Who are you, Sir Gordon Ramsay?

Gordon Ramsay is a British chef best known for his love of all things fatty, fried, and fiery. He’s absolutely fearless in the kitchen, but he packs his own blackened heart with enough sugar to make a diabetic twitch. Gordon Ramsey is a culinary expert and television personality from the UK, known throughout the US and beyond for his TV shows Hell’s Kitchen and Masterchef. He is renowned for his quick wit and fiery temperament. Here we pick out ten of the best quotes from Gordon Ramsay.

Gordon Ramsey was born in 1966 in the U.K. to the chef, Ronnie Ramsey and his wife Christine, a restaurateur. Gordon grew up in a culinary environment and cooked for the first time on television when he was 17 years old. After graduating high school, Gordon enrolled in culinary arts education at Stratford Upon Avon College.

Facts about Gordon Ramsey

1. The main fact is that Gordon Ramsay is one of the three richest chefs in the world. He currently owns 35 restaurants around the world, and his fortune ranges from $63 million to $118 million according to various sources.

2. Gordon Ramsay is Scottish but grew up in England. He was born in Scottish Johnston, near Glasgow, on November 8, 1966. His family moved to Stratford-upon-Avon, Shakespeare’s hometown when Ramsay was 5 years old.

3. Ramsay is the second of four children. He has an older sister, a younger brother who served time as a teenager for heroin possession, and a younger sister. Ramsay’s father, Gordon James Sr. worked at various times as a welder and store manager; his mother, Helen, née Cosgrove, was a nurse.

4. In an interview, Ramsay described his childhood and youth as a life of “hopeless wandering.” His family moved constantly because of his father’s failures. He did not stay long in one place because he was an alcoholic and a womanizer. After the family settled in Stratford-upon-Avon and Gordon grew up, the future chef worked as a dishwasher at a local Indian restaurant. At the age of 16, Ramsay began living apart from his family.

5. Ramsay could have had a great career in professional soccer. Gordon selflessly played soccer since childhood. At the age of 15, he joined the Glasgow Rangers professional soccer club and worked there for three years until a knee injury ruined his dreams of becoming a professional soccer player.

6. Before becoming a chef, after his sporting career, Ramsay received a professional degree in hotel management in 1997. Ramsay would later describe his decision about his chosen education as an “accident.”

7. In the mid-1980s he worked as a cook at the Wroxton House Hotel, then ran the 60-seat kitchen and dining room at the Wickham Arms, until his sexual relationship with the owner’s wife made things difficult and he was forced to quit.

8. Gordon became a chef at age 27. Ramsay studied with Marco Pierre White, Joël Robuchon, and Guy Savoy early in his culinary career. In 1993 he was head chef at the newly opened Aubergine in London. In just three years, Ramsay earned the restaurant two Michelin stars and a 25% stake in the restaurant. Already in 1995, the 29-year-old Gordon was named “Newcomer of the Year” at the prestigious Catey Awards.

9. In 1998, Ramsay opened his own restaurant in Chelsea, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, with the help of father-in-law Chris Hutcherson and former Aubergine colleagues.

10. Ramsay was famous for his temper and use of profanity. The chef once scandalously ejected the famous food critic A.A. Gill from his restaurant. The critic then told the press that “Ramsay is a fine chef, just a second-rate man.” Gordon replied that he didn’t mind if Gill insulted his food, but that he wasn’t going to tolerate personal insults. Ramsay has also had clashes with his kitchen staff. For example, there was once an incident after which one of the pastry chefs even called the police. For all that, a 2005 interview reported that Ramsay had managed to keep 85% of his permanent full-time staff for nearly 10 years.

11. A fact you certainly didn’t know, in 2013, American TV Guide magazine included Ramsay on its list of the 60 most obnoxious villains of all time.

12. Despite his fierce temper and his nickname “arrogant narcissistic bully,” Gordon became the top presenter for the children’s cooking TV show MasterChef Junior. He was extremely patient and attentive to the young contestants on and off the set as he interacted with the children. And they reciprocated.

13. Ramsay very often and loudly expressed his dislike for vegetarianism and veganism. In 2003, when asked about the latest hoax he committed, the chief said: “The vegetarians ordered artichoke soup. I told them it was made with vegetable broth, when in fact it was chicken broth.” From a 2007 interview, “My biggest nightmare would be if my kids ever came up to me and said, ‘Daddy, I’m a vegetarian.'” In 2016, when asked on Twitter if he was allergic to anything, he wrote, “To vegans,” then added: “That’s a joke, not on vegans! On vegetarians.”

14. Ramsay softened his categorical stance in a 2006 TV show with such dislike for people who refused natural animal protein. This was after he learned about modern intensive pig farming methods, including castration and tail cropping. The chief commented, “It’s enough to make anyone become a vegetarian. I’ve always “knocked out” vegetarians and vegans for missing out on the most amazing – real meat – taste. But what I’ve seen shows that a lot of people are capable of giving it up, too.” In 2019, Gordon launched a vegan menu at his Veganuary restaurants and introduced vegan roasts at other establishments.

15. Gordon believes that being overweight prevents a chef from doing his job to perfection. He is very mobile and always on the move. He often participates in marathons (he has over 15 races to his credit) and triathlon competitions. Gordon also eats very little while working. He says it’s a habit he developed from his busy schedule. He is also a black belt in karate.

16. Ramsay has been married to his wife Tanya for 24 years and they have five children. Cayetana Elizabeth (Tana) Hutcheson is a former Montessori school teacher and the daughter of the former manager of the Ramsay restaurant empire. Why the former? In 2017, the chief’s father-in-law served six months in prison for repeatedly trying to hack into Gordon’s business files.

17. Matilda Ramsay – Ramsay and Tanya’s 18-year-old daughter also loves cooking. Matilda, also called Tilly, is Gordon’s most famous child. She has a large number of followers on social media, such as over 579,000 on Instagram and her own cooking show. Matilda Ramsay has also been a guest on MasterChef Junior and several late-night talk shows with her father. 

18. Ramsay has no plans to leave his multimillion-dollar fortune to his children. The chef told the Telegraph in an interview that, according to his will, he will not leave his children a cent of the millions he earned. The reason? He doesn’t want to spoil his children with money. Gordon explained that the children will not be left completely without his financial help. “They’ll get 25 percent of the mortgage on the apartment, but not the whole apartment.”

19. Another interesting fact about Gordon, Ramsay has written more than 20 books.

20. Gordon also has time and energy for charity. In 2014, together with his wife, he founded the Gordon and Tanya Ramsay Foundation to support the Children’s Hospital. In 2006, the chef was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire. In 2013 he was inducted into the Culinary Hall of Fame.

21. Ramsay has said that if he could choose his last meal on Earth, it would be Beef Wellington. Ramsay is a big fan of English cuisine and many consider his own recipe for beef Wellington the best of all.

22. He never eats anything on planes: “I worked on airlines for many years, so I know how food is prepared for them and how long it takes before the food gets on board.” When he watches a movie at home, he “snacks” on chicken wings. He often eats a traditional American dish, polenta with shrimp and cheese, and confesses his love of hamburgers, especially the Ramsay hamburger with mustard, pickles, and fried onions. He hates Hawaiian pineapple pizza.

23. Ramsay thinks everyone should know how to make a great burger, a healthy breakfast dish, a stew dish, a chicken dish, and a “delicious cake”.

And of course, this is only a small number of facts and events that tell us about this amazing man, chef, and philanthropist – sir Gordon Ramsay.

If you know anything interesting about him, write about it in the comments!