Chef biographies: S

Rick Stein

Rick Stein OBE is the first TV chef everyone thinks of when it comes to seafood. But with his series Food Heroes, Rick showed that he's equally passionate about the best of British produce whatever its provenance. In the series French Odyssey, he also revealed a passion for the French way of life, especially the food culture.

Rick's Seafood Restaurant in Padstow clearly displays his philosophy, that "Nothing is more joyful or exhilarating than fresh fish simply cooked."

But he didn't always harbour ambitions to be an award-winning chef. After graduating from Oxford University with a degree in English, he spent a few years running a disco before buying a nightclub in Padstow.

Fortunately for us, the venture was not a success and Rick turned to food as a way out. He opened a restaurant that specialised in freshly caught local produce, supplied by the fishermen who had once frequented his club.

Rick has run the Seafood Restaurant for more than 25 years, seeing it grow from a seaside bistro to an award-winning restaurant with an international reputation. Since those early days, the Steins have added guest bedrooms, a Seafood Delicatessen, a gift shop and two smaller restaurants - St Petroc's Bistro and Rick Stein's Café. The most recent addition is the Padstow Seafood School overlooking the Camel estuary and a fish and chips takeaway.

He has been honoured for his cookery success with many awards, including the Glenfiddich Trophy for his outstanding contribution to widening the understanding and appreciation of excellent food and drink in Britain through his work as a chef, teacher, presenter and author. Rick has cooked twice for Tony Blair at 10 Downing Street, as well as for the former French president Jacques Chirac and for Her Majesty the Queen and Prince Philip.

His many TV programmes and books include Rick Stein's Taste of the Sea, Fruits of the Sea, Seafood Odyssey, Fresh Food, Seafood Lovers' Guide, Food Heroes, French Odyssey, Mediterranean Escapes, Coast to Coast and, most recently, Rick Stein's Far Eastern Odyssey, which was broadcast in July 2009.

Although a professional chef, Rick bases most of his recipes on simple cooking so that they appeal to the way "most of us cook".

In January 2003, Rick was awarded an OBE for services to Cornish tourism. He's based in Padstow but spends several weeks each year in Sydney, Australia.

• Try some of Rick's recipes