“My gran could do better! And she’s dead!”
“Where’s the lamb sauce?”
“I’m Gordon Ramsay for goodness sake: people know I’m volatile.”
Gordon Ramsay: a man of infamy and Michelin star chef whose career in the public eye is focused on his entertainment purposes over his ability to cook. Ramsay’s career has morphed over time—from his introduction to hotel management in college, to his continued growth into a head chef.
With the cooperation of his local rotary club, Ramsay’s career started at North Oxfordshire Technical College with a focus on hotel management and catering. In his book “Roasting in Hell’s Kitchen,” Ramsay described his choice as “an accident, a complete accident.”
Ramsay’s major break came later in life when he opened his first restaurant, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, on Royal Hospital Road in Chelsea. Ramsay was welcomed to british television in the documentary “Boiling Point.” According to the British television network ITV, the documentary followed Ramsay opening and managing his restaurant, along with showing his harsh and critical persona on a national scale. Junior Nicholas Summerfelt believes that Gordon Ramsay showing emotion on his grand scale is warranted in the correct circumstances.
“Sometimes yelling can actually improve your skill as it starts to add on stress,” Summerfelt said. “It doesn’t mean you should be a jerk to everyone, but it forces you to work harder and better in the workplace.”
After the success of “Boiling Point,” Ramsay was given more chances to work in the public eye. In 2004, the British network Channel 4, “Kitchen Nightmares” premiered. “Hell’s Kitchen” debuted in the same year on ITV, with each show getting praise from audiences and subsequent American adaptations. Career and Technical Education teacher Laura Tielke thinks that showing the behavior of Gordon Ramsay to students does not have negative consequences.
“Students like to laugh at him,” Tielke said. “They love it. They think it’s great that he yells at people.”
Ramsay has continued his flagship shows “Masterchef” and “Hell’s Kitchen,” as both United States variations of the shows have lasted nearly ten and fifteen years respectively. Ramsay started various other projects in the timespan, such as “Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted” on National Geographic, where Ramsay travels to foreign countries to find indigenous people and their culture. Also, “24 Hrs to Hell and Back” on Fox, a slight spin on “Kitchen Nightmares” where Ramsay is only given one day to fix a restaurant. Summerfelt believes that Ramsay’s more recent works hold merit in their own right.
“It’s a very interesting take to learn more native and natural forms of food,” Summerfelt said. “Not everyone wants to go around and travel the world, and it helps you get more experience and learn more about the different types of cultures and culinary dishes.”
Gordon Ramsay is continuing to pursue new projects and find new ways to reach audiences with the introduction of Youtube along with other social media platforms. His growth into other platforms hopes to reach new and broader audiences who can all enjoy the different styles that Ramsay displays in his shows.
