By Megan Thomas
I listened to Gordon Ramsay’s autobiography on a solo road trip from start to finish, and by the time I reached my destination, I felt like he’d been in the car with me – albeit not giving me much of a chance to speak.
It was a bit of a rogue choice, because I’ve never really watched his cooking shows like Hell’s Kitchen or Kitchen Nightmares on TV, have only been to his street food chain restaurants in London, have seen one or two “idiot sandwich”-style memes and have watched plenty of TikToks where he comments along with people cooking, but this made learning about his life trajectory even more interesting.
Now that I feel like I know old Gordy a little better, I’m confident that every word of how I just described him would send him to an early grave, so here’s hoping he’s not too wired to #bookstagram.
All in all, Humble Pie has everything that makes me appreciate a celebrity memoir: the author’s narration paired with it being written exactly how they actually speak (as opposed to how their ghostwriter speaks), a detailed unpacking of childhood trauma, the ‘rise to the top’ process, and the ‘view from the top’ experience – although where Humble Pie ends is not even close to his apex. Whatever you think of the superstar chef now, you will be humbled by how hard his early life was, how relentlessly he has worked, and how much he’s made of himself despite his circumstances.
This was published in 2006, while two of his kids were really young (he now has five grown up children), and he had three Michelin stars (he has been awarded 17 overall and currently holds seven). He has also since written Playing with Fire, which I believe goes into the superstardom a bit more. Humble Pie, aptly, is more about the groundwork and his early days in some of the world’s most famous kitchens.
I was particularly fascinated by the world of the professional kitchen, an interest which has recently been piqued by The Bear on Netflix. I adore cooking, but being in a professional kitchen does not sound fun – grown men walking home in their underwear after being fired and their chef’s whites being demanded back, mafia-style sabotage (someone stole their reservations book on a motorbike grab and run!!!), a sort of metaphorical blood loyalty that does not translate to the experience on the other side of what they’re doing (ie. eating delicious food in an elegant dining room), as well as blatant bullying from head chefs, just to name a few.
Overall, it was insightful, truthful and really exemplifies his work ethic, even if it is a bit cut-throat. It’s almost like reading a goal-diary from a time capsule, when you look at what he hoped to achieve in his career at the time of writing… and the 58 restaurants to date.
Next memoir on my list? It’s Britney, bitch.
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