How Gordon Ramsay’s cuisine is taking over the world
After nearly a decade off the screen, Kitchen Nightmares is back with a host of struggling restaurateurs lining up to get their fill of Gordon Ramsay’s service. Arguably the chef’s most popular TV show, Kitchen Nightmares debuted in 2004 and ran for six seasons in the UK and seven in the US, until the 56-year-old retired in 2014. At the time, he said he became frustrated seeing the business owners he helped on the show repeat their old mistakes instead of following his advice. However, time has apparently healed his wounds, and the new series will air on FOX in the US at 8pm every Monday, although there is currently no international premiere date.
Fans will be happy to know that the new series doesn’t stray too far from the original Kitchen Nightmares format, in which the hot-tempered celebrity chef visits struggling restaurants to figure out what’s wrong (usually unsanitary refrigerators and lazy or inexperienced staff). Gordon and his team have a week to turn the restaurant around, and his ambitious but harsh approach often leads to extremely heated confrontations with the owners and kitchen staff — with plenty of flowery language along the way, of course.
The season eight premiere starts with a bang as Gordon pulls up a stool at the Bel Aire Diner in Astoria, New York, a busy but struggling spot with a huge menu, chaotic kitchen, and plenty of family drama. In shocking scenes, the chef was so horrified by what he found in the kitchen that he appeared to vomit on camera, calling the restaurant a ‘death trap’ and ordering all the diners to stop eating and leave. Fortunately, after Ramsay approved a new menu and a makeover, the Bel Aire Diner is thriving and social media posts show that the owners are clearly enjoying the fame the show has brought them.
Gordon Ramsay, once the spoiled child of the restaurant world, is one of the world’s most successful celebrity chefs. A television personality, author, marathon runner and restaurateur, he is above all a brilliant chef with a long-standing presence – even if his talent is sometimes overshadowed by his fiery temper and foul language. Read on to discover how he conquered the world, one restaurant at a time.
Born in Scotland on 8 November 1966, Gordon had a “hopelessly wandering” childhood, according to his autobiography Humble Pie, abused by his father, an alcoholic philanderer. Gordon initially wanted to be a professional footballer but his promising career was ended by injury. It was this disappointment that motivated him; he returned to university to study hotel management and has since claimed that “without that disappointment… I wouldn’t be the chef I am today”.
In 1988, after completing his training and trying his hand at a few chef jobs, Gordon went to Harveys, then London’s most famous restaurant and holder of two Michelin stars. His talent blossomed under the tutelage of the brilliant but erratic Marco Pierre White (pictured). Ironically, Gordon – a famously hot-tempered chef – is said to have quit after nearly three years because of the rages he regularly witnessed.
After a stint at the iconic Le Gavroche restaurant under Albert Roux (pictured, left), Gordon moved to France – he speaks fluent French – where he worked for legendary chefs and multiple Michelin stars Joël Robuchon and Guy Savoy (whom he considers his culinary mentor). Marco Pierre White, his father-in-law Chris Hutcheson and Scottish football manager Jock Wallace are also cited as important influences in his life.
Back in London, Gordon worked as head chef at Pierre Koffman’s La Tante Claire and the Michelin-starred Aubergine, before launching his first solo venture – Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, pictured – in 1998, aged just 31. By 2001, the restaurant had been awarded three Michelin stars, making him the first Scottish chef to earn that prestigious title. The restaurant still holds those stars to this day and is considered one of London’s finest restaurants.
Tucked away on a quiet street in Chelsea, central London, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay remains the jewel in the crown of this massive chef’s empire, despite its small and relatively modest dining room. In 2023, Gordon released Restaurant Gordon Ramsay: A Story of Excellence, giving readers a behind-the-scenes look at the venue and detailing his ever-evolving journey to culinary perfection, as well as providing recipes for 40 dishes
