Previously, I’ve talked some chefs who have stepped into the limelight while wearing their chef jackets, such as Julia Child or Emeril Lagasse III. This week, the chef walked away from his jersey, put on a chef jacket, then stepped into the camera. Many people recognize his controversial personality immediately. I’m talking about Gordon Ramsay.
Ramsay became a professional soccer player (to us on this side of the Atlantic, football player to those on the other side) at age 15, playing for the Glasgow Rangers in Scotland. Three years later, in 1985, Ramsay suffered a knee injury, halting his athletic career in its tracks.
After his injury, Ramsay hit the books and received a degree in Hotel Management in 1987. From there, he worked under top chefs in London, expanding his experience and expertise. Six years after receiving his degree, Ramsay accepted the Head Chef position at Aubergine, a new restaurant in London. He received a two-star rating from the “culinary police” also known as Michelin. (Not the marshmallow tire guy, Michelin are the guys who review restaurants like Anton Ego from Pixar’s Ratatouille).
Nearly a decade later, Ramsay, at last, spread his culinary wings and opened his first restaurant, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in 1988. There he one-upped Aubergine with a three-star review from Michelin. Ramsay continued expanding his restaurants to five out of seven continents (South America and Antarctica excluded).
You’re probably wondering by now when Gordon Ramsay shows up on TV (or the tele if, again, you’re across the ocean). Well, his TV career starts in 1996, with BBC’s show MasterChef. Ramsay followed his television debut with a mini-series about opening his first restaurant.
In 2004, Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares flipped failing restaurants, and Hell’s Kitchen debuted as a celebrity TV show with Ramsay as the host. The next year, Ramsay brought his cameras across The Pond. American versions of Hell’s Kitchen, Kitchen Nightmares, MasterChef and MasterChef Junior launched.
Ramsay has also written over 20 cookbooks, in addition to keeping up his celebrity appearance and managing his restaurants around the world.
In 2016, the YouTube channel Epic Rap Battles (ERB) added a battle between Gordon Ramsay and Julia Child to their list. The video is down below.
(Trigger warning: lots of swearing)