Quick Links

Gordon Ramsay moved a lot as a child due to his family’s poor financial conditions and decided to live separately at just 16 years of age. While the youngster was destined to play sports, his course changed to cooking shortly after. With an experience in hotel management, Ramsay began working at various restaurants from a young age. He first gained prominence for opening his restaurant in London and rapidly expanding his empire to new heights. Along with his restaurants, Gordon Ramsay became a fixture of reality television through various shows that entertained audiences for years. He has been named UK’s Top Chef and earned a massive net worth of $220 million.

From his dream of being a soccer player to changing course with cooking, Gordon Ramsay has worked hard during the early years of his career as a chef to become the best in the world. Gaining accolades and hefty salaries, let’s look at how Gordon Ramsay became one of the world's wealthiest chefs.

Honing and Perfecting Culinary Skills

 

Born in Renfrewshire, Scotland, Gordon Ramsay was the second of four children, and his family moved to England when he was five. Due to his father’s violent behavior and professional setbacks, he moved around a lot. After renting an apartment at just 16 years of age and moving away from his parents, Ramsay concentrated on improving his soccer game. According to Britannica, he played for the Oxford United team and was on the radar for the Scottish Premier League Glasgow Rangers. Unfortunately, due to a knee injury, he had to put a pause on his goal of pursuing soccer.

RELATED: 9 Chefs Who Charge A Fortune To Cook Private Meals

Gordon Ramsay always knew of his culinary talents, influenced by his mother to love cooking. In 1987, he earned a vocational diploma from North Oxon Technical College in hotel management. Ramsay then moved to London to gain guidance for proper cooking. He worked under chef Marco Pierre White, a mentor for various acclaimed chefs today. It was reported that he even made Ramsay cry, creating a bitter rivalry, but the pair have amicably reconciled, as noted by The Sun. He also worked under Albert Roux at Le Gavroche and moved to France in the 1990s to improve his culinary skills alongside legendary chefs Guy Savoy and Joël Robuchon.

Michelin-Starred Restaurants And Reality TV

 

Gordon Ramsay didn’t stay in France for long and returned to London when offered the position of Head Chef at Aubergine. Within three years of taking the position, two out of three stars in the Michelin Guide. As mentioned by Gordon Ramsay, he branched out on his own in 1998 and opened Restaurant Gordon Ramsay. Soon after its inception, the restaurant received three Michelin stars, the highest honor in culinary cooking, and remains the longest-running cooking establishment with the award. He is only one of the four chefs who has received the title.

A year after opening his namesake restaurant, he launched another restaurant Pétrus which also holds a Michelin star. Ramsay went on to open a series of restaurants worldwide, and his first international restaurant was established in Dubai in 2001. Other locations with Gordon Ramsay restaurants include Australia, France, South Africa, and Japan. Alongside his culinary business, the chef also made his television debut in 1998 with Boiling Point. His shows Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares and Hell’s Kitchen gained him popularity in the United States and became a long-running fixture on Fox. His additional reality show included Gordon Ramsay’s 24 Hours To Hell And Back.

The Gordon Ramsay Empire

Gordon Ramsay is also a successful author with multiple bestsellers under his name. His autobiography Roasting In Hell’s Kitchen was the biggest hit, and through a partnership with WWRD, he has developed an app for lifestyle and home products. Due to his contribution to the culinary industry, Ramsay received the Order of the British Empire (OBE) from Queen Elizabeth II in 2006. In 2010, Gordon Ramsay judged the US version of MasterChef and served as a producer through his company One Potato, Two Potato. To contribute to his community, Gordon Ramsay and his wife Tana opened the Gordon and Tana Ramsay Foundation in 2014 to help causes close to their hearts.

The celebrity chef has cashed in significant salaries from his multiple ventures. For MasterChef, he earned $225,000 per episode, as stated by Celebrity Net Worth. Ramsay makes around $45 million annually through his media ventures and restaurants and earned an additional $20 million between 2018 and 2019. He has also become a famous internet personality with his YouTube channel as he shares cooking recipes, tricks, and tips, earning him over 19 million followers.

Known for his strict and fiery temper and foul mouth on multiple occasions, Gordon Ramsay has earned the reputation of being the most talked-about chef in pop culture. While he makes television appearances, the celebrity chef also has plans to expand his restaurant empire by opening 100 Gordon Ramsay restaurants in the United States by 2025.

READ NEXT: Here's Why Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Is Hollywood's Favorite

Sources: Britannica, The Sun, Gordon Ramsay, Celebrity Net Worth