In the eyes of many viewers, Gordon Ramsay is a rude, aggressive chef – exactly like the image he often portrays in culinary shows on television. However, behind that harsh, exaggerating appearance are other personality traits of Gordon Ramsay that not many people know.
Almost became a professional soccer player
Born in Scotland, but when Gordon Ramsay was 5 years old, his family moved to England. As a child, Gordon Ramsay dreamed and was determined to pursue a career in tennis. At the age of 15, Ramsay joined Glasgow Rangers – a professional football club – so his family returned to Scotland to create conditions for their child to pursue his dream. Ramsay played football for that club for 3 years, but then a knee injury ended his football dreams. After ending his football dream, Ramsay decided to enter the hotel business and earned a degree in this field in 1987. Gordon Ramsay shared: “Until now I still love football. For me, Cooking is similar to football, it’s not a profession, it’s a passion. When you become good at something, it will be a dream job.”
Became a chef at the age of 27
When he first entered the culinary field, Ramsay apprenticed under famous chefs: 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 earn the restaurant a two-Michelin star rating and in 1995 he was named Newcomer of the Year at the prestigious Catey Awards. He currently owns 58 restaurants in many countries around the world such as the US, UK, China, Malaysia…
Is the best earning chef in the world
Ramsay was once the richest chef in the world, thanks in part to culinary television shows such as Hell’s Kitchen, Kitchen Nightmares, MasterChef, Hotel Hell and Faking It. According to Forbes, every year, Ramsay’s shows bring in more than $150 million in advertising revenue for Fox Radio. According to Money Inc., in 2021, Ramsay ranked second only to British TV chef Jamie Oliver in terms of wealth, even though his restaurant empire filed for bankruptcy in May 2019.
Have foreign language skills
When Ramsay went to France to apprentice with one of the most famous chefs in France, he did not know a word of French. However, after a short time, just by learning words and sentence structures through menus and recipes, Ramsay quickly became fluent in French. Now, Ramsay can use French fluently. “If necessary, I can knock on doors to find menus for a menu collection. Currently I have more than 3,500 menus, I love reading them. They are all arranged from A to Z in a drawer. Pull the file at my house, near my bed so I can read it anytime” – Ramsay shared.
Actively volunteer
Gordon has been married to Tana for 26 years, they are famous philanthropists. The Gordon and Tana Ramsay Foundation helps support Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity to “give some of the sickest children their best chance in life”.
Do not leave your children any inheritance money
Ramsay surprised many people when he announced that he would not leave any inheritance to his children from his huge fortune. He believes that this decision will help his children not become dependent or spoiled. However, that does not mean that his children do not receive any financial support from their father. In fact, he agreed to support 25% of the deposit for his children’s apartment. His daughter, Matilda, also loves cooking and has her own cooking show on television – Matilda and the Ramsay Bunch. However, she shared that she prefers to eat what her mother cooks than what her father cooks.
Love children
Although he is known for his swearing and often harsh personality, Ramsay loves children. He always supports and cares kindly and thoughtfully for every child who appears on his cooking shows. “I talk to children in a way that I never talk to adults. I often put myself in the shoes of children: standing there, competing in a TV show at 8 or 9 years old, feeling I feel like I’m lacking everything: confidence, experience… I’ve been in that situation so I understand the children’s feelings very well.”
