16 Things You Didn't Know About 'Hell’s Kitchen' Star Gordon Ramsay
Ramsay began his food career in England as a pot washer in an Indian restaurant.
Competition will be fierce when Hell’s Kitchen: Battle of the Ages premieres Sept. 29 on Fox with chef Gordon Ramsay, 55, overseeing culinary showdowns between well-seasoned chefs and ambitious younger challengers. Here are some fun facts about the MasterChef judge, who began his own food career in England as a pot washer in an Indian restaurant.
Soccer (or football, as he calls it) was Ramsay’s dream career before injuries forced him to change his plans.
His feet are a U.K. size 15—the equivalent of a U.S. size 16! All his shoes are custom-made.
He’s a black belt in karate.
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Ramsay has competed in more than 15 marathons and in one of the world’s toughest races, the Ironman World Championship.
Vowing to never eat airplane food, he opened Gordon Ramsay Plane Food at London’s Heathrow airport so people can carry on their meals.
He believes there are five foods everyone should be able to make: a great burger, breakfast, a chicken dish, a braising dish and a great cake.
Ramsay’s guilty pleasures when it comes to sweets is cookies and Crack Pie sent to him by Christina Tosi of Milk Bar, and for fast food, it’s In-N-Out double cheeseburgers.
At 31, Ramsay opened his very first restaurant in London’s Chelsea neighborhood, called Restaurant Gordon Ramsay.
Ramsay’s signature dish is his beef Wellington.
In 2006, he was awarded the OBE [Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire] by Queen Elizabeth II for his contribution to the hospitality world.
Weekdays, Ramsay eats porridge (oatmeal) for breakfast, but its waffles with the family on Saturday and pancakes on Sundays.
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Following in Dad’s footsteps, his daughter Matilda had her own cooking show for five seasons on CBBC called Matilda and the Ramsay Bunch.
Ramsay considers French chef Guy Savoy to be his mentor.
Ramsay married Cayetana Hutcheson in 1996, and the couple divide their time between Wandsworth Common in South London and Los Angeles.
Ramsay has five children: Megan, 24; twins Holly, 22, and Jack, 22; Matilda, 20; and Oscar, 3.
His favorite midnight snack is baked beans on grilled sourdough bread with garlic and hot sauce and topped with a duck egg and Parmesan cheese.
Related: 10 of Gordon Ramsay's Funniest Quotes and Insults—'This Isn't Pizza, This Is a Mistake!'
