Paul Ainsworth is a young and talented British chef who has worked with some of the big industry names and runs two restaurants in Padstow, Cornwall, including the Michelin starred Paul Ainsworth at Number 6.
Paul Ainsworth was born in Southampton in 1979 and his parents’ home was a guesthouse, so he was brought up in an environment surrounded by customer service and catering for visitors. With a British father and a mother from the Seychelles, the young chef was exposed to a wide variety of food from a young age, including traditional British dishes and Creole cuisine. He had a number of jobs as a teenager, and after leaving school he went to Southampton City College to study catering and hospitality supporting himself by working as a waiter at The Star Hotel.
Paul Ainsworth
Through college connections Paul was given the opportunity to work with Gary Rhodes at Rhodes in the Square, where he started in 1998. He then moved across London to Royal Hospital Road, working in Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant which was soon to earn its third Michelin star. He spent three years under Gordon’s guidance before moving on to another one of the celebrity chef’s restaurants, Pétrus in 2003. After a three year stint at Petrus Paul then followed head chef Marcus Wareing to The Berkeley.
Number 6 in Padstow
In 2006 Paul met Derek Mapp with whom he launched Number 6 in Padstow, leading London behind for the coast of Cornwall at the age of just 26. In 2009, he became owner of the restaurant when his business partners went separate ways, and he added his name to the title. He drastically changed the menu which had been London styled and instead made the most out of locally sourced, high quality produce, following the seasons.
In 2015 Paul and his team opened a six-bedroom “home-from-home” to operate alongside his two restaurants in Padstow, Cornwall. The Ainsworths bought the property in July 2014 and set to work on undertaking a comprehensive renovation, which has included a new slate roof, underpinning of the building and the installation of hand-made casement windows.
Interior design undertaken by Emma Ainsworth and Eve Cullen-Cornes reflects the heritage of the property as opposed to its location close to the sea. “We didn’t want to be predictable and name the bedrooms after local beaches, so instead we have named them after fairground sweets: rhubarb and custard, honeycomb, marshmallow, bonbon, toffee apple and popcorn."
Michelin star and other awards
Paul had long been hoping for a Michelin star, and his wish came true when it was announced in 2012 that the restaurant would be granted the accolade in the 2013 guide. The restaurant has also been included in many ratings of Britain’s best places to eat, such as The Sunday Times’ list and The National Restaurant Awards. The restaurant currently sits at number 32 in Waitrose’s Good Food Guide top 50 restaurants of 2018 list.
Rojano’s
In May 2010 Paul teamed up again with Mapp to open another restaurant in Padstow. Next to the harbour in Padstow, Rojano’s, is an Italian restaurant in an 18th century building. The restaurant closed for refurbishment after six months and the following year it was relaunched as Rojano’s in the Square, with the new name alluding to both the address of the building and Gary Rhodes’ restaurant where he learnt his trade.
Great British Menu
Paul appeared on series six of BBC2’s Great British Menu, winning his heat and then having his dessert dish chosen to appear on the final winning menu.
The Staff Canteen team are taking a different approach to keeping our website independent and delivering content free from commercial influence. Our Editorial team have a critical role to play in informing and supporting our audience in a balanced way. We would never put up a paywall – The Staff Canteen is open to all and we want to keep bringing you the content you want; more from younger chefs, more on mental health, more tips and industry knowledge, more recipes and more videos. We need your support right now, more than ever, to keep The Staff Canteen active. Without your financial contributions this would not be possible.
Over the last 16 years, The Staff Canteen has built what has become the go-to platform for chefs and hospitality professionals. As members and visitors, your daily support has made The Staff Canteen what it is today. Our features and videos from the world’s biggest name chefs are something we are proud of. We have over 560,000 followers across Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube and other social channels, each connecting with chefs across the world. Our editorial and social media team are creating and delivering engaging content every day, to support you and the whole sector - we want to do more for you.
A single coffee is more than £2, a beer is £4.50 and a large glass of wine can be £6 or more.
Support The Staff Canteen from as little as £1 today. Thank you.
