Ramsay family. Personal life of Gordon Ramsay

Gordon James Ramsay (born 1966) is a British chef and TV presenter known for his eccentricities, who became the first person from Scotland to receive three Michelin stars. Collectively, he earned 16 such stars. To the general public known as the host of a number of popular shows aired on the British television channels Ramsay's Kitchen Nighmares, Hell's Kitchen, The F-Word, as well as their overseas counterparts. He is the owner of many restaurants located in many countries, and the author of fifteen best-selling culinary books.

Childhood and youth

Gordon James Ramsay was born on November 8, 1966 in Johnstone, Scotland. large family. The future celebrity’s mother worked as a nurse, and her father was engaged in various activities, from working as a welder to owning a small business. In this regard, the family constantly changed places of residence, finally settling in the small town of Stratford-upon-Avon.

Like a true Briton, Ramsay was passionate about football and had good success, joining the Warwickshire youth team by the age of 12. All this brought to mind thoughts of a professional football career.

As soon as the young man turned 18, he was invited to a trial by the legendary Scottish club Glasgow Rangers, of which Ramsay himself was a fan. However, fate was willing to direct him along a different path, since during one of his first training sessions he received a serious meniscus injury, which put an end to football. Despite attempts to restore it, it was never possible to fully do it. Today Ramsay puts it this way: “That accident was the best event of my life.”.

But then he experienced deep disappointment, and more out of despair than consciously, he went to college to study managing a hotel and restaurant. Over time, it turned out that he liked this activity, and he completely devoted himself to studying cooking. Now he says: “Food has become the meaning of my life.” And the chef’s success, which was achieved largely thanks to passion, drive and hard work, confirms this.

First culinary experience

After receiving his diploma, Ramsay gets a job at the London restaurant "Harvey"S, which was led by Marco Pierre White. Two years later, Ramsay's career begins to develop upward, as evidenced by an invitation to the famous restaurant "Le Gavroche". This establishment was once the first in Foggy Albion three stars, however, lost one of them by the time Gordon arrived there. Here, the talented culinary specialist began studying the authentic with great diligence. French cuisine under the supervision of chef A. Roux. He invited him with him a year later to the Hotel Diva restaurant, located in the French Alps. For several years, the most experienced chefs ─ G. Savoy, J. Robuchon worked next to him. Ramsay then worked in Paris and on a private yacht in Bermuda.

Returning to his homeland, Gordon gets a job at the London restaurant “La Tante Claire”, located in the Chelsea area. The next step in Ramsay’s career ladder was helped by the same A. Roux, who invited him to work as a chef at the Aubergine restaurant. Over the four years of working there, Gordon and his team achieved the award of two Michelin stars to the establishment, but was unable to further develop their success. Due to disagreements with the owner, the hot-blooded Briton left the restaurant. Ramsay later recalled that it seemed difficult to decide on this step, but it opened the way for him to sail independently.

In 1988, he fulfilled a long-time dream and opened his first restaurant, Gordon Ramsay Royal Hospital Road, awarded three Michelin stars in 2001. Today, under this name there is a large restaurant holding, the market value exceeds 160 million dollars, and one of its owners is Ramsay himself (69% of the shares). At the same time, he launched another restaurant, Petrus, which later became scandalously famous for the fact that some bankers dined there, spending 44 thousand pounds on wine.

Serious success inspired the British to create the company Gordon Ramsay Holdings Limited in 2002, which was engaged in opening restaurants. The first establishments were created in Great Britain, and then began to appear in other countries. Now Ramsay’s culinary empire already includes several dozen restaurants that can be found in the most different corners planet - New York, Las Vegas, Doha, new establishments have recently been opened in Hong Kong and Singapore. The world-famous chef has so far avoided Russia. Main reason, according to him, lies in the lack of highly qualified chefs here.

However, Gordon has a definite connection to Russia. It was he who was responsible for organizing a business lunch during V. Putin’s first visit to Foggy Albion. Many years later, the chef was invited to the Channel One program “Evening Urgant”, which remains the only one on domestic television in which the famous restaurateur visited.

Participation in cooking shows

In 1998, Ramsay made his television debut in the documentary mini-series “Boiling Point”, then there was a little-known episode in one television show. The chef became widely known in 2004 when he appeared on television in the program “Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares.” In it, the presenter talked about possible problems that chefs can expect and suggested ways to overcome them. Around the same time, the legendary “Hell's Kitchen” appeared on the air. In the first season, Ramsay taught cooking lessons to various celebrities, the best of whom were lucky enough to open their own restaurant in London, albeit only for two weeks. Participants later competed for the opportunity to work with Ramsay.

In 2005, Gordon began hosting the television project The F-Word - a show about the benefits of healthy food with elements of competitions and interviews with guests. It is notable for its filming locations, which once took place in a real prison. In another episode, while filming in Iceland, Gordon fell from an 85-meter cliff directly into ice water and during the flight I even managed to say goodbye to my life, but everything turned out okay. He also appeared on British television's "Christmas with Gordon" and "Ramsay's Best Restaurant," and overseas served as a producer and judge on "America's Top Chef."

Life credo

He calls himself a passionate guy and does not hide the fact that he is not delighted with many things - shy restaurant guests, slow sommeliers, colleagues with big bellies and anyone who intends to make him an offer to come to a dinner party. The chef does not mince words and can call people who show unprofessionalism in the kitchen a harsh word. Gordon is used to giving his best in his shows, but he doesn’t like to watch them and never does.

Unlike many of his colleagues, Ramsay does not weigh one and a half centners. He is convinced that a chef has no right to be fat, and adheres to the Chinese nutritional philosophy, which involves eating multiple meals in small portions. In his work, the master relies on three main principles - perseverance, passion and dedication to his work. Of the many dishes, Ramsay singles out his favorite as a good steak with green salad. Gordon's restaurants only use natural products, which pass the minimum heat treatment. At the same time, the dishes always have a rich palette of flavors, in which the chef himself has few equals in the world. He is also impressed by the opportunity to play up familiar dishes in such a way that they become something extraordinary.

At his current age, Ramsay is in excellent shape, is actively involved in cycling and is a real competitor in muscle strength to his son Jack.

Writer's path

Surprisingly, despite being so busy, Ramsay still has time to literary activity. Perhaps because this business gives him no less pleasure than cooking. His first book, “Passion for Taste,” was published in 1996. Since then, over the course of ten years, he has written 14 works, including two autobiographies. All books instantly became bestsellers and were translated into many languages.

Personal life

Despite his eccentricity, in his personal life Gordon Ramsay remains a monogamist. He married quite late to teacher Kaitana Elizabeth Hutchenson. The beloved wife gave her husband four children, who, like their father, have experience television filming on the TV show The F-Word. “Family is very important to me,” says Gordon and cites a good family tradition- shared meals, which take place three times a week. He considers this very important for uniting households and even wrote a book about it, “Family Dinner on Sunday.”

One of the closest friends of the famous chef is the no less famous British football player D. Beckham. They have been friends for a long time and often spend time together, celebrating joint holidays.

Real name: Gordon James Ramsay

Height: 188

Date of birth: 08.11.1966

Children: Megan, Jack, Holly, Matilda

Marital status: Married to Cajetana Elizabeth Hutchenson

Gordon Ramsay was born in Scotland. His father constantly changed jobs, started a thousand times own business, but constantly “burned out”. The family moved frequently, but in 1976 the Ramsays settled in Shakespeare's birthplace, Stratford-upon-Avon. There Gordon became seriously interested in football. He was even invited to a professional team, but a complex meniscus injury put an end to his sports career.

After school, Ramsay, unexpectedly even for himself, entered college, where he studied hotel and restaurant management. There he became seriously interested in cooking, and after studying he moved to London and went to work at the prestigious Harvey’s restaurant. His first teacher was the famous chef, restaurateur and TV presenter Marco Pierre White, known for his expressive character.

In subsequent years, Ramsay worked in high-end restaurants in France and the UK and finally rose to the position of chef on a private yacht. A year later, he returned to England, where he raised the rating of the Aubergine restaurant to two Michelin stars, but due to disagreements with the management, he quit and took the entire team of cooks and service staff with him. At that moment, Ramsay realized that he wanted to go into business.

In 1993, Gordon opened his first restaurant, Gordon Ramsay at Royal Hospital Road, which received three stars in 2001. Thus, Ramsay became the only British chef at that time to receive the highest Michelin rating. He later opened the Pétrus restaurant, famous for the fact that six bankers once drank £44,000 worth of wine there. By 2007, the establishment earned two stars.

Ramsay now has 10 restaurants in the UK (six of which have at least one Michelin star), 3 pubs and 12 restaurants outside the UK.

Since 1996, Gordon Ramsay began writing books in which he shared his recipes and general views on cooking with readers, and also wrote two autobiographies. Ramsay began working on television in 1998.

The chef’s greatest success came from the show “Hell’s Kitchen,” which appeared on the American Fox channel in 2005. The drama of the program lies in the fact that the heroes are fighting for the position of chef in an elite restaurant, while simultaneously undergoing various tests and being subjected to serious psychological pressure from Gordon Ramsay and other participants. Ramsay's colleagues claim that in real life he is not as rude and expressive as during the show. His “hot” temperament is just a way to keep the team “in line.” He adopted this style of communication from his teachers.

Since 1996, Gordon Ramsay has been married to schoolteacher Cayetana Elizabeth Hutchenson (her father is the manager of Gordon's restaurant empire). The couple has daughters Megan Jane and Matilda Elizabeth, and twins Jack Scott and Holly Anna.

This is interesting:

With a height of 188 cm, Gordon has very large feet: he wears size 50.5 shoes, made to order.

Ramsay believes that vegetarianism is a personal matter for everyone, but he himself categorically refuses to accept this ideology.

During Vladimir Putin's first official visit to the UK as President of the Russian Federation, Gordon Ramsay was the chef for a business dinner.

In 2008, Ramsay almost died while filming the show in Iceland. He fell off a cliff while trying to catch rare species dead ends. Gordon flew 85 meters and fell into the icy water, but found the strength to swim out and grab the rope that the crew members threw to him.

Gordon James Ramsay is an unsurpassed restaurateur and famous British chef, the terror of lazy chefs and the most scandalous star culinary show business. Ramsay, the owner of 13 Michelin stars and the main “expert” in French cuisine, cannot stand vegetarianism and runs the London Marathon. It was in the kitchen of his flagship restaurant, Gordon Ramsay in Chelsea, that Blair and Abramovich tested their culinary skills.

The attitude towards the master among fellow workers is far from unambiguous. Gordon Ramsay's indecent manners and the explosive nature of the eccentric Scot do not make him friends, but rather repel many who wanted to communicate with him. Unanimously recognizing his talent, his colleagues cannot come to terms with his rudeness and excessive straightforwardness and believe that this only harms his popularity.

But his fans don’t think so at all - viewers of Gordon Ramsay and his programs “Hell’s Kitchen”, “Kitchen Nightmares” and “The F-Word”. His style of cooking, appetizing comments at the same time, memorable movements and facial expressions attract the attention of the audience, and the usual swearing is perceived by them as nothing more than a piquant addition to the show.

“In England they are used to refueling rather than eating”

The famous Scot never and didn’t admit where he got this taste for good food? “In England they are used to not eating, but refueling, without considering the quality of the food,” he once put it not very flatteringly about his fellow tribesmen. While doing an internship in France, he saw that you can enjoy food and its nuances. Therefore, I set myself the task of teaching my compatriots to do this too.

Today, in his numerous interviews, the guru is very pleased that joint efforts are moving forward: in the UK, in recent years, restaurants of a new level have begun to appear, giving the British the opportunity to experience the taste of real food.

Moreover, they began to eat less: good food, according to Gordon Ramsay, like luxury wine, quickly brings pleasure and saturation. At the same time, he admits that his life has long been controlled by food, and it is built on food - both professionally and in terms of enjoying the process itself.

Instead of a soccer ball, a ladle

A native of the Scottish town of Johnstone, in 1976 at the age of 10 he moved with his family to Statford-upon-Avon, England. Gordon Ramsay's father is not a very successful businessman, his mother is a nurse. The family had four children. As a child and youth, he was seriously interested in football: he played in various age teams, and at the age of 18 he signed a contract with the Glasgow Rangers club. However, a leg injury ruined his entire football career.

He tried to join the Royal Navy and the police, but didn't have enough points. And yet it’s difficult to explain why a guy about one meter ninety tall, dreaming of football and unable to fit into size 50 shoes, chose the restaurant business.

Already while studying in college, he decides to seriously take up the chef's craft. During these years, the qualities that were formed in him under the influence of football manifest themselves: perseverance, determination, and the ability to work in a team. And let instead football field and in front of him now there was a kitchen stove and a sharp chef’s knife - the same success loomed ahead, leadership, which means there was something to strive for.

“Use your strengths and improve your weaknesses”

26 years later, the world-famous master will say: “There are only two paths in cooking - either you go with it and a little ahead of it, or you disappear into obscurity. The secret of success is to be imitated. If this doesn't happen, then you haven't succeeded. So use yours strengths and improve the weak.”
In his characteristically eccentric manner, this brawler admitted to reporters: “I cook a hell of a lot.” And he immediately added that without the constant pursuit of new ideas and constant cooking, he would never have become what he is now - the owner of three Michelin stars and a 69% stake in Gordon Ramsay Holdings Limited.

Working 15 hours a day, he demands dedication from his subordinates. He knows exactly what is going on at that moment in each of the restaurants of his holding - what is being cooked, whether the recipe is being followed. This became possible thanks to webcams installed above the cooks’ stoves, allowing online monitoring of the work of each of them.

Of course, his first job out of college, at Harvey's in London, didn't have webcams. Yes, there was no need for them: his boss Marco Pierre Uyata worked nearby. At that time, he was increasingly attracted to French cuisine - sophisticated, refined and so different from English. Having gained experience, two years later the guru moved to the famous Albert Roux at the no less famous three-star French restaurant Le Gavroche. And a year later she leaves with him for France to the fashionable resort restaurant Diva, which has just opened in the Alps.

Many years later, recalling his internship in France, he will say that he felt like an ugly boy among the French, acutely aware of his inferiority, this nation seemed so arrogant to him.

Gordon Ramsay's path to success.

When he returned to London four years later, he was already a mature master. He is immediately hired as a chef at La Tante Claire, and soon, at the invitation of the same Albert Roux, he moves to Aubergine. This is where Guru’s irrepressible nature comes into play: within three years of working at the restaurant, the young but talented chef raised its rating to two stars.

1996 Gordon is thirty. He is the owner of the fourth part of Aubergine. But this is not enough for him; he is ready to open his own restaurant. This year has generally become special for him: his first book, “Passion for Taste,” is published, he marries Cayetana Elizabeth Hutchenson, and soon leaves Aubergine. His authority among his subordinates turned out to be so great that the entire restaurant staff quit along with him - from cooks to waitresses.

But what about the usual role of a brawler and foul-mouthed person? He saves it for the camera. Peculiar marketing ploy for his numerous TV shows, and a very successful one at that. And then, in 1997, Aubergine was forced to close, the damage for three months of downtime was estimated at a million pounds sterling. So Gordon also had to sort out problems with his former partners.

Be that as it may, just six months later, in 1998, his first own restaurant, Gordon Ramsay at Royal Hospital Road, was opened on the site of La Tante Claire in Chelsea, and three years later, in 2001, it already had three stars.

Also in 2001, he founded Gordon Ramsay Holdings, which quickly expanded beyond the UK. Restaurants began to open 2-3 a year and already after short time became owners of Michelin stars. Today, Ramsay's restaurant empire has about 30 restaurants: 11 in the UK, not counting pubs, the rest outside - in Ireland, Italy, France, the UAE, the USA, and Canada. There are even in Japan and Australia.

This is confirmed by his numerous titles: He is the winner of three prestigious Catey awards: as best newcomer(1995), as the best chef (2000), as the best restaurateur (2006). In 2006, he became the most powerful person in the British hospitality industry, beating Oliver Jimmy. It remains to add to the above the Order of the British Empire, which was awarded to him in 2005 by Queen Elizabeth II herself. The Scot is no less famous as a writer. He wrote about 14 books, many of which were translated into Russian.

The secret of success: be different from everyone else

But the master would not have earned even half of the wild popularity that he has today from the restaurant business and books alone. He became “great and terrible” thanks to television. It all started with the documentary program “Boiling Point” in 1998. But real fame was brought to him by the TV shows "Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares", "Hell's Kitchen", "The F-Word". An excellent psychologist, he quickly realized that he needed to stand out in some way long row, in general, similar culinary shows - theme, demeanor. You need to become different from everyone else, and even better, shock the viewer.

Thus, the successful, memorable name of his program “The F Word” was based on the coincidence of the initial letters of the words fuck and food and the habit of its star host to swear with or without reason. The eccentric celebrity is so generous in his expressions that parents are strongly discouraged from watching his programs after nine in the evening, when censorship on the word fuck is lifted in Britain in the presence of their children.
His most popular show, “Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares” (2004), is a kind of investigation into the viability of culinary establishments. Ramsay takes one restaurant, does not leave its kitchen for a week, scrupulously studying the state of affairs, identifies problems and immediately sets about solving them. All this, of course, is accompanied on his part by impartial epithets addressed to the establishment itself, its management and staff. One can only imagine what it’s like to listen to all this on the shamed side. But, thanks to his experience and invested funds, in each case it is possible to rectify the situation.

In the end, everyone is happy The owners of the revived establishment solemnly promise not to lower the bar, but when after some time he visits the restaurant again, most often the same problems are evident. What infuriates the famous pro most of all is the reluctance of the owners and staff to change anything, their irresponsible attitude to work, and the inability to position themselves, which inevitably leads to ruin. But we must not forget that this is still a show - therefore, often, if the selected object does not have enough problems, they are simply invented by the star presenter. Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmare was a wild success and won a BAFTA award in 2004. In just three years, five seasons of the show were released. In 2007, it migrated to American television.

In his other famous reality show, Hell's Kitchen (2004), the bet is on survival: beginners and pros compete with each other in culinary battles. All this happens under conditions of severe psychological pressure (primarily from the guru himself) and the unthinkable physical stress. Those who give in to weakness are expelled with humiliation, and the strongest survive - both professionally and psychologically. The reward is a cash prize and a job as a chef in one of the prestigious restaurants owned by the devil. It is worth saying that among the newcomers there were many celebrities. The show is still breaking all popularity records. 9 seasons have already been released. In 2005, the American version of the show began airing.

The action of another one popular program The F-Word takes place in a real restaurant kitchen, where a famous chef invites a celebrity and competes with her in preparing dishes. Guests of the program determine which dish is more delicious. It happened that those invited won. The winning recipes were then used in Ramsay's restaurant.

About the dangers of show business and dad's cooking

His seemingly harmless shows are sometimes fraught with unforeseen dangers. So, “The F-Word” sometimes showed the entire process of preparing a dish - from the capture or raising of animals and birds, whose meat will be used for this dish.

During one of these filmings in Iceland in 2008, the famous Scot almost died. While hunting an Atlantic puffin, whose meat was supposed to be used in one of the episodes of the show, he fell off a cliff and fell into the icy water. In 45 seconds, while he was trying to float off his heavy clothes and shoes, he was already mentally saying goodbye to life.

But every cloud has a silver lining: this story with a happy ending had the most positive impact on the (already high) rating of the program. In the first seasons, children of culinary celebrities also took part in it. He has four of them: the eldest Megan is thirteen, the twins Jack and Holly are eleven, and Matilda is nine. Sometimes the star father films cooking videos right at home, in the kitchen, which he calls a laboratory, and Gordon's family helps him.

That's why his huge London house has two kitchens - the second is where his wife Tana cooks. And it’s not a fact that children like his cooking more than their mother’s. This was publicly stated in one of his videos, “Family Lunch on Sunday.” True, the children were very young and did not yet understand how lucky they were in life....

Good luck to you Ramsay in your culinary creativity

Gordon Ramsay is considered one of the most popular TV show hosts in England. His biography is worthy of study. Ramsay is known as the very first Scot to be awarded three Michelin stars. The latter represent the highest culinary award, guaranteeing inclusion of the establishment in the list of the Michelin guide to restaurants around the world. Gordon Ramsay hosts TV shows including Hell's TV Twins, Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares and The F-Word.

Michelin stars

This story began in 1900, when Andre Michelin first published a guidebook helping wealthy people with gastronomic preferences choose the right restaurant when traveling. The cover of the magazine was red, which is why it was later called the “Red Guide”. This is the most influential guide in European restaurant geography.

For a whole year, experts - real gourmets - travel incognito and evaluate all the restaurants they come across along the way. They are not interested in the service, not the interior, not the price-quality ratio, and not even the atmosphere, but only the cuisine. That is why the face of every restaurant is the chef; literally everything depends on him. Experts never warn about a visit; no one knows them either by face or from behind. The restaurant learns about their arrival after the fact. Repeat visits are possible. Particular attention is paid to those establishments that have already received stars, because they can easily be taken away.

Ratings

A restaurant is given a rating in the guidebook: one star means that the establishment is a must-visit if you are nearby. Two stars are worth changing your travel route and, even if it’s a considerable detour, to experience an almost ideal kitchen. This guide has no room for error, since it has an impeccable reputation. It also mentions those restaurants that have not received distinctions, but are worthy of visiting.

But three stars are given to an establishment for which rich people plan a trip to the country specifically. This means that the wine, cuisine, service, ambience and even the bill will be at a world-class, exceptional level. They don’t just go to three-star hotels; you can get there only by making an appointment in advance - a month or even two in advance. So Gordon Ramsay's restaurants got three How did he achieve this?

The beginning of the journey

The Scottish town of Johnston became the birthplace of a new gastronomy star - Gordon Ramsay. His biography began with his father’s endless unsuccessful commercial endeavors, so the moves were constant, and only in 1976 the family managed to settle down in Stratford-upon-Avon. Gordon was also unlucky with the field he chose in childhood - football, although everything started more than well. Young Gordon Ramsay, whose biography as an athlete began at the Warwickshire football club and continued at the age of eighteen with an invitation to the Ranger club, injured his knee so badly that sports career it was over. It was a shame, but we had to somehow move on with our lives, even without football.

Gordon Ramsay was fascinated by the college studying hotels and restaurants, although he was chosen spontaneously: he had to study somewhere if sports were closed. young man for a long time I hoped that this would not be permanent, but a damaged meniscus usually cannot be treated or restored. Despite his sporting hopes, cooking captivated him more and more. And after graduating from college, Gordon Ramsay gets his first job in London. The restaurant where the future ace of gastronomy began his career is quite prestigious, which means he was finally lucky. This establishment was run by Marco Pierre White, and the restaurant was called Harvey’s.

French cuisine

Gordon Ramsay worked at Harvey for about three years, then decided to study haute cuisine and got a job at the only three-star restaurant in England - Le Gavroche, which at that time was deprived of one star. There, his knowledge of French cuisine was improved by studying with the famous hereditary chef Albert Roux.

The teacher liked Gordon Ramsay, whose biography as a high master was just beginning, so much that a year later, leaving Le Gavroche, he invited the student to come with him to the French Alps to work in the fashionable Hotel Diva restaurant.

Then, already in Paris, he was lucky enough to be in the same kitchen with real culinary celebrities - Guy Savoy and Joël Robuchon. Three years flew by like an arrow, and then Gordon Ramsay completed his training. His biography as a culinary luminary was just beginning. He was invited to a private yacht for the first time as a chef.

Chief

After spending a year sailing in Bermuda, Ramsay returned to London to take up the position of chef at La Tante Claire in Chelsea. However, Albert Roux did not leave his ward alone; he invited Ramsay to Aubergine, when this “Eggplant” was still named Rossmore. Roux was a good judge of people: in four years, his former student managed to raise the restaurant’s rating so much that he was awarded two Michelin stars. Ramsay acquired a quarter of all the shares of this establishment, but was forced to leave the restaurant due to a conflict with the rest of their holders. All the kitchen staff and all the wait staff left with Ramsay. An unprecedented case.

It was a difficult decision, but that's when a new entrepreneur appeared - Gordon Ramsay. The biography (and his family was only happy about this turn of events) was getting closer and closer to the story of an enterprising man. A lawsuit was launched against the fugitive with a claim for a million pounds, since such a mass departure of workers was fatal for the restaurant. It closed for three months because the staff was completely absent. Subsequently, this entire legal battle was hushed up, the parties parted amicably, and the details were not disclosed.

Master

Over the three years of the existence of his own restaurant, opened in 1998, Ramsay received three Michelin stars. He was the only British three-star chef at that time, and as a Scot, the only one at all. A little later, he opened a second restaurant, Petrus, whose fame, although somewhat scandalous (forty-four thousand pounds for dinner wine!), however, he got a Michelin star almost immediately - less than a year later, and a few years later there were two.

Next you can observe rapid growth Ramsay's empire. Now he runs ten restaurants in England alone, six of which have Michelin stars, three pubs and another twelve restaurants located outside the UK. Gordon Ramsay Holdings Limited is worth approximately one hundred and sixty-three million dollars, almost seventy percent owned by Ramsay himself.

Writer

Without leaving the stove, the ace chef began to take notes on his actions. In 1996, his first book, “Passion for Taste,” was published, which, unfortunately, has not yet been translated into Russian in its official version. He liked writing books. By 2007, fourteen of them had already been published, including two autobiographical ones - “Resentment” and “Hands Up”. The latter instantly became bestsellers far beyond England. And in 2006, Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain herself awarded Ramsay

TV star

Ramsay began acting on television in 1998. It was a series of television sketches about restaurant life. The debut, “Boiling Point,” was a success, so a sequel was released, “After Boiling Point.” But it was television shows that brought him truly world fame and crowds of fans who had nothing to do with professional cooking. In “Hell's Kitchen” and “Kitchen Nightmares” there was no documentary; these turned out to be truly real show programs, bright and lively.

"Kitchen Nightmares"

This program began on British television's Channel 4 in 2004. The action is as follows: at the beginning of “Nightmares,” Ramsay comes to one of the restaurants, which is suffering financial collapse and is therefore on the verge of closing. Within a week, he finds and tries to solve all the problems of this establishment. He acts strictly alone, except that designers sometimes help change the restaurant interior. Five seasons of this show have already been released.

American producers liked Ramsay's work, and new version television show set primarily in New Jersey. There, after a while, Ramsay checked how things were going in the restaurants he had “fixed.” In addition, the Americans traditionally added spice to the plot, where at times heartbreaking conflicts arose, but with aggravations they now began to always occur. The American version is more generously financed, the interiors of the restaurants participating in the show are changed beyond recognition.

The F-Word

This show is British. Ramsay has been highly regarded as a wit since 2005. Here we are also talking about food, but there is no concentration on the standards of haute cuisine. Rather, it's the other way around. Ramsay is trying to prove to the viewer that healthy and tasty food is prepared without any special investments - financial, time and physical. This series has already completed five seasons. Gordon Ramsay's recipes printed in Russian are popular here, all of them are mainly from this show. True, the translations were made by the needlewomen themselves, so there is no particular faith in them. Often, for example, there are recipes with clarifications: “Meatballs with pasta: three tablespoons of small bread crumbs, a little milk (?), four hundred grams of minced beef (I have pork), a little basil (I have dill)…”

Surely many in our country are looking forward to the original recipe book. And not only everyday ones, but also truly high, festive ones. People in Russia are also interested in the biography of Gordon Ramsay, his personal life and, of course, all his culinary achievements.

"Hell's Kitchen" and "America's Best Chef"

“Hell's Kitchen” is an American reality show where Gordon Ramsay has produced fourteen seasons. This is one of the most popular programs due to the intensity of passions and dramatization of the plot. Participants compete for the position of chef in one of the famous restaurants.

The culinary-oriented reality show is also the brainchild of the Fox channel; it has been released not so long ago, since 2011, but it is very popular in the world. Here, amateur cooks compete not only for the title of chef, but also for a cash prize and the publication of their own book of culinary recipes.

Personal life

Gordon Ramsay, at the very beginning of his career, was forced to leave the restaurant because of an affair with the owner’s wife, but this does not count. He got married in 1996 and is still happy. His betrothed was a schoolteacher, and her father runs the entire family's restaurant empire. Gordon's chosen one is Cayetana Elizabeth. She gave birth to four little Ramsays: Megan in 1998, Jack and Holly in 2000, and Matilda in 2002. From an early age, children actively participate in television shows, that is, with their help, what Gordon Ramsay started - a biography and his family - continues. The photo below demonstrates this perfectly.

Only one known best friend is the chef from Ramsay's restaurant, Marcus Waring, who is at the head of Petrus. His career path was very similar, and while Ramsay and Waring found each other, the latter managed to work with the same chefs. And probably a similar biography, according to Gordon Ramsay, played a big role in this friendship.

• In total, Gordon earned sixteen Michelin stars. Only a very few French chefs can boast of this achievement.
• Gordon has a very cool character - he is straightforward and quick-tempered, but there is no staff turnover in his holding.
• Ramsay does not accept vegetarianism as a concept.
• The famous chef fed V.V. Putin a business lunch during his first official visit to the UK.
• Ramsay fell off a cliff during filming, but after flying from a great height and falling into icy water, he managed to swim out on his own.
• "Evening Urgant" is the only Russian program where Gordon Ramsay was a guest.

Gordon James Ramsay(English) Gordon James Ramsay; 8 November 1966) is a British chef of Scottish origin, known as the first Scot to be awarded three Michelin stars. Popular host of British TV shows The F-Word, Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares and Hell's Kitchen, as well as their American TV twins.

Childhood and youth

Born in the Scottish town of Johnstone, however, due to his father's vigorous (and unsuccessful) business activities, he spent his childhood constantly moving until the family finally settled in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1976. He was seriously interested in football and at the age of 12 he began playing for the Warwickshire city team in the “boys under 14” category. At the age of 18, he received an invitation to play for the Rangers club, however, a subsequent injury to the meniscus of his left leg put an end to future career football player.

Chef career

After graduating from school, Ramsay makes a spontaneous decision to enroll in a college that teaches hotel and restaurant management. When it becomes clear that a leg injury is incompatible with a sports career, Gordon begins to become increasingly involved in cooking. After graduating from college, he moves to London and gets his first job in a prestigious restaurant. Harvey's"under the direction of Marco Pierre White (eng. Marco Pierre White).

Discipleship

Two years later, Ramsay moves to the famous " Le Gavroche", the first three-star restaurant in the UK (at that time already deprived of the third star), where he improves the skills of classical French cuisine under the hereditary chef Albert Roux. A year later, Ru decides to leave " Le Gavroche" and calls Gordon with him to " Hotel Diva", a new luxury resort restaurant in the French Alps. After some time, Gordon moved to Paris, where he worked with such famous chefs as Guy Savoy (French. Guy Savoy) and Joël Robuchon (fr. Joel Robuchon) for 3 years. Completing his training, Ramsay accepts an offer to work as a chef on a private yacht.

Chef

After a year-long "sailing" holiday in Bermuda, Ramsay returns to London and gets a job as chief of " La Tante Claire", Chelsea. However, soon an invitation comes from former mentor Albert Roux to take the place of chief in “ Aubergine"(then still called " Rossmore"). Ramsay takes over new job and during four years raises the restaurant's rating to two Michelin stars. But due to disagreements with the other owners (at that time Ramsay owned 25% of the restaurant’s shares), he leaves “ Aubergine", the service staff and the kitchen leave with him in full force. According to Ramsay, this decision was one of the most difficult in his career, however, it became the birth of Ramsay as an entrepreneur. Ramsay was subsequently sued for £1 million in damages after the restaurant was forced to close for three months due to lack of staff. The legal battle was resolved amicably, however, the details were never made public.

Entrepreneur

In 1998, Ramsay opened his first own restaurant. Gordon Ramsay at Royal Hospital Road”, which received three stars in 2001, making Ramsay the only British chef with the highest Michelin rating at the time and the only three-star Scottish chef at all. In the same year he opens " Petrus"as a chief patron (fr. Chef Patron), famous in Britain for the “wine” episode with bankers who spent 44 thousand pounds on wine for a dinner of six people. Despite the slightly scandalous aftertaste of fame, " Petrus"earns a Michelin star even before his first birthday, and in 2007 receives a second one.

At the beginning of the 21st century, Ramsay's restaurant empire is growing rapidly, at the moment it includes 10 restaurants in the UK, 6 of which have at least one star, 3 pubs and 12 restaurants outside the UK. Approximate cost Gordon Ramsay Holdings Limited is $163 million, 69% of which belongs to Ramsay himself.

Journalism

In 1996, Ramsay's first book, entitled " Passion for Flavor"(which has never been officially translated into Russian), the title of which can be translated as "Passion for Taste." She was followed by " Passion for Seafood», « A Chef for all Seasons», « Just Desserts" And " Secrets", in which Gordon shared his recipes and general views on cooking. As of November 2007, Gordon Ramsay has published 14 books, including 2 autobiographies: “ Humble Pie" And " Playing With Fire».

Television career

In 1998, Ramsay made his television debut called Boiling Point. Boiling Point), which was a series of television essays about the role of the restaurant in his life. After a certain success of the miniseries, its second part was released: “After the Boiling Point” (eng. Beyond Boiling Point). However real success and fame among a wide audience not interested in cooking at a professional level, two television shows brought Gordon - Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares ( English) and Hell's Kitchen, which, unlike Boiling Points, are just shows and not documentary series.

Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares

The television show started in 2004 on Channel 4 of British television. Loosely translated from English name can be translated as "Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares". In each show, Gordon visits a restaurant on the verge of financial collapse and, over the course of one week, tries to identify its problems. As a rule, he acts alone, with the exception of the help of designers who can decorate the restaurant's interior a little. Currently, five seasons of Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares have been released in full in the UK.

In 2007, the American version of the show began broadcasting on the Fox television channel. The concept of the show remained similar, the main differences were that the restaurants in the program were American (mainly from New Jersey), Gordon visited them again after some time (to see how things were going), as well as a significant dramatization of the plot, escalation conflicts (typical of Fox) and lavish spending on interior renovations not practiced in the British version. Based on the results of the ratings for September-October, a decision was made almost immediately to film the second season.

The F-Word

Main article: The F-Word (TV show)

Gordon Ramsay's famous cooking TV show, which has been on the British channel Channel 4 since 2005. Like other Ramsay TV shows, the main focus of the show is food, but there is no focus on Haute cuisine, as in many of Ramsay's other materials. The main idea of ​​the TV show: to prove to the viewer that preparing tasty and healthy food does not require a lot of time, energy or money. Currently, five seasons of the show have been released in full.

Hell's Kitchen

Main article: Hell's Kitchen (TV show, USA)

Gordon Ramsay's famous culinary reality show, which has been airing on the American Fox channel since 2005. Despite the culinary orientation of the show, it is distinguished by its high intensity of passions and significant dramatization of the plot. The theme of the show is a competition between participants for the position of chef in a famous restaurant. Currently, eleven seasons of the show have been completely released.

List of Gordon Ramsay restaurants

In the UK

• « Restaurant Gordon Ramsay» (three Michelin stars), London
• « Petrus» (two Michelin stars), Belgravia
• « Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's
• « The Boxwood Cafe", London
• « Maze» (one Michelin star), London
• « Maze Grill", London
• « Foxtrot Oscar", London
• « Gordon Ramsay's Plane Food» (Heathrow Airport, London)
• « Murano» (one Michelin star), London
• « York and Albany", London
• Union Street Cafe, London

Outside

• « Gordon Ramsay at The London» (two Michelin stars), New York, USA
• « The London Bar", New York, USA
• « Maze by Gordon Ramsay at The London", New York, USA
• « Gordon Ramsay at The London, West Hollywood» (one Michelin star), West Hollywood, Los Angeles, USA
• « Cielo by Angela Hartnett", Boca Raton, Florida, USA
• « Gordon Ramsay at Conrad Tokyo", Tokyo, Japan
• « Verre at the Hilton Dubai Creek", Dubai, United Arab Emirates - (Closed since October 2011)
• « Gordon Ramsay at Powerscourt", Dublin, Ireland
• « Gordon Ramsay au Trianon» (two Michelin stars), Versailles, France
• « La Veranda", Versailles, France
• « Gordon Ramsay at Castel Monastero", Tuscany, Italy
• « Gordon Ramsay at Forte Village", Sardinia, Italy
• « The Gordon Ramsay Doha", Doha, Qatar
• « Opal by Gordon Ramsay", Doha, Qatar
• "Gordon Ramsay Steak", hotel complex Paris Las Vegas, Las Vegas, USA

Pubs

• « La Noisette", London
• « The Narrow", London
• « The Devonshire", London

Interesting facts

• Gordon Ramsay has a total of 16 Michelin stars, an achievement that previously only French chefs could boast of. He currently holds 12 Michelin stars.
• Being a moderately tall man (187 cm), Ramsay is known for his disproportionately large feet (shoe size 50.5). Because of this, Gordon only wears custom-made shoes and does not like to dance in public.
• Despite his extremely hot-tempered and straightforward character, which has more than once led to conflicts, Ramsay is famous good attitude to his subordinates. From 1993 to 2005, only 15% of his subordinates left the holding for one reason or another.
• Ramsay is an outspoken opponent of the concept of vegetarianism, although he admits that being a vegetarian or not is a personal choice every person.
• During Vladimir Putin's first official visit to the UK as President of the Russian Federation, Gordon Ramsay was invited to serve as chef for a business lunch.
• Gordon's brother Ronald is a former heroin addict with multiple convictions for petty crimes.
• Due to his wide “fame” as a champion of non-literary vocabulary, one of Ramsay’s shows on British television was called "The F-word".
• In 2008, while filming another episode of the F-Word show in Iceland, Ramsay fell from the ledge of a cliff where he was catching a rare species of puffin. Having flown 85 meters and falling into icy water, Ramsay, by his own admission, was on the verge of life and death. However, he was able, albeit with difficulty, to swim out and grab the rope thrown to him by members of the film crew.
• Gordon Ramsay is left-handed.

Gordon Ramsay - quotes

The better the ingredients, the more difficult it is to work with them. This is where knowledge really comes in handy. Because it is important to preserve the taste of the product, and not distort it beyond recognition with various sauces and culinary hoaxes. Any fool can cook foie gras or flavor Italian pasta with white truffles. If I get a kilo of truffles for my mother and she adds them to potato casserole- this will be the best casserole in the world! Despite the fact that my mother, like my wife, does not know how to cook! Try to find good tomatoes or excellent green asparagus, this is really difficult.

All chefs are stubborn, selfish and think only of themselves. The boss must be an adventurer. After all, when you are first given people under your command, you don’t know what to do with them. Out of dozens of people in the kitchen, only one can be the best. It's akin to war. The kitchen is a crazy place where something is always boiling. Consider me boiling along with my food.

When I enter a restaurant, the first thing I notice is the atmosphere. This is the key to seeing everything correctly. But I pay no less attention to light - I think this is very important.

The vaunted globalization has led to the fact that everyone has forgotten about the key tenet of haute cuisine - seasonality. And here in winter they serve asparagus. In summer - venison and truffles. In autumn - strawberries. And so on. Everyone knows about lobsters, langoustines and other “masterpieces” of world cuisine. Moderate your ardor regarding trends already. Why can’t we focus on simple, topical products that will not only look good, but will also simply delight you with a clear taste.

A very good blender and non-stick pans are essential in your home kitchen. And, of course, a lot of fantastic knives. But what is more important for good cooking is that all products must be fresh and selected. Fresh and juicy meat, seasonal vegetables and herbs, for example. Using directly fresh ingredients will make a noticeable difference in the taste of the finished dish.