The early days
Scottish by birth, UK chef Gordon Ramsay was brought up in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, and initially aspired to be a professional footballer. However, when an injury prematurely put an end to any hopes of a promising career on the pitch, Ramsay went back to college to complete a course in hotel management. His dedication and natural talent led him to train with some of the world’s leading chefs, including Albert Roux and Marco Pierre White in London, and Guy Savoy and Joël Robuchon in France.
Michelin-starred restaurants
In 1993, Ramsay became head chef of Aubergine in London, and within three years Aubergine was awarded two Michelin stars.
At the age of 35, Ramsay branched out on his own to set up his first wholly-owned and namesake restaurant, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay. Restaurant Gordon Ramsay opened in 1998, and quickly received the most prestigious accolade in the culinary world – three Michelin stars. Today, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay is London’s longest-running restaurant to hold this award, and Ramsay is one of only four chefs in the UK to maintain three stars. Gordon also holds a Michelin star at his other London restaurant Pétrus in Knightsbridge.
In addition to his stars in the UK, Gordon holds two stars at Le Pressoir d'Argent in Bordeaux and one star at Gordon Ramsay au Trianon in Versailles.
Global restaurants
Now internationally renowned and holding 7 Michelin stars, Ramsay has opened a string of successful restaurants across the globe, from Singapore to the United States. These include a Le Pressoir d'Argent in Bordeaux; six restaurants in Las Vegas (including Gordon Ramsay Hell's Kitchen at Caesars Palace, Gordon Ramsay Fish & Chips at The Linq, Gordon Ramsay Steak at Paris, Gordon Ramsay Pub and Grill at Caesars Palace and Gordon Ramsay Burger at Planet Hollywood); two restaurants in Atlantic City (Gordon Ramsay Steak at Harrah's and Gordon Ramsay Pub and Grill at Caesars); two ventures in Versailles (Gordon Ramsay au Trianon & La Veranda); Bread Street Kitchen by Gordon Ramsay in Dubai; Bread Street Kitchen in Sanya, China and Bread Street Kitchen in Singapore.
In the UK, the Gordon Ramsay Restaurants has locations across major cities including London, Edinburgh, Manchester & Liverpool. These include iconic brands such as Lucky Cat, Gordon Ramsay Bar & Grill, Bread Street Kitchen, Heddon Street Kitchen, Street Pizza and Street Burger.
Gordon Ramsay on TV
Ramsay has also become a star of the small screen both in the US and internationally, with four top-rated FOX shows that air in more than 200 territories worldwide. These critically-acclaimed shows include HELL’S KITCHEN, MASTERCHEF, MASTERCHEF JR., 24 HOURS TO HELL & BACK, GORDON RAMSAY: UNCHARTED and THE F-WORD, as well as UK shows: GORDON, GINO AND FRED: ROADTRIP, GORDON RAMSAY ON COCAINE, CULINARY GENIUS, GORDON BEHIND BARS, ULTIMATE COOKERY COURSE, GORDON’S GREAT ESCAPES and GORDON RAMSAY: SHARK BAIT. In 2016, Ramsay launched his own independent next-generation production company, Studio Ramsay, that develops shows and formats for the U.K., U.S. and digital properties.
Other ventures
While best known as a celebrity chef now, Ramsay is successful in a variety of other ventures outside of food and television. Most notably as a published author, Ramsay has released a number of books, many of which have become bestsellers around the world; including his autobiography, Roasting in Hell's Kitchen. Aside from this, Ramsay has a global partnership with WWRD (Waterford, Wedgwood, Royal Doulton), which offers quality home and lifestyle products as well as HEXCLAD offering high performance cookware.
In 2006, in recognition of all that Ramsay has contributed to the industry, he received an OBE (Order of the British Empire awarded by Queen Elizabeth II). Since then, Ramsay and his wife, Tana, set up the Gordon and Tana Ramsay Foundation in 2014, to make a meaningful difference to the charities that are important to them. You can find out more about the Gordon and Tana Ramsay Foundation here.
Now, Ramsay splits his time between Los Angeles and South London, where he resides with his wife, Tana and six children, along with their dogs, cats and tortoise.
