Humble Pie (6 page)
Authors: Gordon Ramsay
New York, New York
In early July 2006, I went to Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh to pick up my OBE from the Queen. I took Mum, Tana, and my daughter Megan – three generations of women from the same family. The award means a huge amount to me. It’s just a little confirmation of how far I’ve come, that I’m doing okay. But the most important thing about it was that it was awarded to me for my services to the industry. It had nothing to do with my television work. I think that pleased me more than anything. I felt amazingly proud.
But it’s certainly not the end. People often ask me whether there’ll ever be a day when I’ve got enough restaurants in my group and enough Michelin stars under my belt. The answer to both questions is no. With regard to Michelin stars, another chef has got three three-starred
restaurants, in New York, Monaco and Paris, so it’s definitely possible. That’s my goal.
Luckily, I’ve got some time up my sleeve, and my guys want it as well. Already, we have opened up successfully in Prague. Restaurants in the Trianon Palace in Versailles and in the Pulitzer Hotel in Amsterdam have only the final touches to be completed, and they will become part of our European growth, too.
Ah, yes. New York is the restaurant capital of the world. Our first restaurant in that fantastic city opened in November 2006, and making a success of it is the biggest, most important challenge of my career so far.
‘We can’t wait to see you go down in flames in New York,’ read one anonymous email I received. ‘We want the meat off your bones.’
The target in New York is three stars. The American
Michelin Guide
awarded us two stars last year, but I won’t stop till it has earned three.
Do I think we can do it? Fuck me, yes, definitely.
People often ask me about the way eating habits have changed in the years since I became a chef.
I always say the same thing, ‘Yes, they have, but there’s a huge task ahead.’
I’m not convinced that people cook enough. We need to get back our feeling for ingredients, for running a kitchen budget. We need to get closer to what we eat, to look at it more, to love it and pay it attention.
So far, whatever anyone likes to think, the food revolution in this country has happened mainly in London. But that’s not to say that I’m not hopeful that things will get better, slowly and surely. And I’m willing to play any part I can in making British habits change.
As you must know by now, I think good food is important. It can be life-changing.
Just look what it’s done for me.
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HarperCollins
Publishers
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www.harpercollins.co.uk
Published 2008
FIRST EDITION
Copyright text © Gordon Ramsay 2006, 2008
The author asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work
A CIP catalogue record of this book is available from the British Library
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EPub Edition © MARCH 2010 ISBN: 978-0-007-37113-6
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