Gordon Ramsay isn’t known for a gentle approach. He’s hit the headlines for his hardline approach in the kitchen, yelling at chefs to help them push themselves in shows like “Hell’s Kitchen” and “Kitchen Nightmares.” But the British cooking star bared his softer side on a tell-all AMA session on Reddit.
His advice for stressed-out chefs who are grinding away for hours on end in a restaurant? Give yourself a break, both literally and figuratively. “If there’s one thing I’ve taught my young chefs today, it’s to work hard and not get disillusioned with the bigger picture,” he said. He explained that although it may not seem like you’re reaching your goals as quickly as you’d like, in reality, those hours of hard work are building skills you can take to any kitchen around the world.
The “MasterChef” personality took a few months off as a private chef in a yacht early on in his career, saying, “[I] had the most amazing time, and what I learned after that experience was that I could do in one hour on a boat what I was doing in 14 to 15 hours in the professional kitchen.” Then he added, “It confirms what you’ve learned when you walk into a new establishment. It shows how strong you are.”
Star advice for young chefs
Life in high-end kitchens is notoriously high pressure. And nobody knows this more than Gordon Ramsay, who has offered his fair share of advice to aspiring chefs in the past. On an episode of the Super U Podcast, in conversation with Erik Qualman, the chef echoed the words of wisdom: “My advice to any young chef anywhere in the world — get out of your comfort zone, and put yourself in a scenario where you have to build a character, learn a second language, and find out a lot about yourself on your own, without mum, without dad, without a girlfriend, or a boyfriend, and without any money.”
It’s perhaps unsurprising with a chef whose repertoire encompasses such a spectrum of global flavors, with Ramsay partial to Asian-inspired dishes, as well as French and Moroccan cuisine. In the podcast, he added that placing yourself in new situations and “building a character” helps you improve over time: “You’d be surprised three years down the line, what that does for your self-esteem, phenomenal.”
In the Reddit AMA, Ramsay pointed out to aspiring chefs, “Cooking at this level is so intense. So don’t give up. Be honest with yourself and take a month out,” he said. If you’re a frustrated cook at the end of your rope, take it from one of the toughest chefs in the world: Sometimes, the best thing you can do is walk away for a little while. Then come back and cook even better.
