By Jenny Brown
Pictures: Andrew Jacob
Always in hot water, super-chef Gordon Ramsay is a stirrer, whose talent and drive, together with his brazen use of the “F” word, have made him an international star.
On top-rating TV shows like Hell’s Kitchen and Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares, his temper boils over with terrifying regularity. He’s even been chased down the street by a knife-wielding cook who couldn’t take his roasting any more.
But there is a softer side to the 41-year-old chef. Loved and loathed in equal measure — a British magazine poll once placed him in its Top 100 Sexiest Men — he adores his wife Tana and four small children, Megan, twins Holly and Jack, and Matilda, and inspires fanatical loyalty in long-time staff.
While chewing the fat with Woman’s Day, a charming, mild-mannered and very funny Gordon reveals what he thinks about wealth, how he gets his son to eat carrots and how he dealt with his wife producing a cookbook.
According to rumours, you’re going to open an Australian restaurant?
There are a couple of options in Sydney and Melbourne and I’d be mad not to look at it. I wouldn’t do it unless we can invest in it and control it. It can go t**ts up without control. But I love it here. The food is phenomenal, but because it’s so remote, Australian chefs don’t get the credit they deserve in Europe.
Do you ever get invited to dinner parties?
I swear to God I would rather become a vegetarian than go to a dinner party. You know why? Because you’re gawped at like you’re on Big Brother — every mouthful, every sound, and no-one’s relaxed. It’s that level of diplomacy I’m not very good at. [With disgust] Dinner parties! I mean, if I’m going ’round to theirs, they are going to come to mine and what the f*** do I want to do that for?
So how do you entertain your friends?
We had a celebration on New Year’s Eve, but I didn’t cook. I brought in a chef so I could sit and enjoy myself. Otherwise it’s too bloody hard. Another secret is the art of delegation — make one bring the starter, one the main course and you do the pudding. It works out great. Be responsible for one dish and one dish only.
Do you ever say “I told you so” to your brother?
I don’t want to go into it too much, out of respect. I wear a jacket of guilt because if I wasn’t as successful as I am, I don’t think there would be such need for him to fight against it. I blame myself slightly, but it’s time to let him go. I have my other family to look after. Heroin isn’t a disease, it’s a choice. I stand strong on that.
Have you talked to your children about it?
We tell the kids that all drugs are dangerous. It’s my decision to put the fear of God into them — like smoking causes cancer and it’s why Nanny has a bad heart. I expose them to the harsh reality.
Are celebrity chefs a good or bad thing?
I get frustrated when people come into the industry wanting to cook on TV. That’s thousands of miles away from the coalface and what it takes to perfect food. I’ve been very lucky to be able to diversify, but I would cringe at employing a chef who wants to be famous. I’m not a TV chef, I want that on my tombstone.
And what do you think of most TV chefs’ cuisine?
Celebrity cat food! But as long as they continue making knob meals, it makes my life f**king easier. I’m definitely not complaining.
What would you order for your last meal?
I had some amazing grilled scallops once at Icebergs in Bondi. They were mind-blowing, so that’s my starter, and then I would go for something like sea bass or barramundi resting on a bed of roast potatoes with purple basil and confit tomatoes. For dessert, I’d have the most amazing hot chocolate fondant with ice cream — go out the way you came in … with milk. And the rest is f**king history.
For more of this interview, see this week’s Woman’s Day (on sale May 12).
Your say:
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