Paul Ainsworth discusses the chefs that taught him

Top Cornish chef Paul Ainsworth shares his love for Padstow, champions the unknown genius of Gary Rhodes and reveals how getting rid of the pomp helped his restaurant thrive in the recession

I learned my craft in London, but Padstow is where I really developed as a chef. A friend who knew the area well told me about a fantastic site, so I moved down with three mates in 2006 and opened it up, taking the role of head chef. Rick Stein had already put Padstow on the map, so we were trying to add to what he brought to the area. I eventually bought the business in 2009 and the restaurant became Paul Ainsworth at Number 6. This was unfortunately exactly when the recession hit, but that drove us to change how we were doing things, which ultimately made us a success. We did away with the tasting menus, canapés, topping up wine at tables and stripped everything back. That's continued right through to today.

Cornwall’s known for its seafood, but there's so much more that the county is brilliant for. If people want a real taste of the area, they should visit Philip Warren's farm shop on the A30. It's where we get our Cornish lamb, beef and pork – which is all fantastic – and the shop promotes and stocks produce from not just its own but all the best farms in the county. It's literally a 30 second detour off the road and I can't recommend it enough!

I can't see myself opening a restaurant anywhere else in the foreseeable future – for me, it's all about building on 'Fortress Padstow'. The lure of London doesn't appeal to me – all that time spent in a car or on a train is wasted, when down here I can be at work in seconds. Chefs like Tom Kerridge and Sat Bains are people who have stuck to a certain location and made it a success through sheer hard work, and that's what I'm doing. Padstow has changed massively in the eight years I've been here – when we first set up everyone came here for Rick Stein, and we were almost an afterthought, but now we've got our own following. We're not competing at all – Rick does what he does, Nathan Outlaw has his thing going on nearby and we have our own style too. We sort of complement one another, which works perfectly.

The one dish that sums up the food at Number 6 is the oysters. It's just a few ingredients that work together perfectly, and I'd never even think of taking it off the menu. We've got these amazing oysters right on our doorstep, but not everyone likes eating half a dozen of them raw as a starter. What we did was lightly fry them in a panko breadcrumb, top with a fennel and lime salad, then lay a thin slice of cured pork over each one. We serve them on a bed of stones from the beach and it's a real taste of Padstow. So many people who claim they don't like oysters try my dish and are instantly converted!

I worked under some great chefs, namely Gary Rhodes, Gordon Ramsay and Marcus Wareing. Gary was incredible. People don't realise how good he is – they saw the spiky haired guy on TV but in the kitchen he was like no one else. He was one of those rare chefs that don't just tinker with existing dishes but actually invent new ones. What Heston Blumenthal did for the triple cooked chip, Gary did for bread and butter pudding; everyone used to cook it in a boring, stodgy way like they'd had it at school, but he turned it into a luxury. Gordon Ramsay taught me discipline and respect, and his kitchen was where I really learned skills and worked with the best produce available. And Marcus was an incredible craftsman; everything was perfectly polished and refined, from the way the chefs looked to the way the dishes were presented.

Appearing in Great British Menu and winning a Michelin star had a monumental effect on both myself and the restaurant. After appearing on the show in 2011, where my dessert was chosen to be served at the final feast, it's felt like life hasn't slowed down since. The very next year we received our first Michelin star, which really changed everything. It was a massive boost for the business – Cornwall out of season can be a bit slow, but now we're listed in that guidebook, the kudos that comes with it is a huge help. For all the chefs I've ever worked for, it was the very highest praise, so it was incredible when we got one for Number 6.