Gordon Ramsay
Gordon James Ramsay OBE (/ˈræmzi/; born 8 November 1966) is a British celebrity chef, restaurateur, television presenter, and writer. His restaurant group, Gordon Ramsay Restaurants, was founded in 1997 and has been awarded 17 Michelin stars overall and currently holds eight.[2][3][4][5] His signature restaurant, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in Chelsea, London, has held three Michelin stars since 2001.[6] After rising to fame on the British television miniseries Boiling Point in 1999, Ramsay became one of the best-known and most influential chefs in the world.[7][8]
For other people named Gordon Ramsay, see Gordon Ramsay (disambiguation).
Gordon Ramsay
European
Ramsay's TV persona is defined by his fiery temper, aggressive behaviour, strict demeanour, and frequent use of profanity, while making blunt, critical, and controversial comments, including insults and sardonic wisecracks about contestants and their cooking abilities. He combines activities in the television, film, hospitality and food industries, and has promoted and hired various chefs who have apprenticed under his wing. He is known for presenting television programmes about competitive cookery and food, such as the British series Hell's Kitchen (2004), Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares (2004–2009, 2014), and The F Word (2005–2010), with Kitchen Nightmares winning the 2005 British Academy Television Award for Best Feature, and the American versions of Hell's Kitchen (2005–present), Kitchen Nightmares (2007–present), MasterChef (2010–present), and MasterChef Junior (2013–present), as well as Hotel Hell (2012–2016), Gordon Behind Bars (2012), Gordon Ramsay's 24 Hours to Hell and Back (2018–2020), and Next Level Chef (2022–present).
Ramsay was appointed an OBE by Queen Elizabeth II in the 2006 New Year Honours list for services to the hospitality industry. He was named the top chef in the UK at the 2000 Catey Awards, and in July 2006 he won the Catey for Independent Restaurateur of the Year, becoming the third person to win three Catey Awards. Forbes listed his 2020 earnings at US $70 million and ranked him at No.19 on its list of the highest-earning celebrities.[9]
Early life
Gordon James Ramsay was born in Johnstone, Scotland, on 8 November 1966,[10][11] the son of Helen (née Cosgrove), a nurse,[12][13] and Gordon James Sr., who worked as a swimming pool manager, welder, and shopkeeper.[12] He has an older sister, a younger brother,[14] and a younger sister. When he was nine years old, he moved with his family to England and grew up in the Bishopton area of Stratford-upon-Avon.[11] He has described his early life as "hopelessly itinerant" and said his family moved constantly owing to the aspirations and failures of his father, who was an occasionally violent alcoholic; Ramsay described him as a "hard-drinking womaniser".[12] In his autobiography, he revealed that his father abused and neglected the children.[13][15] He worked as a pot washer in a local Indian restaurant where his sister was a waitress.[16] He had hoped to become a footballer and was first chosen to play under-14 football at the age of 12, but his early footballing career was marked by injuries; after a serious knee injury, he was forced to give it up.[13] At the age of 16, he moved out of the family home and into an apartment in Banbury.[17]
Early cooking career
Ramsay's interest in cooking began in his teenage years; rather than be known as "the football player with the gammy knee",[13] he decided to pay more serious attention to his culinary education at age 19. Ramsay enrolled at North Oxfordshire Technical College, sponsored by the Rotarians, to study hotel management. He described his decision to enter catering college as "a complete accident".[18]
In the mid-1980s, Ramsay worked as a commis chef at the Wroxton House Hotel. He ran the kitchen and 60-seat dining room at the Wickham Arms until he quit after having sex with the owner's wife.[19] Ramsay then moved to London, where he worked in a series of restaurants until being inspired to work for Marco Pierre White at Harveys.[13]
After working at Harveys for two years and ten months, Ramsay, tired of "the rages and the bullying and violence", decided that the way to further advance his career was to study French cuisine. White discouraged Ramsay from taking a job in Paris, instead encouraging him to work for Albert Roux at Le Gavroche in Mayfair. Ramsay decided to take his advice, and there, Ramsay met Jean-Claude Breton, who later became his maître d'hôtel at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay. After Ramsay worked at Le Gavroche for a year, Roux invited him to work with him at Hotel Diva, a ski resort in the French Alps, as his number two. From there, a 23-year-old Ramsay moved to Paris to work with Guy Savoy and Joël Robuchon, both Michelin-starred chefs. He continued his training in France for three years, before giving in to the physical and mental stress of the kitchens and taking a year to work as a personal chef on the private yacht Idlewild, based in Bermuda.[13] The role on the boat saw him travel to Sicily and Sardinia, Italy, and learn about Italian cuisine.[20]
Awards
Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, located at Royal Hospital Road, London, was voted Top Restaurant in the UK in the London Zagat Survey in 2001 and was awarded its third Michelin star.[34]
He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in the 2006 New Year Honours list for services to the hospitality industry, but almost missed the award ceremony when his plane was delayed.[35]
In July 2006, Ramsay won the Catey award for "Independent Restaurateur of the Year", becoming only the third person to have won three Catey awards. Ramsay's two previous Catey awards were in 1995 (Newcomer of the Year) and 2000 (Chef of the Year). The other two triple-winners are Michel Roux and Jacquie Pern.[36] In September 2006, he was named as the most influential person in the UK hospitality industry in the annual Caterersearch 100 list, published by Caterer and Hotelkeeper magazine. He overtook Jamie Oliver, who had been top of the list in 2005.[37] Also in 2006, Ramsay was nominated as a candidate for Rector of the University of St Andrews, but lost at the polls to Simon Pepper.[38]
Ramsay's flagship restaurant, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, was voted London's top restaurant in Harden's for eight years, but in 2008 was placed below Pétrus, a restaurant run by former protégé Marcus Wareing.[39] In January 2013, Ramsay was inducted into the Culinary Hall of Fame.[40]
On 14 June 2017, Ramsay set a new Guinness World Record for the 'Fastest time to fillet a 10 lb fish', achieving the record in one minute and five seconds.[41] On 16 August 2017, Ramsay set a 'Guinness World Record for the Longest Pasta Sheet Rolled in 60 Seconds', which measured 1.45 metres.[42] In June 2022, he was recognised by the International Hospitality Institute as one of the 100 Most Powerful People in Global Hospitality.[43][44] On 11 May 2023, Ramsay along with Nick DiGiovanni set the Guinness World Record for largest Beef Wellington. It came in at a weight of 25.76 kg (56.79 lb).[45] It also measured 2 ft 5 inches long by 13 inches wide and 8 inches tall.[45]
Gordon Ramsay Holdings
All of Ramsay's business interests (restaurants, media, consultancy) are held in the company Gordon Ramsay Holdings Limited, which was run in partnership with his father-in-law, Chris Hutcheson, and incorporated on 29 October 1997.[46] Ramsay owns a 69% stake, valued at £67 million in 2007.[47] Whereas previous ventures acted as a combined consultant/brand, in November 2006 Ramsay announced plans to create three restaurants in the United States. These opened in 2006/2007 at the London Hotel in Manhattan, in October 2006,[27] the Cielo in Boca Raton, Florida, and at the London Hotel in West Hollywood, California. Ramsay acts as a consultant to numerous catering organisations. In 2005 he was recruited by Singapore Airlines as one of its "International Culinary Panel" consultants.[48]
In late 2006, Gordon Ramsay Holdings purchased three London pubs, which were converted into gastropubs. These are: The Narrow in Limehouse, which opened in March 2007, the Devonshire in Chiswick, which opened in October 2007 and The Warrington in Maida Vale, which opened in February 2008. Both The Devonshire and The Warrington were sold in 2011.[49]
In May 2008, it was confirmed that Ramsay's protege of 15 years, Marcus Wareing, was going solo, having opened and operated Pétrus at The Berkeley Hotel on behalf of Gordon Ramsay Holdings since 2003.[50] With the name Pétrus owned by Gordon Ramsay Holdings, industry sources suggested it was likely to transfer to another restaurant in the group with the former La Noisette site identified as the most likely.[51] In April 2010, Jason Atherton, executive chef of Maze restaurants worldwide, resigned to open his own venue in Mayfair.[52]
On 19 October 2010, the company Gordon Ramsay Holdings Limited announced that Chris Hutcheson had left his position as CEO. Shortly afterwards, Ramsay released a letter to the press describing how he had unravelled the "manipulative" Hutcheson's "complex life" after having had him followed by a private detective. His father-in-law's "away days," wrote Ramsay, "were rarely what I thought they were." Company accounts show Hutcheson borrowed up to £1.5 million from Gordon Ramsay Holdings, though Hutcheson says he reported the borrowings to the company and paid the money back. Hutcheson said he had been "vaporised" and subjected to a "public hanging" by Ramsay, whom he described as a friendless egotist.[53] In April 2017, Hutcheson pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to hack into the computers of Gordon Ramsay Holdings Limited.[54]
In October 2012, Ramsay opened The Fat Cow in Los Angeles at The Grove, a shopping area that is also popular with tourists.[55] Ramsay explained his intention for the Fat Cow in a press release to signify the opening of the venue: "The concept for The Fat Cow came from my desire to have a neighbourhood restaurant that you could go to all the time to just relax and enjoy a terrific meal."[56] The Fat Cow closed in 2014 amid legal issues.[57]
That year also saw the opening of Gordon Ramsay Steak in Las Vegas. The steakhouse concept has since expanded to other locations including the Horseshoe Casino Lake Charles, LA;[58] Atlantic City,[59] and Baltimore,[60] with an announced location due in Vancouver in 2024.[61]
In partnership with footballer David Beckham, Ramsay opened the Union Street Café in the Southwark district of London, UK in September 2013. The Italian cuisine of the Union Street Café, with a menu that revolved on a daily basis, was overseen by Chef Davide Degiovanni.[62][63] The Union Street Café's location in Southwark was taken over in 2020–21 by two other Gordon Ramsay restaurants: Street Pizza, and Bread Street Kitchen & Bar.[63]
December 2012 saw the Las Vegas opening of Gordon Ramsay Burger (originally spelled BurGR, it was rebranded in 2017).[64] Other locations of the gourmet hamburger dining establishment would open up in the 2020s, Notably in Chicago,[65] Boston,[66] Seoul,[67] and at Harrods Department Store in London.[68]
In October 2013, the Gordon Ramsay at The London restaurant in New York lost its two Michelin stars owing to issues encountered by the Michelin reviewers. The guide's director Michael Ellis stated that he was served "some very erratic meals" and also experienced "issues with consistency." The loss followed the closure of another of Ramsay's restaurants, Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's, in June 2013.[69]
In January 2018, Ramsay opened his first location of Gordon Ramsay Hell's Kitchen restaurants, based on the television show. After that site opened on the Las Vegas Strip, six other locations have either been opened or announced, with one in Dubai and the others in the United States.[70]
17 April 2018, saw the opening of the Ramsay's first Street Pizza, situated in the downstairs area of his One New Change Bread Street Kitchen offering "bottomless" pizza.[71] The second "Street Pizza" was opened at the chef's York and Albany restaurant, with further locations opening elsewhere later on in London, Dubai, and the USA.[72]
On 26 June 2019, Chloe Sorvino from Forbes magazine reported that Ramsay had struck a $100 million deal with Lion Capital, a private equity firm headquartered in London. Together they formed a subsidiary of the Gordon Ramsay Restaurant group, with Ramsay and Lion each taking 50% ownership, naming it Gordon Ramsay North America (GRNA), and originally intended to open 100 restaurants in the USA by 2024.[73] Those plans were slowed down by the COVID-19 pandemic: in December 2021 GRNA CEO Norman Abdallah stated in a new interview that their updated strategy was to open 75 new company-owned locations across the United States between 2022 and 2026.[74]
On 24 March 2020, Ramsay laid off more than 500 staff in the UK after a number of Ramsay's restaurants had to close temporarily under the coronavirus lockdown.[75] Ramsay, whose personal net income was estimated to be US$63 million in 2019 by Forbes,[76] was criticised for the lay-offs.[77][78]
It was announced in 2019 that Ramsay would open his first restaurant in Macao, Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill, at the new The Londoner Macao hotel and casino (formerly the Sands Cotai Central).[79][80] As of 2022 the restaurant has not yet opened.[81]
3 December 2020, saw the opening of Ramsay's first Street Burger, in the St. Paul's area of London.[63] Designed to be a more casual experience than the gourmet hamburger dining found at the USA-launched Gordon Ramsay Burgers chain, other Street Burger locations followed in London, Woking, Reading, and in the USA.
In March 2021, Ramsay launched his own brand of California wines; produced in collaboration with Master Sommelier Chris Miller and International Wine Expert Nick Dumergue at Seabold Cellars in Monterey, California.[82]
The Gordon Ramsay Academy, a cookery school, opened in Woking, Surrey, in September 2021.[83]
Public image
Personality
Ramsay's reputation is built upon his goal of culinary perfection, which is associated with winning three Michelin stars. His mentor, Marco Pierre White, noted that he is highly competitive.[119][120] Since the airing of Boiling Point, which followed Ramsay's quest of earning three Michelin stars, the chef has also become infamous for his fiery temper and use of expletives.[121] Ramsay once famously ejected food critic A. A. Gill, whose dining companion was Joan Collins, from his restaurant, leading Gill to state that "Ramsay is a wonderful chef, just a really second-rate human being."[25] Ramsay admitted in his autobiography that he did not mind if Gill insulted his food, but a personal insult he was not going to stand for. Ramsay has also had confrontations with his kitchen staff, including one incident that resulted in the pastry chef calling the police.[122] A 2005 interview reported Ramsay had retained 85% of his staff since 1993.[123] Ramsay attributes his management style to the influence of previous mentors, notably chefs Marco Pierre White and Guy Savoy, and his father-in-law, Chris Hutcheson.[124]
Ramsay's ferocious temper has contributed to his media appeal in both the United Kingdom and the United States, where his programmes are produced.[125][126] MSN Careers featured an article about television's worst bosses, which listed Ramsay as the only non-fictional boss. They cited his frequent loss of his temper and his harsh critiques, notably when he picks on something other than cooking ability, such as calling someone a "chunky monkey".[127]
Although Ramsay often mocks the French, one of his most trusted maîtres d'hôtel, Jean-Baptiste Requien (Royal Hospital Road), is French[128] and Ramsay also speaks fluent French from his time in Paris.[129] As of 2023, one of his final goals as a chef and restaurateur is to earn the third Michelin Star for Le Pressoir d'Argent, a French restaurant in France.[130]
In November 2007, Ramsay installed 29-year-old Clare Smyth as head chef at his three-Michelin-starred flagship restaurant on Royal Hospital Road.[131] Smyth is the second high-profile appointment of a female chef by Ramsay, after Angela Hartnett. Smyth was the first three-Michelin-starred woman; she moved on to start her own restaurant in 2017.
Ramsay has been criticised for his frequent use of strong language on his programmes, first by British celebrity cook Delia Smith,[132] then, in relation to Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares, by Australian Senator Cory Bernardi, who introduced a motion in the Senate to investigate broadcast standards as a result.[133] In his autobiography, Ramsay himself said he was unaware of the extent of his swearing until he watched an episode of Boiling Point. While he stated he did not have a problem with it, "Mum was appalled".
On 5 June 2009, Ramsay started trading insults with Australian A Current Affair journalist Tracy Grimshaw. The day after his interview, he was a guest feature at the Melbourne Food and Wine festival. While doing his display, he allegedly insulted Grimshaw and made insinuations about her sexuality. Grimshaw responded the next day, calling Ramsay an "arrogant, narcissist bully."[134][135] Ramsay eventually apologised, stating that his behaviour "was a joke".[136][137]
TV Guide included him in their 2013 list of The 60 Nastiest Villains of All Time.[138] Ramsay has also acted as a judge on MasterChef Junior since 2013; in contrast to his interaction with adults, Ramsay states that he takes a more sensitive attitude when working with the underage contestants.[139]
Food views
Ramsay has previously expressed a dislike for vegetarianism and veganism. In the first episode of the second series of Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares (2005), he offered pizza to a vegetarian and said it was vegetarian. After he took a bite, Ramsay said that it contained ham, laughing and asked if he wanted more. In 2003, when asked for his most recent lie, he said "To a table of vegetarians who had artichoke soup. I told them it was made with vegetable stock when it was chicken stock."[140][141] In a 2007 interview, he joked: "My biggest nightmare would be if the kids ever came up to me and said 'Dad, I'm a vegetarian.' Then I would sit them on the fence and electrocute them."[142] In 2016, when asked on Twitter whether he was allergic to anything, he wrote "Vegans" and followed up with: "It's a joke jack it's not vegans! It's vegetarians".[143]
In 2006, on the second series of The F Word, Ramsay showed a softened stance on vegetarianism after learning about intensive pig farming practices, including castration and tail docking, while letting two young family piglets live in an intensive farm. On the programme, Ramsay commented: "It's enough to make anyone turn fucking vegetarian, for God's sake. And I've always sort of knocked vegetarians and vegans for missing out on the most amazing flavour you can get from meat. But you can see why so many people change instantly".[144] In 2019, he launched a vegan menu at his restaurants for Veganuary,[145] and introduced more vegan items to his restaurants, such as a vegan roast.[146]
In 2022, on an episode of Master Chef: Back to Win, Ramsay said, "After all these years, I can finally admit, that I actually love vegan food."[147]
Other chefs
He was a head judge of MasterChef USA when Nick DiGiovanni came third place in season 10. On 11 May 2023, DiGiovanni, alongside Gordon Ramsay, broke the Guinness World Record for the largest beef wellington, which weighed 25.76 kilograms (56.79 pounds). This was DiGiovanni's 8th Guinness World Record and was broken in partnership with celebrity chefs: Max the Meat Guy, Guga Foods and The Golden Balance.[148]
Eating and exercising habits
Ramsay said in 2016 that he exercises semi competitively for his general well-being. He said he has seen overweight and unfit chefs collapse or become unable to move quickly around the kitchen. He often competes in Ironman events, marathons, and triathlons. He also eats very little per meal and prefers to graze throughout the day, partly due to the habit he built up as a judge and chef and also because of his busy schedule.[149][150] He has a black belt in karate.[151]
Ramsay told Joe Wicks that cycling has improved his physical and mental health, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.[152]
Since 1996, Ramsay has written 26 books. Ramsay also contributes a food-and-drink column to The Times' Saturday magazine.