Chef Demonstration Stage
Paul Ainsworth
A classically trained chef, Paul developed his skills in London under Gary Rhodes, Gordon Ramsay, and Marcus Wareing. Moving to Padstow, Cornwall in 2006, Paul opened Number 6 with friends before taking sole occupancy in 2009. One of the most respected chefs in Cornwall, Paul has appeared on the BBC2 TV series Great British Menu alongside some of the UK’s best-known chefs.
David Sharland - group executive chef, The Seafood Restaurant Ltd
Born in Somerset, with ambitions to be a chef from a very young age, David Sharland attended Exeter Catering College before moving to London to begin his career as a chef. Progressing through the ranks quickly, David then worked at a handful of top London restaurants, including: The Park Lane Hotel, The River Room Restaurant at The Savoy, where he worked under then executive chef Anton Edelmann, The Savoy Grill, where he became the first head chef at the restaurant to achieve two AA Rosettes. In 2006, David returned to the South West and joined The Seafood Restaurant as the company’s executive chef.
Stephane Delourme - head chef, The Seafood Restaurant Ltd
Born in Paris, France, Stephane spent his early years learning to cook traditional French dishes by his mother’s side before embarking upon a career in the culinary arts. It was in the late nineties that Stephane finally fulfilled his childhood dream to live near the coast and work with high quality seafood. He moved to Cornwall in 1998 and joined The Seafood Restaurant as head chef, which has since won ‘Best Seafood Restaurant Award’ on five occasions.
James O'Connor
James arrived in Cornwall following an illustrious career in some of the best UK establishments. His impressive CV reads like a top culinary guide to London and includes positions with Claridges, The Berkeley, Cliveden, Marco Pierre White’s The Restaurant and Stefano Cavallini’s establishment at The Halkin. Further to his time with these Michelin starred chefs, James has held positions as the Head Chef at Damien Hirst’s 11 The Quay in Ilfracombe and as the Executive Chef at Peter de Savary’s luxury hotel and club in Dartmoor. Before joining the St Moritz Hotel, he headed up the kitchen at the uber-stylish Paramount Club at the top of London’s Centrepoint building. James uses the freshest local produce and ingredients to create consistently strong, seasonal and delicious dishes that are unpretentious, yet ultimately fulfilling. He’s already made his mark on the Cornish dining scene; guests and locals alike are drawn back by his cuisine time and time again.
Tom Scade - Head Chef of Tides Restaurant and The Mariners Rock
ears. Tom describes his food as using influences from European classical and modern cuisine to produce fresh, honest and flavoursome dishes. In November 2011 Tom won Taste of the West’s South West Chef of the Year, beating three other finalists in a cook off.Andy Appleton
Andy Appleton has been a big part of the Fifteen family for many years now; originally a Senior Sous chef at Fifteen London, he was part of the team that launched the Fifteen concept back in 2002. Andy loves everything about Italian food and went on to become Head Chef at the Italian-style Tabernacle Bar and Grill in Shoreditch, London before moving to Fifteen Cornwall in 2007. He’s been Head Chef here since March 2010.
Neil Haydock
It’s fair to say that Executive Chef Neil Haydock has always been obsessed with food. Growing up in rural Lancashire, his grandfather taught him a love of traditional countryside foods, from game to foraged wild ingredients, and his decision to become a chef was made very early. Throughout his career, Neil has retained this passion for local, seasonal foods; he has always sought small-scale local artisan producers to give his menus a real sense of place.
Neil’s experience includes senior roles at a number of highly regarded restaurants, including the Sandy Lane Hotel in Barbados, Terence Conran’s Bluebird in London and most recently, as Executive Chef at Fifteen Cornwall. Now controlling The Hotel’s Brasserie, The Living Space and The Beach Hut, Neil is building on Watergate Bay’s reputation as an outstanding food destination, creating diverse, contemporary menus that showcase the very best of Cornwall’s produce while taking inspiration from around the world.
Annie Sibert - My Fish Kitchen
Annie Sibert, who was a fishmonger for most of her working life, started My Fish Kitchen as a way of passing on her knowledge of fish and fish cookery. Annie comes from a large Cornish fishing family and was brought up on wholesome home cooking.
Peter Murt - The Seafood Restaurant
Padstow born and bread, Pete started work for Rick Stein in 2000 as a Comis Chef at St Petroc’s Bistro. After a couple of trips around the world to further his culinary interest and experience he returned to Padstow to work his way through the ranks at bistro and then on to The Seafood Restaurant where he entered the kitchen as Chef De Partie. Now Junior Sous, Pete has completed a stage at The Alcazar in Paris, assisted Rick at The BBC Good Food Show in London and most recently completed his NVQ3 in Professional Cookery where he was selected as one of the most aspiring chefs.
James Nathan - Masterchef winner
In 2008 James Nathan left his career as a barrister and won BBC’s amateur MasterChef Competition. Since then he has developed professionally by working with some outstanding chefs. They include Michel Roux JR, Michael Caines, Michel and Sebastian Bras, Richard Corrigan and Rick Stein.
