Gordon Ramsay? World renowned chef. Successful restaurateur. Celebrated television personality. Gordon Ramsay! On November 8, 1966, in Scotland, a culinary mastermind fated for a road of prosperity, luxury, and entrepreneurship, was born. However, as convincing as his current glamour-filled life may seem, Ramsay did not have a smooth start. Ramsay’s first love, surprisingly, was football. At the age of 15, he embarked on a path of a professional sports career by joining the Glasgow Rangers, a professional Scottish football club. However, during trial runs, a severe knee injury prematurely ended his career.
Fortunately for us (sorry, Ramsay), with his dream as a professional athlete forced to an end his interest in culinary pursuits began to blossom. Ramsay attended the North Oxfordshire Technical College and pursued a degree in hotel management. After completing his studies, he worked under Europe’s finest chefs, such as Albert Roux, Marco Pierre White, Joel Robuchon and Guy Savoy, learning, observing, and polishing his natural talent.
Afterwards, Ramsay began a streak of success as in 1993 he became chef of Aubergine, a two Michelin stars restaurant, and in 1998 set up his first restaurant, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, which received the rare honor of three Michelin stars—a prestigious title attributed to only four chefs in the entire United Kingdom. Later on, Ramsay opened chains of restaurants around the globe, all of which are now thriving.
Now, Ramsay, most evidently, is internationally famous; he is well known for his fiery attitude, excessive use of profanity, hilarious memes, and reality television shows. Most famous as the host of Hell’s Kitchen and MasterChef, Ramsay currently scouts for skilled individuals who have the valor to endure his hellishly intense culinary boot camp and the potential to become a master chef.
Though many mistakenly attribute his fame and big name to his exposure on popular media, we mustn’t forget that he’s where he is due to his extraordinary tastes and recipe for success. Regardless of whether they are racks of lamb decorated with a warm salad of mixed beans and slow-roast tomatoes or lemon tarts sprinkled with handfuls of zesty summer berries, his dishes keep us coming back for more servings.
– Emily Kim (’16)
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