Gordon Ramsay is pretty much a household name these days. Between his restaurants, television shows, guest appearances, books, and even video games, it’s clear to see why he has such a global reach. But how did he get there? How did Gordon Ramsay get famous?
Gordon Ramsay was first introduced to a mass television audience in February of 1999 when a television station aired a 5-part documentary, “Boiling Point”, on the chef. Filmed over eight months in 1998, the series starts just after Gordon Ramsay walked out as head chef of the Aubergine restaurant.
The documentary produced by Channel 4 was the first time a lot of people got a glimpse of the foul-mouthed chef. Many were enthralled and appalled all at the same time. There was one thing everyone could agree on, they wanted to see more of him and his antics. In 2000 there was a follow up to the documentary series, called “Beyond Boiling Point”, but it still wasn’t enough.
Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares
The same Channel 4 that aired Boiling Point worked with Ramsay and in 2004 Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares debuted in the United Kingdom. He didn’t disappoint. Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares went on to air for five seasons.
In 2004 Ramsay appeared in the first season of Hell’s Kitchen but left after that as he had a contract with Channel 4 for U.K. television. In 2005 Fox introduced America to the Scottish chef by creating their own version of Hell’s Kitchen.
He’s been on Fox Television ever since then. After Hell’s Kitchen they redid he other classic British show, but dropped his name, and aired Kitchen Nightmares starting in 2007. There have been several other shows on both Channel 4 in the United Kingdom and Fox Television in the United States.
Working with Chef Ramsay
For all his cursing, insults, and tantrums, it can’t be all bad working for Gordon Ramsay. The move that caught the attention of Channel 4 wasn’t just the fact that a head chef walked out of a restaurant. I’m sure that happens often. What caught people’s attention is that not only did he walk out, but the majority of the staff followed him.
Boiling Point followed his foray into going out on his own in the restaurant business and opening his own place. Many of the staff at Aubergine not only walked out with Ramsay, but they also followed him and worked for him in his new venture.
People don’t commit those actions for just anybody. There has to be something about the person, the value that you get by doing it, and respect you have for the person you are basically following blindly.
Several people have only nice things to say about working for Gordon Ramsay, who still has a pulse on all of his restaurants and visits each one fairly frequently. As frequently as one can for someone who has 34 active restaurants on the go.
One former employee only left because she was on a temporary Visa from New Zealand and had every intention of traveling and experiencing different things when she first landed in England. The job was an unexpected year-long waylay that she decided to leave so that she could get in the traveling she had originally planned, before her Visa ran out.
Another employee who has spoken out about working for chef Ramsay continues to work for him, and it has been over a dozen years since he first got a job working for the celebrity chef.
He’s Come a Long Way
Gordon Ramsay has come a long way since Boiling Point was filmed in 1998. While he was a successful chef at the time of filming, it was nothing compared to his status today. These days he’s more of a celebrity than a chef, but he still indulges in the kitchens of his restaurants every once in a while.
These days, in some instances, you need to be able to stand out apart from the crowd to advance. Chef Ramsay definitely stands out from the crowd and it has done him good for over twenty years now. He continues to ride the fame wave and there’s no indication of him slowing down any time soon.