Right up there as one of the world’s most recognised kitchen personalities, multi-Michelin-starred Chef Gordon Ramsay needs no introduction.
Thee past decade has seen the culinary world positively explode with a new generation of celebrity chefs and food enthusiasts, and no doubt, television chef Gordon Ramsay has plenty to account for in pioneering today’s fooddriven society. He’s the fiery television chef from a handful of the world’s most famous cooking series, including MasterChef, MasterChef Junior, Kitchen Nightmares and Hell’s Kitchen to name just a few, whilst also maintaining his reputation as the multi-Michelinstarred chef-owner of a string of successful restaurants across the globe, spanning the UK, France, the US, Dubai, Singapore and Hong Kong.
Ramsay’s career first hit the headlines in 1993 when he helmed the kitchen as head chef of Aubergine in London; a fine French restaurant in the capital’s swanky Chelsea neighbourhood. Within three years of his appointment, Aubergine was awarded two Michelin stars, after which Ramsay left to open his first wholly owned and namesake restaurant, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, in 1998. Restaurant Gordon Ramsay quickly received the most prestigious accolade in the culinary world – three Michelin stars.
Today, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay is London’s longest-running restaurant to hold this award, and Ramsay is one of only four chefsin the UK to maintain three stars. He’s continuing his reign with a growing empire of 30 restaurants around the world, most recently breaking into the Asian market by bringing his Bread Street Kitchen and London House brands to Hong Kong and Singapore. In between juggling his TV career and domination of the culinary world,Gordon talks perfectionism, the value of a committed team and how his London-bred restaurants are taking Asia by storm.
Q: You’re one of the most recognized celebrity chefs in the world, but what first sparked your passion for cooking?
A: Cooking wasn’t a tradition in our family. My father didn’t approve, but I remember coming home from school every day and going to the kitchen to help my mother. She inspired me and helped me discover my love for food and cooking.
Q: So how did you go from a young boy in your mother’s kitchen, to the superstar chef you are today?
A: I wanted to be a soccer star, but when I got injured and could no longer play, cooking became my escape route. I left home at 16 and worked as a part time dishwasher, spent a year in cooking school and became a chef for a small-town restaurant in England. I moved to London and worked my way up, working with some of the greatest chefs in the world like Marco Pierre White, Joël Robuchon and Guy Savoy. I’ve been committed and passionate ever since I found my love for food and cooking. Every day I continue to push and challenge myself. When I was working my way up, I looked to chefs like Joël Robuchon, and for me, it’s important to walk the walk the way he does. So, when I think of those who look up to me, I hope they see the same.
Q: You now run 30 restaurants across the world – how do you ensure each one is always at the head of its game?
A: I always have and always will take opening a restaurant seriously, so whether it was my first one or the next, I’m in 100%. I’m a perfectionist and notoriously demanding about getting things right and that will never change. With so much happening on a global scale, I, of course, can’t be everywhere at once, which is why I’m very lucky to have some of the greatest chefs working as a team to curate each menu to suit each market, and who know what to do to bring a new restaurant to life.
Q: Talking of which, you’ve recently brought your Bread Street Kitchen brand to Asia. What made you choose Singapore?
A: Bread Street Kitchen is incredibly successful back home in England and we felt it was the perfect concept to bring to Singapore. It’s a great new destination for a relaxed evening with friends, lunch with colleagues or a family brunch. Singapore is steeped in culture and part of that is its amazing food. I hope Bread Street Kitchen & Bar will only add to that.
Q: What can we expect to find on the menu?
A: The restaurant serves a British European menu featuring dishes from the original Bread Street Kitchen in London, using specially imported British artisanal products, but with local Singaporean influences as well as local products. All our restaurants, not just Bread Street Kitchen, reflect my passion for serving the best food, be it fine dining or casual fare. In Singapore, we’ve brought in Executive Chef Sabrina Stillhart and General Manager John Quetier. We deliver the creativity of dishes and the level of service customers expect.
Q: What’s something surprising about the restaurant that diners may not realise?
A: That Bread Street Kitchen isn’t fine dining – it’s much more casual. It’s still stunning, good quality food, but more relaxed.
Q: You must be one of the hardest working chefs in the world. What motivates you to keep going? Do you ever get to just sit back and put your feet up?
A: In this industry you need to be patient, passionate about cooking and dedicated. Cooking at this level is so intense. There was a time when I needed to take a break. It was after getting my a** kicked in Paris when I was training at some of the best restaurants in the world. So I took some time off, got aboard a boat, and was a private chef on a yacht for six months. It allowed me to regenerate and I needed that. It’s ok to take a break.
Q: So what’s been one of your proudest moments to date?
A: Professionally, it was winning my third Michelin Star. Personally, it was being blessed with four amazing kids and a fantastic wife. I’m a total softie when it comes to my family.
Q: So what’s next for celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay?
A: Continuing to stay focused and driven by the mantra “work hard, play hard”. Always developing the business and of course, spending time with the family. We’re also looking at an exciting global expansion in the coming year for BreadStreet Kitchen, so watch this space
