"Hells Kitchen. How stupid is he?" Topic

I have to wonder, how big of an idiot this Ramsey person is, when he brings in people who have no idea of how to cook meat, or pasta, or rice, or even the proper use of a knife.

I always thought that sports fans were complete idiots when they holler at thier TV screens because of a bad play by thier favorate team. But I have to admit, that I see some truley rediculus stuff going on in that show that really makes me cringe.

In all fairness, Ramsey has every right to scream at these people when they screw up. What's scary is, that he is going to put one of these losers in charge of a major restaurant.

I've worked in the food service field since he was in diapers, and although he may be called a "chef" and doe's do fairly well, he definately has gaps in his knowlege. His ability to lead is incredibly poor.

I know it's a TV show and he prefers ratings, but to dissapoint so many customers is unforgiveable.

I know any amount of line cooks (not chefs) who could run circles around these people without even breaking a sweat. Maybe they can't come up with some exotic recipe for lamb chops or crab legs, but they do know how to organize a walk-in, a freezer, and dry storage. They do know about proper sanitation, and recieveing product. And in a pinch, they know how to actually run a well oiled machine known as the "line" along with prep, and even properly deal with the servers.
One minute wasted in the middle of a rush means that you now have 13 minute check times instead of 12. One person screws up, and in an hour you could easily have 25 minute check times. multiply that by 3 hours and it gets truley ugly.

I wouldn't give a hoot or hollar for any of these would be "chefs" as it seems that almost none of them have a clue.

"His ability to lead is incredibly poor."

As evidenced by the numerous restaurants and pubs owned by his holding company and valued at 67 million pounds. Oh, and the 16 Michelin stars.

The TV show is an entertainment product; that's all. And the fact that it's hugely popular says something deeply disturbing about the viewing public.

Meanwhile, Ramsay laughs all the way to the bank.

He's an ass, but as we all know asses can be successful. We also know that asses need not be gifted to be successful. Look at all the people who used to be millionaires (or billionaires) before the dot.com and real estate busts. Many of those were never gifted and no longer successful and at the end of the day, many of those are still asses.

I know people who know him. He knows how to be polite, but chooses not to. Whenever I'm going to work with someone, whether a client or a new boss, I ask around to see how they treat their employees when times are not so good. I think it's a reflection on what they are like as people. Times have been very good for Ramsay, but we know that he's not so nice to his employees.

I wonder if that accidental link in your post goes anywhere, but I'm afraid to find out.

In the UK version of Kitchen Nightmares Mr Ramsey has been very nuturing and has been solicitous of peoples's feelings on at least two occasions but the people did seem to deserve decent treatment.

On Kitchen Nightmares, he also frequently shows that he is very adept at organizing, leading, and motivating a brigade.

Allen

I always disliked him from his US fare, but Kitchen Nightmares totally changed my mind. He is astute, professional, and very nurturing when somebody makes an effort to turn their failing business around. He has little tolerance for slackers and idiots, so I can relate completely. He also has a fair grasp of psychology when he tries to suss out why some of the business owners are failing. Over all I can see on that program why he is so successful.

Only on the US stuff does he rail and totally lose it. I can't imagine why that would be the case… 8)=

It goes to a page saying 'sponsored links for dot.com'

- Only on the US stuff does he rail and totally lose it. I can't imagine why that would be the case… 8)= -

He's on Fox, what else do you expect?

I like him on UK Kitchen Nightmares and the "The F Word". And he knows food, no doubt about that.

I must agree. These people aren't capable of boiling eggs let alone all the other stuff they are expected to do.

Exactly, combatpainter. I'd rather him have to pick amongst a good crew, rather than eliminateing which one is the bigger screw up.

Nazrat, I entirely agree about Kitchen Nightmares.

What REALLY amazed me about this series is that you have these guys running failing businesses, that get priceless and practical advice on stuff like menu creation, pricing, decor etc for free, and then choose to ignore it.

I mean it's not as if they were doing well in the first place.

Two things to keep in mind about the "contestants" or whatever they are:

(1) There are perfectly competent people who cannot deliver in the (rather artificial) pressure environment of those shows.

(2) Reality shows are dramas. Producers select the personalities for the way they expect them to interact and the viewer groups they will appeal to. Editors eliminate any footage showing calm, flawless professionalism because that is not what you are watching the show to see.

It's a show! But I like all cooking shows and I learned more about scallops on this show than I ever knew before (which was nothing).

Although, I do keep hoping that someone will lose it and deck Mr. Ramsay.

I think that he's really putting on the pressure for the Hell's Kitchen people in order to see what they're made of. It's an intentional tactic to find the person that doesn't crack under the strain of running a first-class eatery (at least, I assume that the restaurants the winners go to are supposed to be first class eateries :) ).

I really appreciate his comments to reasonable owners on Nightmares, and my wife and I look at some of the organizations we are with and wish "could we get Ramsay to come kick some tail for *us*?"

Only on the US stuff does he rail and totally lose it. I can't imagine why that would be the case… 8)=

US audiences, based on the Fox's views, prefer confrontation rather than a learning experience. I think some of those failing restaurant owners have been coached on behavior, AFAIK none of the UK ones said "I'll get that Ramsey to the camera or you've been sent by Gawd…"

Having worked for several chefs in the past, Ramsey ain't that bad. I used to work with an Austrian chef who only knew curse words in English and who would walk up behind you and yell if you weren't doing what he wanted or the way he wanted you to do it. Every day he came up with some beautiful sayings, many of which were classics.

The restaurant business is cutthroat all to hell and it's no place for whiners or people who don't have the slightest idea how to cook an egg! Frankly, the kitchen is no place for nice people – chefs have to be less than polite, they're like DIs – if you ever meet a nice one – he's either drunk or retired!

Yeah, Hell's Kitchen is basically a boot camp experience. He is purposely placing stress on the cooks. I prefer Nightmares and the F-word. Both show a different view of Ramsay and his knowledge. The guy has achieved things other chef's could only dream about.

Thanks,

John

I also saw him doing the celeb in a reasonably-priced car challenge on Top Gear. It gave another insight into his character.

He clocked a top time, but the interesting thing was the camera trained on him during his circuit. He constantly berated and swore at himself if he took a corner less than perfectly.

He's a perfectionist who demands at least as much from himself as he demands from others. He used to be a professional footballer before injury forced him to find a new career btw.