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Gordon Gets Chatty About Hell's Kitchen 4

partysugar — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 10:01:15 -0700

Although the fourth season of Hell's Kitchen doesn't begin until Tuesday, April 1, Gordon Ramsay has already begun hyping the show. This season the stakes are high and the competition is the most stressful to date for both the competitors and Ramsay. Unlike previous seasons, the wannabes are not competing to cook at some restaurant in a Vegas casino resort. This time around the winner will become the chef at Gordon's own, much-hyped restaurant, London West Hollywood in LA. I recently sat in on a conference call with the bad-boy chef. To hear what he had to say, read more.

On London West Hollywood:
Gordon Ramsay: I have to say, opening up in New York taught me a lot. London’s a tough market, Paris is a tough market, but New York, well, that’s extraordinary. Everything I learned and didn’t do in New York I would put into place here in the London West Hollywood. Here, in LA, trust me, there will be fireworks from the canapés right through to the desserts. It’s not going to be sedated, heavy, rich French cuisine; it’s going to be a light and American, California style with a bit of a Japanese influence.

The style, the feel and the décor of the dining room is vibrant. It’s very LA, very cool fabrics, lots of silver, lots of nickel, brushed stainless steel, and lots of cream fabric. It’s going to be fast, it’s going to be furious, and more importantly, we have that level of intimacy, that level of fun without being long winded. That’s really important.

On tasting the contestants crappy signature dishes:
GR: I get really frustrated because they know I’m coming. So when a chef is that incompetent or stupid or lazy in terms of health and hygiene. . . . When people say, “Oh, you’re doing that for the cameras,” no, I’m doing that because if you work in this industry and we’re going to spend 25 or 30 years in the kitchen trying to master our craft, how stupid do we have to be to put together a venison tartare with capers, shallots, parsley, lemon juice, egg yolk, and combine that with a scallop tartare with, again, ketchup, lime juice, and white chocolate bound together with caviar? What type of nut is going to actually come out and eat and pay top dollar for that level of stupidity?

It does hurt. You’d think they’d perfect it in a way that says right, keep it simple, focus on the ingredients, and when we go out for lunch or dinner, let’s be honest, it is the flavor that holds the memory. The presentation is one thing, but the execution of flavor is what draws you back to a restaurant.

On what celebrity he would absolutely love to cook for:
GR: I get excited cooking for anybody, to be honest. I’m cooking for Nelson Mandela’s birthday party in Hyde Park this summer. I suppose if I wanted something really fun and sexy, it’d have to be Cameron Diaz. She’s tall, she’s beautiful, and she loves pink meat.

On why he decided to give this season's winner a job at one of his restaurants:
GR: I cringe sometimes when everyone talks about a reality show with no integrity. So I thought about this idea of me looking for a chef. Is it promotional? No, of course it’s not! I’ve never been any form of marketing tool in order to promote my restaurant.

Sometimes I get a lot of criticism from the industry because it’s not the real deal. Well, it is in the premiere league. If you want to go to the top, then of course you have to weather the storm. It’s not all plain sailing, and it’s not all about creating little pitchers out of watermelons. I get very frustrated when things go wrong, clearly.

Putting my neck on the line and looking for a chef for my own restaurant was almost an investment, from my point of view, a way to make sure that we continue searching for talent and propelling it. Yes, I want to put my money where my mouth is and prove to the industry that any winner of Hell’s Kitchen is more than qualified and capable of standing alone in my kitchen, that’s for sure.

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Gordon Ramsay Under Fire For Pre-Prepared Meals

YumSugar — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 13:00:28 -0700

Gordon Ramsay is under fire - for the way meals are prepared in his own kitchen. The Sun posted a slideshow of dishes from coq au vin to sausage rolls to fishcakes made in mass at a production site, then transported to several of Ramsay's gastropubs.

Although the star of Hell's Kitchen and Kitchen Nightmares wasn't available for comment, his spokeswoman, Jo Barnes, contended that it's "common in the business" for small dining establishments to prepare dishes offsite. But in a contrasting 2007 interview, the celebrity food personality extolled the virtues of just-prepared food: "I can't understand how on earth people can ignore fresh food. Using fresh ingredients is the only way to guarantee a great taste."

The claim isn't the first time the world-famous chef has been in the public eye this year. It was off to a rough start with speculation that his culinary empire might be going bankrupt. Then a Scottish newspaper reported that most of the restaurants he revamped on Kitchen Nightmares are now closed. As if things couldn't get worse, one of his London restaurants was under investigation after a reality TV star claimed to have choked on a piece of cling film. He also recently sold his West Hollywood and Paris restaurants - and rumors are flying that his New York outpost may not remain for much longer.

What do you think of The Sun's newest claim - is it wrong or reasonable for small restaurants to prepare things ahead of time at a different location? What kind of advice would you give to Gordon to turn things around?

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Let's Dish: Hell's Kitchen 4.11

partysugar — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 09:00:42 -0700

The battle to be Ramsay's executive chef is on! Last night's episode of Hell's Kitchen was an odd mix of bimbos, bloopers, and bad tempers. It was the first time in HK history that contestants taught non-chefs how to cook. It was also the first time the losers had to witness the challenge winner enjoy the prize.

I'll admit I was a little surprised by the outcome of the elimination; were you? To discuss this and more, read more.

Will Jen be her own undoing?
Didn't you want to taste Ramsay's scrumptious-looking lobster pasta?
Where did they find those ~~trashy housewives~~ Hawaiian Tropics models?!
When the models walked in, whose drooling was more disgusting: Bobby's or Petrozza's?
Will Jen ever be a team player?
Who would you have nominated for elimination?
Can you believe Petrozza has made it to the final four?
Wouldn't it be fun if the final two were Christina and Corey?

And now, a few words of wisdom from good old Gordon Ramsay:

On being a great chef [Do you agree?]: That's the essence of becoming a great chef: becoming a great teacher.
On Bobby's burnt Wellingtons: Hey Bobby! What the f*** is that? Bobby yeah, look burnt on the bottom! And you haven't even trimmed the f***ing backs. F***ing wake up please.
On Jen's John Dory: Hello Jen? It's f***ing raw, it's raw yeah? It's raw! It's rubber! It's overcooked! First you undercook it, now you overcook it?!
On the dinner service: We completed the service, but here's the thing, it was too painful. And being the final five I seriously expect more.
On the final five contestants: One of you is going to be my executive chef at the London West Hollywood! [Are they really?]

Photos courtesy of Fox.