Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay says he is keen to “find
the next Gordon Ramsay” in Singapore.
“I’ve got lot of ideas but I’m not telling you — other
chefs will steal it,” he told TODAY in an interview.
The 50-year-old was in town yesterday for the inaugural
Marina Bay Sands (MBS) Culinary Olympics, held at Ramsay’s Bread
Street Kitchen at MBS, which opened in 2015.
Ramsay was part of the judging panel at the closed-door
culinary competition, which saw food and beverage teams from MBS
showcasing their skills and creativity.
Ramsay — famous for his trademark quick-fire staccato
on television shows such as Kitchen Nightmares, Hell’s Kitchen and
MasterChef US — previously visited Singapore in 2015 and 2013, when
he lost to local hawkers after an intense night spent cooking
dishes like chicken rice and laksa.
TODAY sat down with him to ask about Singapore food
culture, and where he thinks local chefs are headed.
Q: What is your opinion on Singapore’s culinary talent
and the local culinary scene?
A: I fell in love with Singapore in the 1990s when I
used to come to cook-offs at Raffles (Hotel) because then, it was
an amazing place to be. After cooking at the grill there, I used to
go to the hawker markets at 1am or 2am ... All of a sudden, the
fresh produce, the live shrimp and the frogs, customers pinpointing
what they wanted live — I would stay there until 4am or 5am, just
chilling and eating until the sun came up. I think there are very
few foodie cities anywhere in the world that are as exciting as it
is here.
I did the challenge four years ago with the local
hawkers, I got my a** kicked good. But it would have been wrong for
me to have won — it would have been insulting (to local chefs). I
had a week’s training (on the dishes prior to the event) but these
people had experience through generations.
Q: What is your advice to Singaporean chefs? How do you
think we can elevate food here?
A: It’s only a matter of three, four years before we
see local chefs rise up. And once they do, they will have to do
what we did — go away and see something new. Go to Kyoto for six
months, go to Barcelona and see what it’s like inside an amazing
tapas bar and use that — that level of knowledge. (They need to)
understand a different culture and come back.
There is, without a doubt, room for this new wave in
Singapore. It’s only a matter of time. Also, the local businesses
would be stupid not to get behind that and promote that.
Q: Chefs who open here sometimes have a hard time
working with local ingredients. How has Bread Street Kitchen
managed?
A: Flying in produce from London and ignoring what is
happening locally would be stupid ... We work with artisan
purveyors and one thing we (do is) offer a level of consistency
with local purveyors ... It’s up to the integrity of the chef to
utilise what is happening locally.
We have a research and development team that are on the
ground six to nine months prior to the opening, and we do that with
every restaurant.
Q: Regarding the recent comments on Twitter you have
made about people’s dishes, you have said that it’s easy for you
tell just by looking at the dish whether it’s good or not — can you
talk about how you are able to do so?
A: I have been naughty. I think I have a great eye for
an attention to detail, I don’t like bullsh** ... If I see
something that looks like a pile of sh** and they tell me it’s
caramelised, you know I’m going to flip my lid.
With me, you’re going to get the truth. Don’t flood my
social media with that crap ... I do give out compliments. I have
fun with it. I’m like a sniffer dog — you know, those dogs at the
airport that come around sniffing your bags. That’s me on social
media ... I’m going to tell (it to) you straight.
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