Meeting Gordon Ramsay

Gordon Ramsay demonstrated why he has become one of the world’s most popular and recognisable chefs when he wowed crowds at his sell-out shows at the Cape Town Good Food & Wine Show in the Mother City over the weekend.

From Kitchen Nightmares to Hell’s Kitchen, I have become truly obsessed with the rage and fierce personality of Gordon Ramsay. So when word spread that this Michelin Star celebrity chef is in town, I couldn’t resist an invitation from Checkers to venture out to the 2013 Good Food and Wine Show and meet the man himself.

The queue was long, but the wait was worth it. Chef Ramsay talks a mile a minute, has a wicked sense of humour, and looks pretty much exactly the same as on television.

During the hour long show, Ramsay invited a couple of audience members to join him at the chef’s table on stage. Gordon even phoned the husband of one of the ladies who could only afford one of the pricey R950 VIP tickets, and invited the man to join them on stage.

After all the fun and games, it was time to get cooking and Gordon managed to pull off a 3 course meal in 30 minutes. For starters, he prepared a  squid and crayfish salad followed by a rib eye steak served with baby potatoes and mushrooms. For dessert Gordon made an apple and pear tart with a caramel glaze.

Chef Gordon Ramsay explaining how to cook a crayfish at the Good Food & Wine Show.

After the show, the star chef signed copies of his new Ultimate Cookery Course cook book,  for the keen crowd. During our brief meet and greet I asked Gordon what his favourite South African wine is. He said that it’s difficult to pinpoint one specific favourite but admitted that he’s a great fan of the wines from the Stellenbosch region. He added that he was having a marvelous time in South Africa, and seemed genuinely surprised by the warm reception.

As you can see, the lady who was in charge of my camera, was a complete amateur, but at least I have a signed copy of his cook book.

[listgallery id=66583]