If you have followed Gordon Ramsay’s career long enough, you know there’s almost nothing he can’t do. He’s demonstrated his culinary expertise across hundreds of television appearances, including starring in nearly two dozen long-running shows since 2004. His restaurants, which total 88 around the world, currently hold eight Michelin stars. The Times reported that the restaurants generated a staggering $500 million in global sales in 2024. But for all his confidence and skill, Ramsay is by no means above the occasional cooking mistake.
During an interview with Bon Appétit about “Kitchen Nightmares,” Ramsay told the story of his early days as a chef when he made one of the worst mistakes of his career. It might shed some light on why he never orders the soup of the day at restaurants. Turns out, Ramsay forgot a fish stew outside for a whole day. At the time, he was working in the French Alps at a resort restaurant. You can imagine how eager Ramsay would have been to impress his head chef and also prove himself capable.
Any resort in the French Alps is going to be an upscale destination catering to a sophisticated clientele and offering a refined menu. It would be the kind of place you associate with Ramsay today, but maybe not back then. When the chef asked Ramsay to place the bouillabaisse outside in the cold to chill it, he did as he was asked. Kitchens being the busy places they are, he forgot about it until it had spoiled.
Even Gordon Ramsay made rookie mistakes early on
“By the evening it had festered and formed a thick froth on top. It was absolutely disgusting,” Ramsay recalled. Bouillabaisse originated in Marseille, France, and was traditionally a simple comfort food made with fish scraps. A soup made with fish requires proper refrigeration soon after cooling. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends refrigeration after just two hours off the heat. Sitting outside all day in inconsistent temperatures is not going to cut it, so you can see where things went wrong.
It’s funny to think of Ramsay making such a misstep today, but just imagine how he must have felt as a young chef at the time. He probably felt as bad as the chefs he dresses down on “Kitchen Nightmares.” If you want to succeed where Ramsay failed, we have a classic French bouillabaisse recipe here, made with some refined but still affordable ingredients.
Luckily for the culinary world, Ramsay didn’t let this mistake drag him down. He’s a man who knows a thing or two about the pressure of the job, and even back then, he seemed to follow the advice he still offers young chefs today. “Never give up. But don’t be scared to take a break,” Ramsay said during a Reddit AMA.
Read More: https://www.tastingtable.com/1871698/gordon-ramsay-early-career-cooking-mistake/
