58 restaurants around the world. 17 Michelin stars. Too many TV shows to count. Gordon Ramsay has been in the game for four decades, yet still strives for perfection in everything. But one thing that perhaps still surprises people is that above all he’s just a super generous guy; generous with his time, stories and, of course, expletives.
It’s 9AM in LA when we talk, Ramsay speeding through his successes – and a few well-documented feuds – that have punctuated a legendary kitchen career, never failing to credit his mentors or hype up his own current and former protégés. At 56, the most famous Gordon in the world can now add a British GQ Lifetime Achievement Award to his hell’s kitchen full of accolades. Not that there’s any way he’s remotely close to hanging up his chef whites any time soon.
GQ: British GQ’s Lifetime Achievement Award – how does that feel?
Gordon Ramsay: Thank you very fucking much. I’m so stoked. Does that mean I’m getting old, though?
You’ve just been busy, Gordon. Ideally where would you celebrate your big win?
God, I think I’d go to Tamarind for a curry. But I kid you not, if I could jump in a helicopter after picking up the “Old Man’s Lifetime Achievement Award,” I’d fly the whole family up to Khai Khai in Newcastle and eat my curry on the fucking Tyne. The last time I tasted authentic Indian cuisine like that, I was in the middle of Bangladesh.
Putting you on the spot, have you given your legacy much thought?
Fucking hell. That’s a big question. Legacy? I think my legacy would be the plethora of talent that I’ve had the pleasure to work with, they’re now laying the foundation of the future. Oh, and whether I’m in a tapas bar on the backstreets of Barcelona or the arse-end of the jungle, someone wants to talk to me about my fucking beef Wellington. As for what I’d like to be remembered for… I’d like to be remembered for perfection. Because it’s an absolute bitch to get right, but when it is, it’s the most beautiful fucking thing on the planet.
Let’s take you back to the beginning, and how you got to perfection…
The beginning was the upset at Rangers [FC]. I’d been selected for a testimonial game, a childhood dream. I remember everything; seeing the team sheet, even the fucking pin on the board. Number 3, Ramsay. I was fucking starting! 17 minutes in, I got tackled and I was fucked. I knew there and then. Fucked.
Did that experience make you even more determined to be the best in your next career?
My mum taught me: “Don’t make excuses. Excuses get you nowhere.” The woman was working three jobs, Dad was an alcoholic, so who was I to argue? I dusted myself down. I needed an out, so London it was. I started working as a second commis at The Mayfair Hotel. One day, I had to cover the night shift after working a double. Fucking club sandwich, fucking fries, fucking grilled cheese. Basic shit you see in every five-star hotel. It got to 6.30am, I’d been working 24 hours straight; I went to the staff canteen with a coffee and a copy of The Caterer. And the fucking guy on the cover was Marco Pierre White.
Something tells us you didn’t sleep on it?
Fuck, no. I went straight to the telephone box and phoned him. He answered, asked where I was working, and I told him. “How many Michelin stars does it have?” he asked. None, of course. He gave me a lot of shit, but eventually said, “OK, get on a bus to Wandsworth.” So I did. Two hours later, I’m being interviewed by him. He was composing this ravioli dish and it’s still one of the most intimidating things I’ve ever seen in my life. But it was so clear that I needed to be learning from him.
Gordon Ramsay on success “Everyone thinks promotion is the only natural progression but its the opposite”
Marcus Wareing said something similar about you recently, describing you as a “game changer… a cooking machine of pure focus and adrenaline.”
That’s very endearing. See, all the bullshit in the press… Marcus fell out with my father-in-law, he didn’t fall out with me. I love the guy dearly, he’s a super-talented chef and I was Best Man at his wedding, for God’s sake. We went to hell and back in the early days.
So, aged 22, what set you apart from the rest?
I had this raw instinct. Every time I accepted a job – from Marco to Gavroche to the Roux brothers – I wanted to drop down a level to learn more. Everyone thinks promotion is the only natural progression, but it’s the opposite. Forget the titles; to learn, you need to get lower.
You’ve been awarded 17 Michelin stars, three Cateys and an OBE. Is there one ‘I’ve made it’ moment that sticks out?
You target those titles at different stages in your life. We’re celebrating 25 years of Restaurant Gordon Ramsay this year. In 1998, I sold our flat to raise the £1 million to buy the place from Pierre Koffman. We put it all on the line; if it didn’t work, we’d be homeless. There was no plan B.
Along the way, did anything threaten that success?
I filmed Boiling Point in 1999. I was an idiot on a mission to get three stars and I told the world that Michelin were in the dining room. Believe me, I got fucking spanked. So yeah, stupid, boisterous, and the kind of rookie mistakes you make growing up. A year later, 10 days before the Guide came out, they returned. Everything I’d been through – from being carried off the pitch to reverse charging the calls to my Mum from France because I didn’t have a pot to piss in – came to an end. “You’ve been crowned three Michelin stars.” I remember tears streaming down my face and thinking: “Shit, we’ve made it, we’ve done it.” You’ll never get another moment like that in your life, though you might keep seeking the same validation. But the next day, the knives were out even more.
We’re not here to rehash old feuds, but is there anyone you genuinely don’t like? Or was it all good, clean fun?
Oh, fun. There’s not a nasty bone in my body. When I get called out and I’ve fucked up, I’ll be the first one to apologise. But back in the ’90s, early 2000s, it was raw. With AA Gill and Giles Coren coming in as a double act to fuck you over sideways. And you just think, what the hell!? They were best friends with Marco, so clearly they felt I needed bringing down a peg or two. As a prolific chef, you can’t take the bait, can’t rise to it. But I did, because I love it. But now? We’re still standing. Still fully booked. Ultimately, that upbringing thickens your skin and broadens your character.
You’ve trained countless chefs who have enjoyed huge success, including Clare Smyth and Angela Hartnett. Is there a chef working in the industry right now that you’re most excited about?
Matt Abe [at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay] is a visionary. Behind him is Kim Ratcharoen, an absolute powerhouse and just phenomenally talented. That’s the exciting part about a Lifetime Achievement, seeing the seeds you’ve sown start to grasp that level of tangible perfection.
Have you ever been tempted to throw in the towel?
No, I’d never fucking quit. You see, I have a flipside. My brother is a year younger than me and, still to this day, a heroin addict. I reflect on him on a daily basis, because that’s the way it could have gone. Flip of a coin. I’m humble, there’s no riding a wave of success without reflection. How did we share a bunk bed and end up so different? That’s what keeps me level headed.
You claim to ‘thrive from fear’ but what scares you?
Fear is different, because you’re weathered by experience. Now, I’ll jump out of a helicopter in Guyana. Have sharks the size of Range Rovers over my head in Tasmania. These are the bootcamps I put myself in. And the good thing about shitting yourself in a wetsuit? Nothing comes out. Still, I’m not sure it’s as scary as watching Adele in Vegas and thinking she’s walking over to hand me the mic. Luckily, she just gave me a kiss instead. Thank fuck!
Who is your toughest critic?
I’d say my girls Tilly, Holly and Megan. I’m so proud of them, but fuck me… 21, 23 and 24. They have no problem putting me in my place.
But they haven’t followed you into the kitchen?
No, they needed to find their passion, and I couldn’t be prouder knowing that they have. I suppose my son Oscar (aged 3) is my last hope of having a chef in the family. I’ve started putting him to bed with a fucking whisk and a ladle.
