Our Secret List chat with Mick Smith, the culinary heart behind the acclaimed Porthminster Cafe in St Ives, a stunning beachfront restaurant he’s helmed for over 20 years.
Originally from Australia, Mick “stumbled across St Ives with a backpack” 24 years ago and never left, transforming from backpacker to respected restaurateur. His ocean-to-plate philosophy shines through his seafood-focused menu, complemented by ingredients from the restaurant’s own vegetable garden and foraged seaweeds from the surrounding coastline.
🦞 When we watched Mick’s cookery demonstration on the beach during the St Ives Food Festival, it was memorably interrupted by a local fisherman who arrived by boat directly onto the sand, delivering fresh shellfish straight to Mick mid-cooking demonstration – a perfect illustration of the immediate connection between ocean and plate that defines his cooking.
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