Arrive Magazine - January/February, 2009

Palace and Spa near Chateau de Versailles. And next year, plans call for the arrival of another Maze restaurant, this time in Australia.His success has reached the point where strangers on the street do not shy away from him. Actually, many ask for Ramsay to abuse them.

“I’ve had some interesting run-ins with fans of the shows,” he says, “though they always want me to swear at them or call them donkeys.”

Given that he’s been at it for so long at such an exhausting pace, it’s refreshing to see that he still finds it exciting to walk into an unfamiliar kitchen and turn it into his own.

“The process of creating a new dish is always a bit different,” Ramsay says. “Yes, it’s a combination of instinct as well as inspiration. Seasonality is crucial, as the quality of ingredients can make or break a dish. There’s no point in trying to make a berry tart in the dead of winter.”

He then gets philosophically expansive, conveying qualities that contrast with his TV persona. Dare we say that Chef Ramsay can actually be ... patient? Giving? Paternalistic?

By the Queen Mum’s good name, yes, he insists. Like all great restaurateurs, Ramsay remains in touch with and continues to invest in his growing family tree of now-successful chefs who star at their own culinary showcases, such as Jason Atherton at Maze and Angela Hartnett, who has just opened Murano by Angela Hartnett in the Mayfair section of London. Many young talents have been tempered in the fire of Ramsay’s kitchen, and now he speaks of them with more than a touch of a mentor’s great pride. He knows that their success validates not only his abilities but also the madness behind his method.

“I have chefs who have been with me for years,” he says. “They are massively talented and loyal. I’m their biggest supporter, and it’s rewarding to see them all succeed, because we succeed as a team.

“I encourage everyone in my kitchens to be creative, to come up with new ideas. It can take a few days or sometimes a few weeks—whatever it takes to get it perfect. What people may not realize is that we’re not just prepping for lunch or dinner service in the kitchen all day. We’re constantly creating, experimenting and perfecting the next dish. Always.”

The
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