Star Chef on Passion, Pressure and Perfection

The self-described "control freak" is known for having an abrasive personality and vocal fireworks on the hit TV shows "Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares" in the United Kingdom and "Hell's Kitchen" in the United States. "I'm firm, but by God, I'm fair," he said. "So I don't give a damn what individuals think -- 'Oh, my God, how can he be so rude?' No, I'm not rude, I'm honest. Mate, when it's crap, it's crap."

Chef Gordon Ramsay at work.

(Paul Raeside)

Ramsay says he resents it when his restaurants are judged according to preconceptions about his personality.

"Unfortunately, today at the age of 41, my persona gets judged over my substance, which is really frustrating," he said. "I've been cooking for 21 years, and it shows on the wrinkles of my face. But here's the scenario: I'm now being judged by individuals that know less about food than I do. But yet, you have to take it like a man. Well I don't want to take it like a man anymore. I'm fed up with the sarcasm, the damn right rudeness and more importantly, the arrogance of food critics. Have they actually spent a 16-hour shift cooking 70 to 80 lunches, 120 to 150 dinners short staffed, fish cook is not turning in, produce inconsistent because of the weather?"

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Despite his public persona, Ramsay says his restaurants boast an impressive 87 percent retention rate over the last decade when it comes to the staff, and he takes training those employees seriously.

"I train my chefs completely different to anyone else. My young girls and guys, when they come to the kitchen, the first thing they get is a blindfold. They get blindfolded and they get sat down at the chef's table … Unless they can identify what they're tasting, they don't get to cook it. Why should they be cooking it if they don't know how it tastes like? Yet everyone gets taught to cook first, not to taste."

Ramsay will launch an academy and cooking school in September, and as a marathoner who is training for an Ironman competition, he also demands that his staff stay in top form outside the kitchen.

"The pressure on young chefs today is far greater than ever before in terms of social skills, marketing skills, cooking skills, personality and, more importantly, delivering on the plate. So you need to be strong. Physically fit," he said. "So my chefs get weighed every time they come into the kitchen. And they run. And they seriously look after themselves. They have free memberships to the local gyms, and more importantly, I need them to … not just to train their palate but to look after themselves."