Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com

Everyone thinks they know the real Gordon Ramsay: rude, loud, pathologically driven, stubborn as hell

For the first time, Ramsay tells the full inside story of his life and how he became the world's most famous and infamous chef: his difficult childhood, his brother's heroin addiction, his failed first career as a soccer player, his fanatical pursuit of gastronomic perfection and his TV persona—all of the things that made him the celebrated culinary talent and media powerhouse that he is today.

In Roasting in Hell's Kitchen Ramsay talks frankly about his tough and emotional childhood, including his father's alcoholism and violence and their effect on his relationships with his mother and siblings. His rootless upbringing saw him moving from house to house and town to town followed by the authorities and debtors as his father lurched from one failed job to another.

He recounts his short-circuited career as a soccer player, when he was signed by Scotland's premier club at the age of fifteen but then, just two years later, dropped out when injury dashed his hopes. Ramsay searched for another vocation and, much to his father's disgust, went into catering, which his father felt was meant for “poofs.”

He trained under some of the most famous and talented chefs in Europe, working to exacting standards and under extreme conditions that would sometimes erupt in physical violence. But he thrived, with his exquisite palate, incredible vision and relentless work ethic. Dish by dish, restaurant by restaurant, he gradually built a Michelin-starred empire.

A candid, eye-opening look into the extraordinary life and mind of an elite and unique restaurateur and chef, Roasting in Hell's Kitchen will change your perception not only of Gordon Ramsay but of the world of cuisine.

Average Customer Rating:

Scotland Rocks	Customer Rating:
One proud Glaswegian and Scot....... For culinery skills you fought........ Hells Kitchen can get real hot........ I'm ecstatic your book I bought.........

Interesting insight into Gordon's childhood and growing up

Customer Rating:

I enjoyed this book quite a bit, it was a quick read, with just a few pages that I skimmed over because they were sort of irrelevant (the listing out of soccer matches got boring quickly). I definitely felt for Gordon when reading about his incredibly crappy childhood and adolescence. I giggled when I read about him shagging a restaurant owner's wife when he was 19. He definitely has had an interesting life. I think this book puts a more human face on his persona. He comes out as a likeable, driven, and ambitious professional. Just two small gripes - he's so gung-ho about not spoiling his children that he goes IMO overboard. As a parent myself, I don't think that kids who get more than 1 Christmas gift each will grow up spoiled. For some reason, Gordon seems to think that giving them 1 pound allowance and just 1 present each will ensure that they grow up selfless and appreciative. Another thing that bugged me a bit was his insistance that in the restaurant kitchen, the staff is not allowed to laugh or wear their name embroidered on their chef's whites. Gordon - no matter how serious you think your job is, it's just cooking. You're not curing cancer. P.S. At first I thought "His wife must be a saint to put up with him" but then I realized that he's never home anyway! She probably lets him feel like the boss when he IS at home, and the remaining time, she just runs things the way she sees fit and he's none the wiser.

Great book

Customer Rating:

I don't have a lot of time to read so I haven't read more than 3 books in the last 5 years. I got this book from the library and read the whole thing in 1 day! Which for me, is unbelievable. I just couldn't put it down. What a story. It is definitely worth a read if you like Ramsay. I love him even more now that I know where he has come from and what has made him the way he is. He has had a very interesting and very hard life. He is an inspiration. I thought I worked hard, I seem lazy compared to his drive and ambition. I highly recommend this book. I would definitely read it again. In fact, I am on Amazon right now looking for more books about him.

Great Read

Customer Rating:

I have to admit; I'm not much of a reader. I tend to read books in order to learn something, rather than reading fiction or autobiographies. I discovered Gordon Ramsey quite by accident. I saw clips of him on The Soup doing Hell's Kitchen, and I thought it looked interesting. So then I watched him on Hell's Kitchen, and later on Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares (both the US and British version), and really enjoyed the shows. Hell's Kitchen was along the lines of the Apprentice. And Nightmares was fascinating as he worked to turn ailing businesses around. Despite his in your face bluntness, he seemed to genuinely care about what he was doing. His passion, and work ethic was extraordinary. So I became curious about this man, having heard some of his comments on a talk show. I purchased the book, and in a rare move for me, read the entire thing in a weekend. The story of his rise to the top of his game is incredible. His writing style is as blunt and hard hitting as his on screen persona. He appears to be telling it how it is. The writing style is not the best I've seen, but the book is incredibly compelling. He started with nothing, failed in a career in professional soccer, and then worked his way up to the absolute top of his profession as a chef. If you are a fan of Gordon Ramsey, I think you will be fascinated by this interesting read. I would have given it five stars, but had to deduct one for the occasionally muddled writing style. However really, this book is worth 4.5 stars easily.

Change the way you view Gordon!

Customer Rating:

One of the many complaints about Gordon Ramsay is his harshness. Many people I know dislike him because of his treatment and apparent belittlement of his contestants on Hell's Kitchen. (Season 1 now available on DVD - Hell's Kitchen: Season 1) Read this book and you will have that feeling no more. The best attribute of this book for me was reading about all of his life experiences and to see how they shaped who he is today. It really becomes evident when you watch him on television. If you think he is harsh to the Hell's Kitchen contestants, listen to what happened to him working for Joel Robuchon and Marco Pierre White. Incredible. Not only do you feel for him because of his situations with his family, but you really develop a full-blown respect for him. He was, is and always will be a very classy and mature man. His narrative just sails you through this book. It is quite a wonderful story to read. You will love the stories that you read. It will change the way you look at Gordon forever!