COVER
Pressure Cooker
Gordon Ramsay’s culinary empire heats up.
W
hen he’s red-faced and screaming
and calling someone a donkey, it’s
easy to forget that Gordon Ram-
say, TV’s most feared chef, is also among
the world’s greatest. His empire includes 25
restaurants around the world. He’s written
nearly 20 books and has one of the most rec-
ognizable scowls on TV. (In case you’ve lost
count, he hosts three programs in the U.K.,
two in the U.S. and another, Man Camp, on
the way.) His telegenic temper has made him
the world’s third highest-earning chef, but un-
like other celebrity cooks, Ramsay is a force
in the kitchen. He currently holds a stagger-
ing 10 Michelin Stars, three of them at New
York’s own Gordon Ramsay at The London
NYC hotel. With a new restaurant open in
London and new seasons of Kitchen Nightmares
and Hell’s Kitchen just begun, Ramsay contin-
ues to take over the world — one four-letter
word at a time. —Heather Corcoran
30 • Resident The Week Of September 23, 2008
Resident: How would you character-
ize your food philosophy?
Gordon Ramsay: I love fresh food cooked
simply, using top quality, seasonal ingredi-
ents and not over-complicating flavors.
R: Between all of your restaurants,
TV shows, books and projects around
the world you must be so busy. How
do you manage it all?
GR: The real secret is that I absolutely love
what I do, so being busy is what keeps me on
my toes — I work best when I’m under pres-
sure. I have the most talented and loyal staff in
all of my kitchens keeping everything straight.
People like Angela Hartnett, Josh Emett, Mark
Sargeant, and Jason Atherton have been work-
ing with me for years and there’s a real level of
trust that we all have with one another.
R: So tell me about your latest book,
Fast Food…
GR: “Lack of time” is the number one rea-
© Paul Raeside
son people give for not cooking at home, so
there is this dependence on take-away foods
and ready meals from the freezer. The idea
behind Fast Food was to redefine the concept
of “fast food” to show people that fresh,
healthy meals can be prepared simply in
minutes. It doesn’t take hours of prepara-
tion and hard to find ingredients to create
an amazing meal — it’s really about being
creative and using just a few of the right in-
gredients. Instead of plopping down in front
of the TV you can get the kids involved and
enjoy something great together. I want to
get people excited about getting back in the
kitchen and back around the kitchen table.
R: Of all your projects do you have a
favorite? Above all, what would you
like to be known for?
GR: I don’t really have a favorite project,
I’ve put my all into building the company
and into creating each project from start to

finish. I do have a soft spot for the Chelsea
restaurant, of course. It was my first. But
we’re not out to replicate the same experi-
ence and concept everywhere we go, that
would get dull fast. How do you compare
Royal Hospital Road to West Hollywood
to writing cookbooks to creating menus in
Tokyo? It’s always a challenge and therefore
it’s always exciting for me. But more than
anything else, I would like to be known first
and foremost as a chef. My passion for cook-
ing and drive for delivering perfection on
the plate is what has gotten me to where I
am today.
R: Describe how it felt when you got
your first Michelin Stars at Aubergine?
GR: Amazing. Everyone in that restaurant
was working so hard to get those stars. We
got the first star a year after opening and
two stars two years later, then we were back
in the kitchen the very next day trying go-
ing for three. There is no great secret to
getting stars. Of course, you need to have
skilled and talented staff in the kitchen to
create great dishes, and service that’s always
spot-on, but more than that it’s about con-
sistency. It has to be perfect every night, all
the time. You always have to be on top of it,
constantly looking for ways to improve and
perfect what you’re serving.
© David Joseph
The London Bar
R: This year Gordon Ramsay in [Lon-
don’s] Chelsea turns 10. How has
your career changed since then? What
do you know now that you didn’t know
then?
GR: Everything has changed. Gordon Ram-
say Holdings has grown exponentially since
then, and now we’re fortunate enough to
have the most talented brigades around the
world in each of our restaurants, constantly
working to improve ourselves, and there’s no
stopping there. The company has expanded
in ways I hadn’t even dreamed of when I first
opened Royal Hospital Road. I’ve learned
what works and what doesn’t, I’ve learned
from my mistakes, and I think I’m a better
chef, businessman and person because of it.
R: On Kitchen Nightmares and Hell’s
Kitchen we get to see some pretty
outrageous behind-the-scenes ac-
tion. What’s the most shocking thing
you’ve seen happen while working in
a kitchen?
GR: Some of these restaurants had the
most god-awful walk-ins [refrigerators] with
ingredients that would make anyone’s stom-
ach turn. I’ve seen so many moldy vegetables
and rancid meats, and it’s truly shocking
what I find in some of those kitchens. And
they’re always so surprised business is bad!
Resident The Week Of September 23, 2008 • 31
COVER
R: Early in your career you worked
under some of the world’s most im-
portant and influential chefs. Who
was the most influential for you and
what is the most important thing you
learned?
GR: Early on in my career, I trained in Paris
for three years — those were some of the
toughest and most rigorous years of my life,
but at the same time, they were also some
of the most rewarding. My first job in Paris
was at Guy Savoy, which had two Michelin
stars and when I first walked into that kitch-
en, I’d never felt so remote, so far removed
from anywhere in my entire life. Everyone
was ignoring me. On my first day, somebody
nicked my socks. But I immersed myself in
my work — I became fluent in French and I
did nothing but cook — I did the overnight
shift in bread and pastry, then moved on
to the fish section when the sun came up. I
learned total respect for food, and how clev-
erly you can make something out of noth-
ing. Take a leek. You’d use the best white
bit for the soup, but then you’d use the rest
for the sauce, the top of it for a mousse, and
then the very top of it, you’d use in a staff
meal. Nothing went in the bin. It was an
amazing experience.
Continued on page 33

Pressure Cooker
Continued from page 31
R: And now you give back to future
chefs through “The Gordon Ramsay
Scholar Award…”
GR: The Gordon Ramsay Scholar Award
is about fostering the next generation of tal-
ent and providing the best and brightest as-
piring chefs with opportunities to learn and
grow. It’s something I truly believe in. This
year, the winner will be cooking live onstage
with me at the BBC Good Food Show in
Birmingham, and get some of the most
amazing prizes and kitchen equipment, and
also the opportunity to do a three-city stage
at my restaurants in London, Paris and
New York.
R: Are there any young or up-and-com-
ing chefs that you’re excited about?
© David Joseph
GR: I’m always looking forward to seeing
what the chefs I work with are coming up
with. I encourage them to be creative and
come up with new ideas. Josh Emett, for in-
stance, my executive chef at Gordon Ram-
say at The London and maze in New York,
and who’s also overseeing the menu at the
new West Hollywood restaurant, has been
working with me for nine years now. We
speak quite often, but he runs quite a tight
ship over there and has certainly been re-
warded for a job well done — two Michelin
stars less than a year after opening. For any
chef, New York is the toughest place to suc-
ceed, so I’m so impressed at what’s he’s been
able to accomplish there.
The same goes with Andy Cook, who’s
now heading up the kitchen in West Holly-
wood. He was my head chef in Tokyo for
years, and I think the West Hollywood res-
taurant is off to a great start. Then there’s
the whole brigade over in Europe — An-
gela’s just opened Murano, and she’s gear-
ing up to open York & Albany soon. Mark
Sargeant is doing incredibly at Claridge’s,
Jason Atherton at maze, Simone Zanoni at
Trianon on Paris, everyone. I’m their biggest
supporter, and it’s rewarding to see them all
succeed.
R: Where are your favorite places to
eat in New York?
GR: When I’m in New York I spend a lot
of time in the restaurant, but I did just re-
cently have a great meal at Adour, Alain
Ducasse’s new restaurant. He’s one of the
people I look up to most. I think The Spot-
ted Pig is fantastic as well, April Bloomfield
maze
is so talented and the place reminds me a bit
of home.
R: Is there a trend in the restaurant/
food world that you wish would go
away?
GR: There isn’t one I want to go away, though
as you can see on Kitchen Nightmares, I do hope
the trend toward using locally sourced and
seasonal ingredients continues to hold. Using
top quality ingredients is so incredibly impor-
tant in running a kitchen, creating a fantastic
menu and keeping your guests happy.
R: How does New York compare with
London on the culinary scene? How
does New York stack up globally?
GR: There’s so much competition in New
York, and it’s probably the most challeng-
ing place to succeed. New Yorkers are quite
honest though; you’ll definitely know when
they like or dislike something, and I certain-
ly appreciate their honesty. It’s how we learn
from our mistakes and learn about what re-
ally works. It’s how we learn to adapt. Then
again, we’ve had a lot of Londoners who’ve
dined in the restaurant as well, and at the
end of the day, everyone just wants a good
meal, regardless of where they’re from.
R: Some people say you’re mean. Do
you have any words for your critics?
GR: I’m always very firm but fair, and I’m
the first one to admit I’m a perfectionist.
It takes a lot of hard work, concentration
and precision to run a kitchen, to work in a
Resident The Week Of September 23, 2008 • 33
COVER
kitchen, and to run a successful restaurant.
There just isn’t time to say “please” and
“thank you” when there are a hundred hun-
gry people in your dining room. At the end
of the day, everything that leaves the pass
has my name on it, so I’m always making
sure my staff stays on its toes and performs
at the top of their ability.
R: You’ve famously spoken out against
food critics A.A. Gill and Frank Bruni.
What do you think about food critics
in general?
GR: They’re doing their jobs and I do mine.
I suppose it’s best that it stays that way. I don’t
cook for the critics, I cook for my customers,
as they’re the ones who come back again and
whose feedback I listen to the most.
R: What’s next for you?
GR: This September, I’m opening York &
Albany with Angela Hartnett on the edge of
London’s Regents Park. It will be a restau-
rant with bar, delicatessen and will have the
most beautiful guestrooms as well — it’s our
first hotel so it’s completely new for me and
quite exciting. I’ve just signed on with FOX
for more Kitchen Nightmares and Hell’s Kitchen
in the U.S. so I’m looking forward to spend-
ing time in the New York and West Holly-
wood restaurants as much as I can. It’s been
great being able to show people how a res-
taurant and a kitchen need to be run. It’s
fast-paced, high-energy, high-stress but God,
I do love it.
COVER

London in New York

Chef de Cuisine Josh Emett has the seemingly unenviable task of helming Gordon Ram-
say’s Manhattan restaurants. But what is it really like working for the toughest boss in the
biz? “Gordon leads by example — he has a huge amount of energy and a great work ethic.
Consistency is one of the most important parts of running a kitchen. It’s also about main-
taining control of your kitchen and brigade and getting them to do exactly what you want,
when you want. Being professional, in all aspects of the operation, and cleanliness are also
a huge part of our organization,” the chef told the Resident.
“We take a very light approach to our cooking with a big focus on balance and flavor,”
said Emett. “We do not focus too much on signature dishes but are always working on devel-
© Diana DeLucia
oping new and interesting ideas and also working with interesting and seasonal products.”

Roast fillet of beef, Kobe

short rib with beets and red
wine shallot purée

Chef de Cuisine Josh Emett

The roast fillet of beef dish is a balance between
a piece of fillet being a very tender and leaner piece
of beef, against a fattier short rib that brings all
the richness to the dish. We also use two separate
cooking methods, with the fillet being slow cooked
then sautéed, the short rib being braised then
warmed in its own juices.

For the short rib:

1 piece boneless Kobe short rib
1 Tbsp white peppercorns
1 Tbsp black peppercorns
1 Tbsp cardamom pods, lightly toasted
1 Tbsp fennel seed
1 star anise
1 Tbsp coriander seeds
3 Tbsp sugar
Season the short rib and sear in a pan.
Separately make a caramel using the sugar
and enough water to just cover the sugar.
Once the caramel is a golden color, add
the toasted spices. Remove from the heat
and allow to cool slightly. Pass through a
strainer. Place the seared short rib into a
vacuum pack bag. Add 5 tablespoons of
the infused caramel and seal. Place the
bag into a steamer; cook for between 8–10
hours, until the short rib is soft. Remove
from the steamer and allow to cool, until
around room temperature. Place onto a
flat tray and press gently.
Rolling and cooking the beef
Trim and cut the beef into 4-ounce rounds,
then tightly wrap the beef in plastic wrap into
a perfect cylinder, then knot each end. Place
the beef in water bath at 70˚C for10 minutes,
then release from the wrap and cook in a very
hot frying pan until golden brown, let rest for
2 minutes and slice both ends and serve.
For red wine shallot purée
2 pounds shallots (peeled and sliced)
500ml red wine
250ml ruby port
Cook the shallots in a large stainless steel
pan until golden brown and soft in texture,
season with salt and add the red wine then
the ruby port, reduce until coating consis-
tency. Purée and season until smooth.
For the garnish
1 red beet
4 pounds baby spinach picked
2 candy beets
1 tbsp shallot confit
1 baby leeks
50ml double cream
1 cippolini onions
Wash and confit the beets in oil, infuse
with garlic and thyme. Prepare and blanch
the baby leeks in boiling salted water. Pre-
pare and cook cippolini onions in water
and butter emulsion and season. Cook
the spinach in butter for 3–4 minutes until
no texture, chop with sharp knife, season
with salt, add shallot confit and reduced
cream.

34 • Resident The Week Of September 23, 2008