“I was about 25 and had signed up to an agency in the south of France that needed chefs for charters. After a couple of false starts I ended up on a boat with Australian TV producer Reg Grundy, and his wonderful wife Joy.
“I was in charge of cooking for the owners and their guests, and my wage was around $4,000 a month. I did two long trips with them, around Italy, the Caribbean, and by the end of it had earned a sizeable deposit that went into launching my first restaurant. More than that though, I learned so much from Reg about people skills, as well as soaking up so many flavours and cultures from the various ports and fishing villages we would moor up at on our journeys.
“It was a culinary experience but I learned so much more along the way and stayed good friends with Reg right up until his death a few years ago.”
Since those early days, flavours of the coast have always played a major part in Ramsay’s pursuit of food perfection, even if his successful restaurants and TV commitments are based purely on terra firma - either in London or across any part of America by virtue of his Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares series.
“My love of seafood first came about when I was learning my trade in France,” he says. “The basis of traditional French cuisine is all based in meat and fish and seafood as a platform for all of the skill, craft and ingenuity that needs to follow.
“So seafood was at the start of it, and I’ve never moved away from the level of attention and delicateness you need to have – it’s a passion to this day, working with subtle and gentle flavours.”
As far as the hard and fast business of setting out on the waves goes, Ramsay is the owner of a Ribeye Prime Eight21. A premium model, the craft comes with a six-figure price tag, but the chef was wowed by the idea of taking on a hands-on vessel. “I’ve often felt that some of the yachts out there are so big and comfortable – it makes it easy to forget you’re out at sea. You want luxury, to a point, but you also want to feel you’re involved with a boat.”
The rigid inflatable certainly offers that, as well as serving up valuable father and son time for Gordon and Jack, 20, who in a promotional video for the Ribeye brand can be seen getting to grips with the manufacturer’s premium model.
“I like to step outside of my comfort zone, and I’d rather be doing that three feet from the waves rather than 50ft up on deck,” the chef continues. “I’ve lived my life seeking out new challenges and with a desire to put myself in uncomfortable situations. To emerge from those with a feeling of achievement and a smile on my face is really the biggest thrill one can get.”
Ramsay, who names Marco Pierre White as his greatest cooking inspiration, admits his time as a judge on MasterChef Australia gave him an opportunity to reconnect with time on board, and
I’ve lived my life seeking out new challenges and with a desire to put myself in uncomfortable situations. To emerge from those with a feeling of achievement.
he was surprised just how much he’d missed the experience. “When I was in Australia there’s so much more licence to get out there and enjoy the ocean,” he says. “They have the climate, they have the philosophy and the intelligence to know when to sit back and relax. I don’t think we have that in the UK and it really resonated with me – the sense that you need to take time away from the challenges.”
That’s exactly what happened in 2020, albeit involuntarily, as the doors of Ramsay’s restaurant empire were forced closed in wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. The chef had to furlough an estimated 500 members of staff in 2020, temporarily shutting down his 34 restaurants and bars, 16 of which are in London. And yet, the greatest commercial challenge that he’s ever confronted has not diminished in the television personality a level of optimism that few in his or any other industry can rival. “It’s my belief we will emerge stronger, more efficient and more driven than ever to make the industry as great as it can be.
“Every time I’ve had a setback in business, I have responded by drawing things down to ground level; by taking the time to re-examine everything in minute detail and to see where we can refine, adjust and make better. And I believe that’s going on in every industry across the board.
Lockdown in 2020 did at least provide time for the Ramsay clan to put into practice those ideas, and enjoy more time on the coast too. “There was some really nice thinking space – the first time in a long time. Not only does that reaffirm the point that there’s more to life than work, but it also meant the opportunity to polish up on some of my seafaring skills… or at least, Jack’s!”
ONBOARD | WINTER 2021 | 25
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