Stein’s Stories: Sam

Meet Sam, Head Chef at Rick Stein, Sandbanks

Sam has been part of our team in Sandbanks since June 2016 and has worked his way up to Head Chef.

Born and raised just down the road in Poole, Sam has always had a keen interest in cooking from a young age. Picking up extra classes to learn more about cooking and taking part in a day release college course lit the spark in him to pursue a career in the kitchen.

At the age of 16, Sam moved from Poole to London to study catering and did a chef apprenticeship with Boodles Private Members’ Club in which he achieved a distinction. During his time, Sam gained his experience in the kitchen and continued working at Boodles before moving onto the Michelin-starred, Dorchester, working under Alain Ducasse. Sam was also part of the kitchen team as a chef de partie when Alain opened The Grill at the same hotel.

After many years gaining valuable experience working in the capital, the pull of home bought Sam to Poole which is when he joined our Sandbanks team as a demi chef de partie working under Head Chef at the time, Pete Murt. Sam worked his way through the ranks and in June 2022, he was made Head Chef.

When dining in our restaurants, Sam particularly enjoys the brill with truffles and hake with soy butter and spring onion mash. Every now and then, he’ll enjoy a glass of red, but his favourite will always be a pint of beer.

Outside of work, Sam is an avid gamer and also enjoys rock climbing. He and his partner are expecting their first child so this will very soon become his new passion.