Inducted into the Culinary Hall of Fame earlier this year, Gordon Ramsay continues to be a tour de force in the world of gastronomy. And the celebrity TV chef is back with Gordon’s Ultimate Cookery Course and the sixth instalment of Hell’s Kitchen, writes Debashine Thangevelo.
IN THE world of TV celebrity chefs the knives are out – and they’re not for slicing and dicing. Such is the ruthlessness of the industry, given the dedicated food channels and the surge of newbies bagging their own cooking shows in the style of some reality programmes.
The general consensus is that if you have the passion, a bubbly personality and can cook up a tantalising feast – you could get a foot in. After all, even the famous Nigella Lawson and Sophie Dahl tapped into family cooking secrets for their shows and books. Others like Lorraine Pascale gravitate towards the same path, but after studying the tricks of the trade.
Meanwhile, restaurateur and celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, who holds 15 Michelin stars, still has his spot at the top of the TV show food chain.
And he continues to curry favour – as well as come under fire – with more offerings on the small screen.
Having cultivated a huge following with Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares, The F Word, Hell’s Kitchen, Gordon Ramsay: Cookalong Live, Gordon’s Great Escape and Ramsay’s Best Restaurant – some shows enjoying more than one season – he, given his entrepreneurial skills and being a stickler for detail, also diversified with Hotel Hell.
Amid all his TV commitments, he oversees a string of restaurants around the world – some of which, like La Noisette (London), Verre at the Hilton Dubai Creek (United Arab Emirates), Maze (Cape Town), Maze and Maze Grill (Melbourne) have closed their doors.
Of course, the irony isn’t lost, given that he helps failing restaurants stay in business in Kitchen Nightmares.
But his few failures are offset by an array of successes with his other restaurants, book sales and TV shows. So the closures are rather negligible in the greater scheme of things.
Speaking of TV shows, he is back on our screens with Gordon’s Ultimate Cookery Course on BBC Lifestyle and the sixth season of Hell’s Kitchen on BBC Entertainment.
In the former show, Ramsay taps into his 25 years of experience, during which he worked with some of the world’s top chefs, to share recipes that make for perfect home-cooked meals.
And he also brings a culinary lesson about cuisines he came across during his travels in India, the Far East, the US and Europe.
Sticky beef short ribs, slow-braised stuffed lamb breast, simple and inventive spiced chicken wraps, tantalising noodle dishes and super-easy salads for the health-conscious are all on the menu for this 10-episode series.
Of course, the chef also serves his famous rugged charm and wit along with useful cooking tips.
In season six of Hell’s Kitchen, Ramsay puts 16 chefs through their paces in each episode, which comprises several categories: a team challenge, an award and/or punishment, service, nominees for elimination and actual elimination.
Given the pressure-cooker environment and Ramsay’s flaring temper, things could get explosive in the kitchen.
Heck, that’s one way of spicing things up and, in so doing, Ramsay is bound to whet the appetite with his new offerings.
• Gordon’s Ultimate Cookery Course airs on BBC Lifestyle tonight at 8pm and Hell’s Kitchen on BBC Entertainment on April 15 at 9pm.