http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/food/2007/12/09/2007-12-09_gordon_ramsay_cooks_up_another_restauran-1.htmlPrague, Denmark, Helsinki, New York, London, Los Angeles - chef Gordon Ramsay's recent itinerary is so full that it's a wonder he ever has time to set foot in his own expanding empire of restaurants.
"Oh, no, every time we introduce a new dish, I'm right there at the pass, working the hot plate," Ramsay says by telephone from Los Angeles. "You'd be surprised at how hands-on I am."
Not really - certainly not if you've seen either Fox's "Hell's Kitchen" (now shooting its fourth season) or Ramsay's current series, "Kitchen Nightmares" (Wednesday, 9 p.m.). "Hands-on" only begins to describe Ramsay's style when he's dealing with a restaurant kitchen staff. Other appropriate adjectives: loud, angry, sarcastic, profane and even abusive. It's all part of the larger-than-life personality of the British-born Ramsay, a multi-Michelin-starred chef before he became a hotheaded TV star in Great Britain and the U.S.
American audiences have embraced his explosive style on "Hell's Kitchen," the reality competition in which would-be chefs try to win a restaurant of their own. In the kitchen, he barks like a bad-tempered drill sergeant, browbeating contestants who don't work to the level he requires ("Donkey!" is one of his kinder epithets).
Like "Hell's Kitchen," "Kitchen Nightmares" started as a British series, before being reworked for American television. Ramsay selects failing restaurants (which request his help), analyzes their problems and offers solutions for turning themselves around.
His in-your-face approach earned him a New York lawsuit shortly before "Kitchen Nightmares" hit the air in September. When Dillon's, an Indian-Continental restaurant on W. 54th St., invited Ramsay and his camera crew, Ramsay documented an incredible array of filth, rodent droppings and rotting food in the kitchen and convinced the owner to fire the general manager.
The GM then sued Ramsay, claiming Ramsay planted the spoiled food, staged some scenes for the show and otherwise set him up. The case was dismissed in August in Manhattan federal court. Dillon's, meanwhile, changed its name to Purnima after a Ramsay makeover and continues as an Indian restaurant.
"All the crap I had to face - and it was all b-," Ramsay says. "It was this tsunami of bad press. I had to gag myself about it, but meanwhile, it's my name in the headlines. I felt vindicated when the program was on the air."
Surprisingly, having sought Ramsay's help, many of the restaurant owners argue with Ramsay when he prescribes a drastic solution. But, even knowing his tough-talking approach, they keep coming: When Fox issued a casting call for "Kitchen Nightmares'" second season (
www.fox.com/kitchennightmares), the first mention on the current shows drew almost 600 responses.
"I'm a chef who thrives on adrenaline," Ramsay says. "So I'm looking for restaurants that are in real jeopardy."
Ramsay has never had that problem with his own business. From his first restaurant in London, Aubergine, he's consistently won Michelin stars - and a reputation for his demanding, confrontational style (first captured in a British documentary series, "Boiling Point").
He opened his first American restaurant in Manhattan at the end of last year: Gordon Ramsay at the London on W. 54th St. Gordon Ramsay Holdings (overseen by his father-in-law) operates more than a dozen more eateries in the United Kingdom, Tokyo, Dubai and Prague - with one soon to open in West Hollywood and another slated for a Valentine's Day opening in Paris.
"I can't wait for the French critics to take a crack at me," he scoffs.
His TV visibility makes his restaurants even more of a target, he admits, noting that New York critics had their knives sharpened when he opened last year.
"We had a tough time when we opened in New York," he admits. "People had a lot of preconceived ideas. The hardest to take were the English critics who came over. But we've weathered the storm."
Ramsay, who was a professional soccer prospect before knee injuries forced him to turn to cooking, plans to move his wife and four children to Los Angeles from London. He admits his family time is limited, "but it's quality time," he says. He recognizes that he's pushing himself about as far and as hard as he can - and that it can't last forever.
"At 41, I can't continue at this pace," he says with a sigh. An upcoming ironman triathlon (2.8-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and 26.2-mile marathon) could determine the future. "I'll look at my finishing time - and if I do better than last time, I'll know I've got another 10 years left. If I do worse, I'll figure I only have five years."
