restaurants, 40 hotel rooms, self-catering accommodation, four shops and a cookery school as well as an online business including Stein’s Online Fishmongers. The Stein business now employs over 650 and extends beyond Cornwall with restaurants in Winchester, Sandbanks, Marlborough and Barnes in London. Rick is still at the helm The Rick Stein Group with his ex-wife Jill and their three sons, Edward, Jack and Charlie all involved too.

Rick and his wife, Sarah run two restaurants in Australia, Rick Stein Bannisters in Mollymook, NSW which they launched in 2009 followed by Bannisters, Port Stephens, NSW in 2018.

In 2017 Rick and Sarah launched a range of home and kitchenware called Coves of Cornwall, the crockery, a blue and white range all featuring the topography of Rick’s favourite beaches.

Rick is also famed for his pairing of food and travel in TV shows near and far like: Secret France, Road to Mexico and Venice to Istanbul. During COVID, unable to travel abroad he made a series called Rick Stein’s Cornwall which aired in January 2021, it proved so popular that the BBC immediately commissioned a second series, which also achieved excellent viewing figures in January 2022 and series three followed in February 2023.

In 2020 Rick, and Sarah, established, Rick Stein Productions Ltd to start co-producing his television series for the BBC.

Rick Stein at Home, was published in September 2021 – this book shares the dishes he most loves to cook for family and friends in his kitchen at home. This was followed by another home inspired book ‘Simple Suppers’ – published in October 2023.

New for 2024, Rick Stein’s Food Stories is coming to BBC Two for a 15 part series and a book of the same name is available to pre-order here.

Cook Rick’s recipes here.

Follow Rick on Instagram and Twitter.

MORE ABOUT RICK

Follow Rick around the county that we’re lucky enough to call home. Meeting food and drink producers, artists, historians, musicians and more who simply love everything about Cornwall.

Secret France sees Rick travel from Dieppe in the very north of the country, winding his way down to Cassis in the south – always on the look out for exciting new recipes and produce to cook with (or drink).

Road to Mexico is inspired by a journey that Rick made in late 60’s, from San Francisco in California down to Oaxaca in Mexico. Lots of vibrant dishes, travel tips and a dash of art and culture thrown in for good measure.

In 2016, Rick embarked on a series of weekend culinary adventures around Europe in search of good food, lovely wine and brilliant recipes – Rick Stein’s Long Weekends.

During Rick’s Venice to Istanbul series, he discovers more than 100 Byzantine recipes inspired by centuries of eastern Mediterranean history and tradition.

Join Rick on a journey of discovery to find the perfect curry! India is one of his most popular BBC series, and you can re-live the episodes by clicking below…