Gordon Ramsay and controversy have gone hand in hand ever since the potty-mouthed celebrity chef took London’s culinary scene by storm back in the 1990s. Owner of numerous restaurants and host of a legion of hit television shows, there has rarely been a dull moment from the perpetually hot-headed star of such series as Kitchen Nightmares, MasterChef, and many more.
Over the years, the tabloids have had a field day chronicling Ramsay’s exploits, which have involved lawsuits, allegations of shady dealings in his restaurants, and claims that he’s faked his TV shows. Throw in accusations of cultural appropriation, racist remarks, ripoffs, and randy rudeness to a sexy female TV star during an infamous talk show appearance, and that’s only scratching the scandalous surface of the controversial chef who’s built an empire based on good food and bad behavior.
Long before Gordon Ramsay was a household name, he was already getting in trouble for the bad-boy antics that would become his hallmark. In 2004, an old incident resurfaced that spelled embarrassment for the celebrity chef. As the Daily Mail reported, Ramsay had been arrested back in 1993, along with two other male chefs, caught in “various stages of undress” in a tube station lavatory.
While the three were cited for “gross indecency,” a spokesperson for Ramsay insisted the incident was just a little booze-fueled tomfoolery. The spokesperson described the boozy hijinks of three men who’d had a bit too much to imbibe and were “horsing around” in a public bathroom after a celebratory evening.
After talking with Ramsay about what transpired all those years ago, the spokesperson explained that “one of them was having a pee in the sink. The other one was running around with his trousers around his ankles and Gordon was actually just at a urinal with his head slumped on the wall.” The spokesperson emphasized that there was no court appearance, dismissing the whole thing as “a complete boys’ lark” while maintaining “there was nothing sexual involved.”
In 2008, Gordon Ramsay was accused of infidelity by self-described “professional mistress” Sarah Symonds (via HuffPost), who claimed she’d had a seven-year affair with the married chef. Sharing details of the alleged affair with now-defunct News of the World (via New Zealand Herald), Symonds claimed to be Ramsay’s “confidante” and “‘soulmate,” and described him as “someone who lives on the edge. He loves the risk and needs that adrenaline rush.”
Ramsay, however, denied everything, even joking about the allegations while filming a cooking show — with his mother in the audience. “What a week I’ve had,” Ramsay declared. “My mum is in here tonight so I’m on my best behavior, ooh la la. Oh f**k it. I didn’t do it, mum, I love you.”
In an interview with Men’s Journal, Ramsay restated his innocence, and graphically explained why he would never cheat on his wife. “She’s a nut crusher,” said Ramsay of his spouse. “If I ever f**ked up, she’d have my balls in a vise and turn them into a f**king crêpe suzette thinner than the frilliest knickers Paris Hilton’s ever worn.”
In 2009, several of Gordon Ramsay’s London gastropubs were found to be serving previously prepared frozen food to oblivious customers. The revelation came about thanks to a sting orchestrated by The Sun tabloid, reported The Guardian, which revealed that the eateries were supplied with boil-in-the-bag coq au vin supplied by Ramsay-owned kitchen facility GR Logistics. When heated and served, the food was sold to unsuspecting diners at a markup of around 500 percent.
As Daily Mail reported, a spokesperson admitted that GR Logistics did indeed “prepare components of dishes devised and produced to the highest Gordon Ramsay standards.” These menu items, the spokesperson continued, “are sealed and transported daily in refrigerated vans and all menu dishes are then cooked in the individual kitchens.” This, the spokesperson asserted (via The Guardian), allowed the gastropubs to “control the consistency and the quality of the food served.”
Helen Hokin, food editor for Food and Travel Magazine, didn’t buy that explanation. She told The Scotsman that this was just another example of “an ever-increasing discrepancy between what Gordon Ramsay says and what Gordon Ramsay does. I think he’s going to lose the trust of his adoring public.”
