Rick Stein Biography

Christopher Richard Stein was born on 4 January 19470, in Oxfordshire to Eric Stein and Dorothy Stein. His siblings include a brother, John, and two sisters, Henrietta and Janey. He also has a half-brother from his mother’s first marriage whose name is Jeremy.

For his education, he first attended Wells Court, a preparatory school and later went to Wells House, Uppingham School and finally to a cram school in Brighton.

He grew up on a farm in Cotswold and enjoyed a privileged and idyllic childhood. However, his father, Eric – managing director of a distilling company – suffered from bipolar disorder and took his own life when Rick was 17.

Soon, Rick began his hotel management traineeship with British Transport Hotels at its Great Western Royal Hotel in Paddington. He worked there as a chef.

Rick’s father’s death had left him in turmoil, so he quit and went to Australia where he worked as labourer in an abattoir and as a clerk in a naval dockyard. Thereafter, he travelled to New Zealand and Mexico.

When he returned to the UK, he enrolled at the New College, Oxford and earned his degree in English in 1971.

After graduation, Rick Stein began running a disco and then opened a nightclub – along with his friend Johnny – in Padstow where he served Vesta meals. However, frequent brawls led to it being closed by the police.

The two still had a licence for a restaurant in the same building which they opened and continued to run. In 1975, along with his first wife Jill Stein, Rick Stein converted it into a small harbour-side bistro called ‘The Seafood Restaurant’.

The restaurant specialised in freshly caught local produce which were sourced from fishermen who were once the customers of his nightclub. Today, it is an award-winning restaurant with international reputation.

In 1985, he made his first television appearance as a guest chef in Keith Floyd's show Floyd on Fish. The following year, he once again appeared as a guest chef in Floyd’s television series documentary Floyd on Food.

Since then, he has presented numerous award-winning television shows including Taste of the Sea (1995), Fruits of the Sea (1997), Rick Stein's Seafood Odyssey (1999), Food & Drink', (1999), Rick Stein's Seafood Lover's Guide (2000) and Rick Stein's Food Heroes (2002).

Rick Stein has also travelled around the world to explore best of the region's food for his shows. These shows include French Odyssey (2005), Rick Stein's Mediterranean Escapes (2007), Far Eastern Odyssey (2009), Rick Stein's Spain (2011), Rick Stein's India (2013), Rick Stein: From Venice to Istanbul�(2015), Rick Stein's Long Weekends (2016), Rick Stein's Road to Mexico�(2017-2018) and Rick Stein's Secret France�(2019).

He has explored more regional food in television movie documentaries Rick Stein's German Bite (The German Odyssey, 2013) and Rick Stein's Taste of Shanghai (2016).

Since the opening of his first restaurant, Rick Stein has opened more restaurants. In Padstow, Cornwall, he opened ‘St Petroc's Bistro’, ‘Rick Stein's Café’ and ‘Stein's Fish & Chips’ restaurant.

Again in Cornwall County, he opened ‘The Cornish Arms’ pub, ‘Ricks Stein’s Falmouth’ restaurant and ‘Rick Stein, Fistral’ restaurant.

Beyond Cornwall, he has opened restaurants – with his name – at four other locations – Winchester, Poole, Marlborough and Barnes.(Apart from this, he has also opened a cookery school and four shops – a patisserie, a gift shop, ‘Stein’s Fishmongers & Seafood Bar’ (selling fresh fish and pre-prepared seafood dishes) and Deli (selling jams, biscuits, chutneys and relishes as well as wines and Cornish homeware) – in Padstow.

In October 2009, Rick and Sarah Burns (who he later married) opened Rick Stein At Bannisters in Mollymook, a scenic coastal town in Australia. The chef in the restaurant use freshly caught seafood to prepare their dishes.

Nine years later, in 2018, the second Rick Stein at Bannisters opened in Salamander Bay, Port Stephens.

His other television works include TV movie documentaries, Rick Stein and the Japanese Ambassador (2006) and Rick Stein in du Maurier Country, (2007) as well as a genealogy documentary series, Who Do You Think You Are? (2009). His latest television series documentary is Rick Stein's Cornwall (2021).

Apart from presenting numerous television series, Rick Stein has authored a number of cookbooks too; many of them have been companion books for a television series.

Apart from writing cookbooks, he has also penned his autobiography, Under a Mackerel Sky: A Memoir, which came out in 2013.

In 2003, Rick Stein was awarded OBE (Officer of The Most Excellent order of the British Empire) for services to West Country Tourism.

In 2015, he won two Lifetime Achievement Awards – the first at National Restaurant Awards and the second one by the Food Writers Guild.

In 2016, Rick, and his first wife and business partner, Jill, were honoured with a Special Award at the prestigious Catey Awards recognising their work in building a global brand over 41 years.

In 2017, he won the Best Food Personality at the Observer Food Monthly Awards. The same year, he was presented with a Special Contribution Award at The Travel Media Awards and an Outstanding Contribution to Travel award at the National Geographic Traveller Awards.

In 2018, he was appointed CBE�(Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) for his services to the economy.

Apart from these, he has also won Food Personality of the Year award at the 2004 BBC Radio 4 Food & Farming Award; a special award for outstanding services to Cornwall at the 2002 The Cornwall Tourist Award; the Chef of the Year award at the 1999 Catey Awards and the Television and Radio Personality award at the 1995/96 The Good Food Award.

Rick Stein first married Jill Newstead in 1975. The couple have three sons – Edward, Jack and Charles. They divorced in 2007. His sons are now involved in his business.

He met Sarah Burns in 1997 and married her in 2011.

He is associated with numerous charitable organisations including the Padstow Youth Project, National Mission for Deep Sea Fishermen, the National Coastwatch Institution, the Dyslexia Research Trust and The National Trust.

Rick Stein is an avid collector of maritime memorabilia, with a particular interest in vintage nautical instruments and artifacts.

In addition to his culinary pursuits, Rick Stein is also a talented painter and has exhibited his artwork in galleries around the world.

Rick Stein is a dedicated environmentalist and has been actively involved in promoting sustainable fishing practices in the seafood industry.

Despite being a renowned chef, Rick Stein is known for his down-to-earth and approachable personality, often engaging with fans and customers in a friendly manner.

Rick Stein is a passionate advocate for British cuisine and has played a significant role in promoting the diverse culinary traditions of different regions in the UK.