Gordon Ramsay is undoubtably one of the best-known and acclaimed chefs in the entire world, and even if you've never seen an episode of Hell's Kitchen, you've probably still heard his name and recognise his face. Hardly surprising when you consider his skills and raw (pun unintended) talent.
After all, this is a guy who was mentored by the famously-temperamental Marco Pierre White, a restauranteur who has been awarded multiple Michelin stars. He's such an ace that he once even competed against the current salmon0cutting Guinness World Record holder: losing by only one piece and a handful of seconds.
Despite all these accolades however, Ramsay himself is usually modest about his abilities, and insists that he isn't as talented a chef as the public make him out to be. In fact, in a number of interviews Ramsay has claimed that and that his real strength isn't really in his cooking, but his managerial skills. However, despite this, things can, and do, sometimes go wrong in his restaurants.
Unfortunately, it seems as though Ramsay's fiery temper wasn't the only thing delivering deep burns - and one of his outlets has had it's reputation marred by a much more literal incident.
Last week, two customers at Gordon Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen restaurant in Las Vegas were hospitalised after being injured by a cocktail known as 'The Rum Donkey'. The drink's preparation allegedly involves torching it, and apparently the flames got out of hand, leaving the two people who ordered them somewhat singed.
Caesar’s Hotels, which houses Ramsay's restaurant, stated in response that: "We stand ready to provide any assistance [the victims] may need to help them through this difficult time. The particular type of specialty drink served at Hell’s Kitchen is served at the finest restaurants worldwide without incident. But out of an abundance of caution, Hell’s Kitchen has removed the drink item at issue from the menu. All of us here at Caesars Palace and the Gordon Ramsay Restaurant Group are concerned for the injured guests, and are hopeful for their speedy recovery."
Ramsay has also ended up in hot water after some criticised his upcoming TV series Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted, as being too similar to the late Anthony Bourdain's work.
In response to this, a spokesperson for National Geographic stated: "We are disappointed that the announcement of our upcoming series with Gordon Ramsay was taken out of context. With National Geographic’s storied history of exploration, our plan with this series is to celebrate and learn about local cultures around the world. In partnering with Ramsay — a well-known adventure enthusiast — we are going to fully immerse viewers and give them a glimpse into surprising and unexpected cultures and local flavours."
They added: "We have not gone into production on the series yet, so this perspective is premature. We’re looking forward to working with Ramsay, who’s been making food and travel documentaries for well over a decade, to share the series when it premieres sometime next year."
Ah well, I'm sure that Ramsay will be able to get it together again in due course.
