Gordan Ramsay is coming for you. Be ready.
Who is Gordan Ramsay?
This is the question I asked myself when I sat down to look into, research, and write this blog post. I mean, don’t get me wrong — I’ve heard his name for years. He’s the first name that comes to mind when I think of a celebrity chef of international renown. But who is he really? And why should you care?
And what the hell is a Michelin star?
Okay. First things first. A Michelin star is defined as follows:
“Michelin stars are a rating system used by the red Michelin Guide to grade restaurants on their quality. The guide was originally developed in 1900 to show French drivers where local amenities such as restaurants and mechanics were. The rating system was first introduced in 1926 as a single star, with the second and third stars introduced in 1933. According to the Guide, one star signifies ‘a very good restaurant’, two stars are ‘excellent cooking that is worth a detour’, and three stars mean ‘exceptional cuisine that is worth a special journey’. The listing of starred restaurants is updated once a year.”
To put this in a bit of context, there are 14 restaurants in the entire United States and 5 in the entire United Kingdom holding a rating of 3 Michelin stars. They are the best of the best.
jo-marshall (was Jo-h) from Dudley, UK / CC BY-SA
So what about Gordon Ramsay?
Ramsay was born in Scotland and raised in Stratford, England. (His mum worked in a little tea house called the Cobweb Tea Room.) Ramsay initially wanted to play professional football (soccer for all us Americans). After a career-ending injury, he delved into the hospitality business and was trained under some of the best chefs in the world.
An extremely vibrant personality, Ramsay seems like the kind of epic soul you would meet in South Boston: Loud, strong of opinion, direct, and a speaker of candid truth. He’s quick to condemn something sub-standard, yet equally willing to laugh. Sincere in his validation, but only when deserved.
His own man.
Madchester at English Wikipedia / CC BY-SA
Ramsay in the restaurant industry
At the tender age of 35, Ramsay launched Restaurant Gorden Ramsay in London in 1998. The restaurant quickly garnered a 3-star Michelin rating. Since then, Ramsay has opened multiple top-end restaurants around the world, starred in multiple TV shows (including Hell’s Kitchen and MasterChef), started his own charity, investigated and released a documentary on international cocaine trafficking after losing his best friend to a cocaine-related accident, and written multiple best-selling books, including his autobiography Roasting in Hell’s Kitchen.
Dynamic.
His signature dish is Beef Wellington. (Google it — it looks amazing.) His restaurants have been awarded 16 total Michelin stars.
And oh yes, he was awarded the OBE (Order of the British Empire) in 2006 by the Queen of England.
If you watch his content, you know Ramsay is straight-up explosive. He’s vibrant with both a temper and a sense of humour. He’s a colorful character, and definitely not shy about getting in someone’s face when it comes to quality or standards.
He cooks and performs with distinct personality and flair. Engaging, colorful, and very entertaining to observe.
Ramsay’s Youtube channel hit 10 million subscribers on the 29th of June of last year, and since this time has increased to 12.8 million subscribers, garnering over 1.6 billion views. It’s continuing to gain momentum. Like him or not, the world is clearly listening to what he has to say.
Design-Build and food preparation
So why am I even writing about this?
Gordan Ramsay is Design-Build — both in the creation of his world-class dishes as a chef, but ALSO in the creation and shaping of his international brand.
Straight up — brilliant.
Have a look:
Ramsay is a creative soul and a consummate professional. His own recipes are planned and executed. God of his own kitchen, he’s intensely successful and utterly authentic. He’s created multiple cookbooks with his recipes. These recipes translate into epic dishes when enjoyed in one of his internationally recognized top-tier restaurants. Straight up Design-Build when applied in a culinary setting. Meaning in the course of his own creative process, he envisions, designs, plans, AND executes his dishes.
He’s certainly not cooking someone else’s ideas.
Taking it even further, as a personality he now creates and produces his own content (check out Gordan Ramsay studios. www.studioramsay.com).
He’s literally created a platform from which to entertain, instruct, and bring his own brand to the world. From a communications viewpoint, it’s unique, exceptional, and brilliant.
Design-Build in our world
So why are we even talking about this? Because Design-Build is an essential element of human society.
In essence, it’s the natural creative process and fundamental sequence which permeates every creative element and sector of society. Art, culinary, construction, design, fashion, industry, writing, automotive, sculpture — you name it. If you can envision it and it’s worth doing, the creative thread of Design-Build runs through it.
The masters and professionals of various sectors demonstrate this. It’s why society is moving towards Design-Build in many areas. From artists to captains of industry — it’s personally a fascinating process to observe and be a part of.
In my sphere of creating buildings and spaces which elevate and enhance lives, Design-Build is a term applied to the building industry whereby the conception, planning, coordination, and execution of the project is all done by one entity. This approach retains the creative responsibility and enables the project to be executed with the highest level of efficiency, foresight, accountability, and creative integrity intact.
Design-Build is really the cycle of creation in its natural and native form. Authenticity, responsibility, accountability, creativity. These are all intrinsic aspects of the Design-Build approach. The natural sequence of creation since time immemorial — vision, planning, communication, and execution with full accountability and responsibility.
The stripping off and eliminating of arbitrary complexities and fragmented responsibility is inherent to the Design-Build process.
There is a beauty in its simplicity — a movement towards truth.
It’s rewarding to see and experience in any field.
I’m passionate about bringing this conversation to the cultural table and highlighting the many brilliant examples of Design-Build creativity and professionalism across a wide array of pursuits and sectors.
Gordan Ramsay does it with utter flair. Take note.
Bottoms up!
Love,
Dave
Refs:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Michelin_3-star_restaurants
https://www.studioramsay.com/news/gordon-ramsays-youtube-channel-surpasses-10-million-subscribers
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/entertainment/tv-radio/gordon-ramsay-cocaine-its-not-11315666
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