Paul Ainsworth

Paul Ainsworth is the Southampton-born chef and restaurateur behind Michelin-star restaurant Paul Ainsworth at No6, Ci Ci's Bar, Caffe Rojano, The Mariners public house and six-suite, luxury boutique hotel Padstow Townhouse. Together with his wife Emma, the couple have built a collection of successful businesses in the North Cornwall towns of Padstow and Rock. A charismatic and fun personality, Paul is a regular guest chef Great British Menu, James Martin Saturday Morning, Saturday Kitchen and Sunday Brunch. He also co-hosted Next Level Chef with Gordon Ramsay and Nyesha Arrington.

Paul found his early love of cooking and passion for delivering great hospitality growing up in his parents guesthouse, and watching his parents look after their guests. After leaving school, Paul studied catering at Southampton City College, and while there gained kitchen experience at The Star Hotel and Carey's Manor in the New Forest. When he finished college, in 1998 Paul was offered a position working with the late, great Gary Rhodes in Gary's Michelin-star restaurant, Rhodes in the Square.

After two years learning his craft with Gary, Paul joined Gordon Ramsay at Royal Hospital Road and was a member of Gordon's chef brigade that won the restaurant its third Michelin Star. In 2003 Paul moved to Petrus, part of Gordon Ramsay Holdings, working alongside fellow chef Marcus Wareing.

In 2005 Paul was offered the opportunity to move from London to Cornwall to became Head Chef at Padstow’s No6. Four years later, he and his wife Emma took over the restaurant, earning a Michelin star in 2013 which the restaurant continues to hold.

In 2011 Paul and Emma took over Rojanos, which they later purchased and rebranded Caffe Rojano, a restaurant offering Brooklyn-style pizza, house-made pasta, Mediterranean-inspired small plates and family-style dining.

In 2015 the couple launched their most ambitious project to date, Padstow Townhouse. The Grade II Listed Georgian building was completely restored and renovated, and now offers their restaurant diners a luxurious and relaxing place to stay and six individually-designed suites across three floors. Padstow Townhouse has since won prestigious industry accolades including five AA Gold stars, and was named Best Gourmet Bolthole in the Food and Travel Readers Award.

In May 2019, Paul and Emma took on a Rock institution - The Mariners public house. Following a dramatic refurbishment the couple launched The Mariners as 'proper pub' with a brand new look, and a new menu featuring nostalgic pub classics given the Ainsworth twist, along with local ales from nearby Sharps Brewery. The following year the pub was named 'Best Newcomer' in the 2020 Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropub Awards, and continually been included in the list, achieving 3rd place in 2024.

All of Paul's restaurants showcase not only his passion for food, but also the finest Cornish ingredients from land and sea. Paul champions Cornwall's incredible growers, fisher people, farmers and artisan producers, and shares his love for their incredible local produce in all his restaurants and in his cookbook, For the Love of Food. Paul loves to make food that is jam-packed full of flavour, often presented in his favourite style of eating - family-style sharing.

Throughout his career, Paul has achieved many personal accolades including in 2018 GQ's 'Best Chef Award, in 2019 named AA Media's 'Restaurateur of the Year - Independent,' and the most recently receiving the Catey's 'Chef's Chef' Award.