Chef Award
Despite worldwide fame, Rick Stein remains among the most humble of celebrity chefs. The 53-year-old chef-restaurateur keeps his feet firmly on the ground with the running of his two restaurants with rooms in Padstow, Cornwall (soon to be joined by a purpose-built seafood cookery school which opens next month), while also travelling the globe in pursuit of fishy stories.
Without hesitation, Stein says he welcomes public admiration, but of all the accolades bestowed on him over the past decade, it is the industry's honour in the form the 1999 Chef Award which has proved to be the most satisfying. "It's all very well getting recognition from the public," he explains, "but to be approved of by one's fellow chefs is something different altogether. After all, they're such a critical bunch and for that reason I was chuffed to bits."
At his flagship Seafood restaurant, Stein leaves much of the day-to-day running to his team of chefs, although he continues to do the occasional 140-cover service, write menus and recipes and maintain quality control. "It's still very much my kitchen," he adds.
Writer and broadcaster
Of course, much of Stein's time in recent years has been taken up with the writing of his highly successful books - English Seafood Cookery, Taste of the Sea and Fruits of the Sea - the latter two having accompanied equally celebrated television series of the same names. And this year looks to be no different - Stein has just finished filming his third series, Seafood Lovers Guide to Great Britain and Ireland, and is in the process of writing the corresponding book. "Having done the last series around the world, I thought it would be interesting to come back to the UK and look at where to buy and eat the best seafood here."
In spite of his extensive knowledge of fish, Stein says he still learns a great deal from his trips. "It's always so interesting, and slightly worrying at the same time, to see how many skills there are out there that we chefs know nothing about. For example, I watched a woman fishing for haddock in Aberdeen, using a 1,000-hook longline baited up with whole, raw mussel, while near Cromer I saw a woman dress a crab in under a minute - a tenth of the time it would take one of our best chefs."
As is tradition, television work-permitting, Stein will be joining the judging panel for the 2000 Chef Award when he will help select a suitable successor. But what will Stein be looking for? "Someone who is moving the industry along, contributing to the industry with class and in a way that people will look up to," he concludes. "Ultimately, they should be setting an example of how things should be done."
To nominate someone for the Chef Award fill in a form obtainable from Sarah Sutton Tel. 020 8652 8349 (a supporting statement of no more than 200 words may be included). Closing date for nominations is Friday 3 March and judging will take place at the Stafford hotel, London on Friday5 May.
