NEWS | Wednesday, 11 June 2008

Maltese hotelier garners UK media’s attention

Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay ousted from his hotel

David Darmanin
Shortly after taking up a job as the CEO of one of London’s top-ranking hospitality groups, the Maybourne Hotels, 48-year old Sliema man Stephen Alden attracted the attention of the English press for deciding to remove world-renowned celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay from the Connaught hotel, picking French cooking queen Helen Darroze instead.
Ramsay, the proud owner of 15 restaurants scattered around the world, had delegated The Connaught operation to his protégé Angela Hartnett, who is also known for co-presenting the US reality show Hell’s Kitchen with Ramsay.
While the English press reported that the decision not to renew Ramsay’s contract centred around Hartnett’s refusal to cook for room service, Alden denied this claim outright.
Interviewed by the Business Times in London, Alden insisted that there was no falling out with Ramsay, and that a standing deal with another Ramsay operation at the Berkeley (also owned by Maybourne) still “works very well.”
Scottish 41-year old chef Gordon Ramsay has managed to accumulate a staggering 12 Michelin stars throughout his career, and is currently one of the three restaurateurs in the UK whose establishment is rated at three Michelin stars. During his stint at presenting TV shows Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares, Boiling Point, Hell’s Kitchen and the F-word, Ramsay has not only become famous for his culinary abilities but also notorious for his hot-bloodedness and an uncontrollable use of expletives.
Ramsay had famously chucked out London Times restaurant reviewer A.A. Gill from one of his UK restaurants after Gill had described him as: “a wonderful chef, just a really second-rate human being”.
Ramsay’s artistic temperament was also made public when, after a heated confrontation, his pastry chef called the police. Despite his reputation, Ramsay has retained his staff at a rate of 85 per cent since 1993 and is widely known to have earned loyalty from his team.