'Real deal' chef Gordon Ramsay describes his rags-to-riches journey

Updated

Gordon Ramsay has said he is the "real deal" - because he "started with nothing" and has gone on to win three Michelin stars.

The Scottish chef, who suffered a turbulent childhood, has previously described his father as a violent alcoholic.

But he was able to succeed in the restaurant industry - and his signature restaurant, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in London's Chelsea, has held three Michelin stars since 2001.

Ramsay said: "I started with nothing, and was dealt a bit of a dysfunctional card, because I shouldn't have made it this far."

Speaking to CNN International for a new Talk Asia programme eight months after opening new restaurant Bread Street Kitchen in Singapore, he said: "Holding on to your dream and staying focused is really important.

"And also striving for perfection is healthy, because having a palate that can be finessed in some of the best food in anywhere in the world, you know needs to be trained. You know, you are not born with that.

"So if I can come from a council estate in the middle of Stratford-upon-Avon, and live in 17 houses before I was 16, and win three Michelin Stars ... anybody who wants to come in and copy, or use me as inspiration, then you know, I'm the real deal."

Ramsay's television credits include Hell's Kitchen, Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares and The F Word.

But he insisted: "I am not a 'TV chef'. I do work on television."

He explained: "I produce a lot of programmes, and I know what makes viewers tick.

"I can smell drama a mile way, and I can turn a kitchen upside down in seconds. And I can get the best out of an amateur cook more than anybody on this planet.

"I know how to push individuals to the absolute limit.

"But I want to be recognised for what I produce, I think really. The results, that's the most important thing. Dealing with pros, amateurs or even eight-year-old kids, I know how to teach. And I know how to teach impeccably."

The chef is married to Tana Ramsay and has four children - all of whom are expert cooks, he explained.

His teenage daughter Tilly even has her own cookery show, Matilda And The Ramsay Bunch.

Ramsay said: "I think the only two that can't cook in our house are Bruno and Rumpole, our two dogs!

"Everyone else can literally muster up anything and everything in 20 minutes, so it's pretty chaotic and we are never short of cooks."

:: Talk Asia airs Saturday March 5 at 5.30pm on CNN International.

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