Gordon Ramsay is an award winning chef with a nightmarish fetish for using the ‘F-word’. Now he's revving up for his latest Aussie project.
His fiery approach to food and training has earned him mixed reviews, and love him or hate him it seems everyone has an opinion on the sharp tongued chef.
TODAY spoke exclusively to Mr Ramsey from Sydney’s Good Food and Wine Show to find out what he’s up to on his trip down under.
Gordon Ramsay, 41 is an award-winning chef, best known internationally for his liberal use of certain profanities, in particular the ‘F-Word.’ Ramsay owns several award-winning restaurants throughout the UK, USA and Japan. He now also has three pubs in the UK and has published several cookbooks and two autobiographical books.
Ramsay is well-known for his fiery temper and straight-forward manner and has continually come under fire for his general continued use of profanities.
His television programs Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares and Hell's Kitchen enjoy a cult following in the UK, USA and Australia.
In an episode of Ramsay's Kitchen nightmares airing last week Ramsay used the F-word 80 times in one episode prompting a flooding of calls to Network bosses by outraged viewers.
In 2007 he was named 95th in the Forbes top 100 "World's most powerful celebrity" poll. He influence in Australia is evident through the discussion he has generated over TV regulation. In March, 2008 a Senate inquiry began on the use of the C-word and the F-word on television programs.
Mr Ramsay says he doesn’t realise he is swearing a lot of the time and believes his kitchen is similar to many other kitchens across the world.
“The reality is that as chefs we are working under immense pressure and constantly pushing boundaries,” he says. “It gets stressful; a lot of the time I don’t mean to swear it’s just that I work with muppets sometimes.”
As a young boy Ramsay had aspirations to be a football player but when his career was cut short through injury he focused his energy and passion onto making a career as a chef.
The self confessed perfectionist says he didn’t mean to take his frustrations out on cooking, he just wanted to be the best and as a result brings passion and intensity to what he does.
Ramsay says the hospitality industry is competitive and tough so people need to have drive, and commitment and be willing to work hard.
”I don’t believe in producing anything average and I’d rather work hard and take a few extra minutes to make the customers dish amazing,” he says.
whilst in Australia Ramsay will be working on his first Australian restaurant which is due to open in Melbourne’s Crown Complex this December. The opening of the signature restaurant will be documented by a new TV series which will air on Nine later in the year. He also hasn’t ruled out doing an Australian version of Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares.
“I’ve had a lot of requests to do an Australian version of the show, it’s an idea I take very seriously and very much looking forward to doing,” he says.
Mr Ramsay says he’s looking forward to enjoying some delicious meals while he’s in Australia.
“Australia is packed with fantastic restaurants and extraordinary foods as well as some truly brilliant chefs,” he says.
On the home front Ramsay shares the cooking duties with his wife Tana, who is also a well-known television cook. The couple have four children, Megan, Holly and Jack (twins) and Matilda.
Ramsay cooks the family meals on weekends whilst Tana feeds the troops on weeknights. The family also enjoy eating out together although Ramsay is cautious that his upfront approach way not be to everybody’s taste.
“Usually it takes a while for the food to come out and it’s either because the chefs done a runner or they’re sticking my meal through the dish washer for the third or fourth time,” Ramsay jokes.
