Behind the harsh, flamboyant image shown in cooking shows lies a very different Gordon Ramsay…
In the eyes of many viewers, Gordon Ramsay is a rude, aggressive chef – just like the image he often portrays in his television cooking shows. However, behind that harsh, flamboyant exterior lie other aspects of Gordon Ramsay’s personality that not many people know about.
He almost became a professional football player.
Born in Scotland, Gordon Ramsay’s family moved to England when he was five years old. As a child, he dreamed of and was determined to pursue a career in football. At 15, Ramsay joined Glasgow Rangers – a professional football club – so his family returned to Scotland to support him. Ramsay played for the club for three years, but a knee injury ended his football dreams. After his football career ended, Ramsay decided to enter the hospitality business and earned a degree in the field in 1987. Gordon Ramsay shared: “I still love football. For me, cooking is similar to football; it’s not a job, it’s a passion. When you become good at something, it becomes a dream job.”
Became head chef at age 27
When he first entered the culinary world, Ramsay apprenticed under renowned chefs such as Marco Pierre White, Joel Robuchon, and Guy Savoy. However, at the age of 27, Ramsay began his own career as a master chef. In 1993, he became the head chef of the newly opened Aubergine restaurant in London. In just three years, Ramsay helped the restaurant achieve a two-Michelin-star rating, and in 1995, he was honored as Newcomer of the Year at the prestigious Catey Awards. He currently owns 58 restaurants in many countries around the world, including the United States, the United Kingdom, China, and Malaysia.
He is the highest-earning chef in the world.
Ramsay was once the world’s richest chef, partly thanks to his cooking shows such as Hell’s Kitchen, Kitchen Nightmares, MasterChef, Hotel Hell , and Faking It . According to Forbes, Ramsay’s shows generated over $150 million in advertising revenue for Fox Network annually. According to Money Inc., in 2021, Ramsay was second only to British television chef Jamie Oliver in wealth, despite his restaurant empire filing for bankruptcy in May 2019.
Having a talent for foreign languages.
When Ramsay went to France to apprentice under one of the most famous chefs in France, he didn’t know a single word of French. However, after a short time, simply by learning vocabulary and sentence structures through menus and recipes, Ramsay quickly became fluent in French. Now, Ramsay can use French proficiently. “If necessary, I can knock on doors to find menus for a menu collection. I currently have over 3,500 menus, and I love reading them. They’re all arranged alphabetically in a filing cabinet at my house, near my bed, so I can read them anytime,” Ramsay shared.
Actively participate in volunteer work.
Gordon and Tana have been married for 26 years, and they are renowned philanthropists. The Gordon and Tana Ramsay Foundation supports the Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity to “give some of the most vulnerable children the best chance at life.”
Do not leave any inheritance to your children.
Ramsay surprised many when he announced he would not leave any inheritance to his children from his enormous fortune. He believed this decision would prevent his children from becoming dependent or spoiled. However, this doesn’t mean his children don’t receive any financial support from their father. In fact, he has agreed to contribute 25% of the down payment for their apartments. His daughter, Matilda, also enjoys cooking and has her own cooking show on television – Matilda and the Ramsay Bunch . However, she shared that she prefers her mother’s cooking to her father’s.
Love children
Despite his reputation for swearing and often harsh personality, Ramsay loves children. He is always supportive and caring towards every child who appears on his cooking shows. “I talk to the kids in a way I would never talk to adults. I often put myself in their shoes: standing there, competing in a TV show at 8 or 9 years old, feeling deprived of everything: confidence, experience… I’ve been in that situation myself, so I understand how the kids feel.”