Gordon recently visited the Eastern & Oriental Hotel and I have to tell you, I prepared myself for the barrage of insults that I perceived would be very soon forth coming. On his arrival he was very tired as he had just landed from a very long journey, but he still found the time to smile and shake my hand as if he really meant it. I offered to carry one of his 2 bags which he refused until I insisted, thereby almost taking it from his hand by force.
He is very down to earth, a simple person who just wants to be treated like everyone else and loves to be low key and private.
During his stay this man has managed to dispel all negative thoughts I may have had previously after watching his television persona, to be quite honest and to put it simply, he is a complete gentleman.
He constantly praised our hotel & my colleagues and on his departure told me that he would have loved to stay far longer if he were able.
As he stood by the door, I asked him “Would it be out of line Gordon if I requested us to take a photo together” , he looked at me confused and replied, “Of course not, don’t be silly, I would have been disappointed if you had not asked.”
Mr. Gordon Ramsay, I take my hat of to you, having you in our hotel was a complete pleasure and I wish everyone could only see what I saw, this wonderful person that you are.
Thank you Michael for sharing your experience.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Tony Mack, Michael Saxon. Michael Saxon said: Gordon Ramsey and me and the Eastern & Oriental Hotel; http://chefstales.com/2010/05/27/celebrity-chef-gordon-ramsey/ [...]
wow, amazing! after seeing those shows myself, not what I would have expected.
Great stuff. Good compliment to you and the hotel. Knowing he has a very high expectation. And me too are surprise about he being such a gentlemen. I guess reality TV is not really “reality” anyway.
I’d probably consider it an honour to be yelled at by Chef Ramsey, I mean if one had to get yelled at. All the same I’m glad he’s nicer than his TV persona and you shared this story with us!
Wow, that’s good to hear, I assumed he would be just like his TV persona too. Nice photo for the album Mike, glad he was impressed with your operation, it must be great to get the stamp of approval from somebody as fussy as him, congratulations!
Congrats! and thanks for sharing your experince an example of difference in what we see and what we hear.
Hi Thank you for sending me this! It’s great to read it. I like Gordon Ramsey, His parsona, and he is not afraid to say the truth.
Great post!! Really enjoyed reading about Gordon!
Wow!
What a priviledge! Thank you Mike.
Wow, I am completely surprised! I would not have thought that he was in the least bit nice from what he shows us on the television. Amazing really. I wonder why it is that some of these celebrity chef’s feel they have to act like complete and total jerks to get our attention? I would much rather be known for being fair and nice. I’ve had a terrible opinion of GR for years now and to be honest will not buy his cookery books or try his recipes because I have perceived him to be a total creep. To be honest I still would not want to work for him, but I may give his cookbooks a second look . . . possibly. thanks for sharing.
Thanks for sharing this with me Mike. It is very interesting and it must be a great honour to have him visit you.I´m glad that you have dismissed the myths behind the TV personna of Gordon Ramsey and that he is actually a nice person. I have to admit that I actually don´t mind watching his programmes although feel that he goes too far sometimes! I feel sorry for the people on the receiving end!
I met him once at Amaryllis in Glasgow….he was very pleasant. :O)
Hi Helen,
Yes he was a good chap, very nice to meet him in person actually.
Thanks for dropping by, look forward to hearing from you again soon.
Warm regards,
Mike.
I have always liked Ramsay. I saw an interview with him once when the Aussies had kicked up a stink about his swearing. He suggested maybe the option to simply use the remote control and change the channel was a nice solution. He is an interesting and complicated character like most individuals and watching episodes where his son has been involved is substantially more telling.
Wow!
What a priviledge! Thank you Mike.
I was lucky enough to meet Gordon Ramsay at the Good Food Show NEC a couple of years ago. My mom and I waited in line (so we could be first!) for over two hours, as she is a HUGE fan! Although he’d been signing autographs and giving demos all day, he still said hello, shook our hands and leaned over the counter to give our cheeks before signing our books – he was absolutely lovely! And he did that for every person in the queue. My impression was of a real gentleman.
Hi Laura,
Thanks for the info and notes.
Apart from the TV personality thingy, I have nothing but praise for him.
I think that you are right and that we both should agree he is a top man.
Warm regards,
Mike.
I too have stood on those very tiles!
I don’t think GR comes across on his shows as really being a total tyrant. Just all part of the act; though I’m sure it is based on a degree of underlying reality that he tends to swear.
At risk of seeming sycophantic, your hotel is so splendid that even the devil should have been calmed!
Did you get him in the kitchens to offer tips?
Steve
[...] Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay | Chef's Tales [...]
What a lovely encounter. I like to believe that most celebrities are quite nice and very grounded. It is too easy for television and media to glamorize them and exaggerate extremes in personality. I’m do glad you were able to meet him!
Hi Liren,
Yes it was a great encounter, he is a good fella.
I think that there is a lot of TV in some people, but when you peel away the layers they are great.
Thanks for dropping by,
Warm regards,
Mike.
That sounds very lovely and it looks like many of your readers echo the same sentiments. I don’t have a TV and only have heard of reputation as both a great chef and an endless ranter.
Cheers.
I’m glad he showed is best side at your hotel. I have been dealing with man for many years as a supplier and I can tell you that he is nothing like his screen persona in person. There are a lot of people out there who think the man is naturally rude. This cannot be further from the truth.
I never thought he was a tyrant – I thought he was immensely passionate about what he does, and he expects the same passion from others. He seems to get angriest at people who adopt a “So what?” attitude. But I tend to gravitate toward people with hug passion for what they do, and therefore have admired him for many years.
Congratulations, chef, on making such a fine impression. I am sure it was well-deserved!
My chef instructors at the culinary school who have met Chef Ramsay say the same thing, that he is absolutely delightful. On the other hand, they also say that Emeril is, unfortunately, just the opposite and not one you want to be around in person.
Thanks for sharing. I definitely think Hell’s Kitchen makes the worst out of it and plays up the drama. The BBC Kitchen Nightmares show shows his real compassion a lot more. He’s a teddy bear at heart.
The most successful people tend to be nicer, aren’t they? It’s the prima donnas who think too highly of themselves that we should pay no attention to. Shame about his TV personality, though I like his gesture of offering to pay for one of the contestants on Hell’s Kitchen to go to cooking school because she’s got the potential.
He was in Penang? Wow! I hope he tried all our great hawker food. Never stayed at E&O but proud of it. It’s such a great part of Penang’s character.
I happen to adore Gordon Ramsay.
We watch very little TV, but I make sure to set the DVR to record Kitchen Nightmares, both the American version and the one on BBC. It’s the only show my husband and I watch together.
Sure Chef Ramsay has a reputation, in certain circles, for being hot-tempered, but I think that he is just a perfectionist and he gets frustrated by some peoples’ laziness and bad habits.
I appreciate the fact that he is a talented chef, a shrewd businessman and that he clearly has a sweet side. I love it when he compliments people for a job well done…and the look on the recipients’ faces when he tells them? Priceless.
Thank you for sharing your wonderful experience with Gordon Ramsay. I would be so honored to meet the man. Everyone thinks they know the real Gordon Ramsay from seeing him on the tv. I look past that and see a wonderful man who is inspired by so many things and just wants to bring out the best in everyone he teaches. I recently picked up his book Roasting in Hell’s Kitchen. It would definitely give viewers a different perspective on him.
What a neat experience. Thanks for sharing!
Great post mike. I opened it up expecting to read about a nightmare of a time. But I’m glad to see, he turned out to be quite different. Its refreshing to know, sometimes tv is just tv; entertainment.