Cooking Up Storm

From playing association football at the age of 14 to now having been honoured with an OBE and his restaurants awarded with a total of 16 Michelin stars, the Scottish-born British from Johnstone, United Kingdom, Gordon Ramsay, shares his thoughts on the Michelin, his tricks on easy cooking and his experience on cooking goat biryani at an Indian wedding for 1,100 guests!

Coming from a troubled childhood and having played association football at age 12 for Warwickshire, how did your passion for culinary come into play?

L’Officiel India DigitalRead L’Officiel India in the digital libraryEvery issue and every cover story, on TCG Media.Read now

As a child I remember coming home from school and I would go straight to the kitchen and help my mum. I still make her recipes today and I think that it’s because of her that I discovered my love for food and cooking. Later, I worked in the country house outside of Stratford-upon-Avon where I got to spend six weeks in the dining room and then six weeks in the kitchen. That’s when I knew it was meant to be.

Your restaurant, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, gained its third Michelin star in 2001, thus making you the first Scottish to achieve this. How important is representing your culture and community in such a competitive industry?

First, it’s really important to understand that Michelin stars are awarded to the restaurant, not to one person. If there's one thing I've come to admire with the Michelin, it's that it's consistent. It's a person who is judging you incognito so you have no idea when they'll be in, or when they'll review you. And that's why they're the most feared and respected by chefs. But honestly, I don't cook for the guide, I cook for the customers. But it was definitely a great feeling when we got the call.

How do you place yourself differently in the competitive F & B industry?

First off, I’ve surrounded myself with a great team who helps manage all of the various pieces that make a global restaurant group flourish. I also think we’ve done a great job of giving our chefs, within the group, opportunities to grow. It’s their passion and drive that help make us stay the best in a very competitive market.

A father of 4, what are their favourite dishes from your vast variety of specialties?

At home we love cooking all sorts of dishes; everyone gets involved. And there is more to cooking than just being behind the stove. On weekends the whole family will go to the local market, pick up fresh produce, and we’ll make a big dinner. I rarely do fancy. If I’m cooking for the children, I’ll make a pasta or rice-based dish. If it’s just for Tana and me, then perhaps a beautiful steak and a simple salad.

Do they cook too? Any chances of them following into your footsteps?

All our kids love to cook. Our youngest, Tilly has her own show, “Matilda And The Ramsay Bunch”, which airs in the UK on the children's channel CBBC.

Your idea of a perfect family meal?

Making one of my mum’s recipes.

You have been involved in various charitable works around the world, what’s next on your agenda?

In 2014, my wife Tana and I set up the “Gordon and Tana Ramsay Foundation” to make a meaningful difference to charities that are important to us. Right now the foundation is partnered up with Great Ormond Street Hospital, one of London’s most respected children’s hospitals. Tana and I are very blessed to have four healthy children but we can’t forget those less fortunate than us and GOSH does a fantastic job supporting those families. This year we’re continuing the tradition of running a half-Ironman in support of the foundation in June in Staffordshire.

A cooking trick/secret that you use often in your cooking?

Pancakes: Let the batter rest, covered, for 15 minutes so it can thicken and create a fluffier pancake.

Rice: Rinse it under cold water in a colander before you cook it to prevent clumps.

Fish: The key to skinning fish is to use a sharp but flexible knife. Sharpen your knives before and after each use.

Pasta: Season the water with salt (for flavour) and olive oil (to prevent sticking) before cooking it al dente.

You are launching your own mobile game, tell us about that.

We’ve been working on it for over a year now. And it’s a game that I tried to make as authentic to the real kitchen world as possible. I’ve been working closely with the development team, working with them on the design, artwork, dialogue and helping to provide creative vision to guide the development of the game. It comes out this summer and we are very excited!

You have your chain of restaurants in London and Dubai, any chances of opening one in India?

I love India, I’ve been fortunate enough to travel all over the world, but I would love to go back and spend more time there. As for opening a restaurant, you never know! It’s such a rich and beautiful country.

Your views on the Indian cuisine. Your favourite Indian dish?

I love Indian cuisine, for me there’s nothing better than a delicious Indian curry on a cold London night. I spent a month in India filming one of my documentary series there and saw first-hand on how diverse the Indian culture is and how it’s reflected in their dishes. For me, the one dish that I’ll always remember was the goat biryani in Lucknow that I helped prepare for a wedding with 1,100 guests!

What has changed from the time you started to now, in term of the culinary business and the customer’s taste and demands?

There are so many great restaurants that customers are not afraid to be demanding, because if they don’t like the experience, they’ll go somewhere else. There are tough critics everywhere. They are on you, and if you aren’t on your game they’ll rip the meat off your bones. I love that!

We all have a goal in life, what was/is yours?

Well I’ve already been blessed with four beautiful children and an amazing wife. But I wouldn’t mind finishing an Ironman race in under 10 hours.