Customer Reviews

Roasting In Hell's Kitchen: Temper Tantrums, F Words, and the Pursuit of Perfection

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book was read over a 5-day period for me, and i had to force myself to spread it over that long. It was so intriguing, his writing and life is as intense as his present-day character. It was almost impossible to put the book down, and i cheated three times in those 5days and read an extra chapter of the book, when i was supposed to stop (so that i could spread it out).
I would then go and tell my best friend everything (then he went and bought the book to read it), and i would tell my girlfriend everything (hence her thinking i have a man crush). Great Book, HIGHLY recommended.

Bought as a gift for a friend who watches Hell's Kitchen and she seemed pretty thrilled. Don't know how good it is myself, though, which is why only the 4 stars.

Most of us know Gordon (or think we do!)from seeing him on the TV...this book paints such a different picture of him, as we read about the very hard childhood he endured and his relationship with his Father.
I realised how much these early days shaped him to become the meticulous man he is today, driven to achieve perfection in all that he does.
If you're interested in finding out about Gordon Ramsay's life, other than the one he spends in the kitchen or on TV, you'll enjoy this book.

Easy read, very candid. I actually went to london to eat at his restaurants. So... i may be biased.

I have been a big fan of Gordon Ramsey's televisions shows, "Hell's Kitchen", "Kitchen Nightmare's", and "The F Word". When I saw this book, I knew I wanted to read it to get to know more about my favorite television chef. Well, the amazing thing is that I actually believe that he wrote this book himself, as he sounds just as he does on television. His personality just jumps out at the reader from the pages of this book.

That being said, this book is really a brief biography of his life to date. It has definitely been a hardscrabble life until the past few years, when his hard work finally paid off. Brought up in dire poverty in a totally dysfunctional family with an abusive, alcoholic father, it is amazing to see the success he has made of himself. Gordon paints a candid portrait of himself, and what comes across is a somewhat oafish, hardworking, intelligent and driven individual with some very set ideas and exacting standards. He is definitely a control freak, albeit a likeable one.

Those readers who enjoy his shows will most definitely enjoy this book, which is a very easy and quick read. The reader will marvel at the obstacles this passionate man has overcome to reach the pinnacle of success that he has. What one sees on television is what one gets in this book. So, be prepared for some coarse language and a somewhat inelegant writing style, as well as a very frank portrait of one of today's premier chefs.

I have always been a fan of Gordon Ramsay. When I stumbled across this book in Edinburgh, I had to have it. My friend borrowed it to read & was engulfed by the first few chapters. She read it in 2 days. She didn't really know much about him beforehand except that he was a foul-mouth, but this booked changed her impression of him. Now she is a HUGE fan.
After I had finished the book (which took about 4 days, and that was stretching it out) my respect for Gordon Ramsay, had increased exponentially. I had always loved his shows, but after reading his book, I felt a much deeper respect & admiration for him. Truly an extraordinary man.

Written in the same style as his verbal directness and demeanour that outlines his incredibly hellish rise to the top of the culinary world. Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares and Hell's Kitchen TV series take on new meaning after reading his autobiography. His unswerving desire for perfection as a chef, through his incredible hardwork, discipline and no compromises attitude that the customers come first, has led him through personal and professional challenges that would reduce most others to a blubbering mess (and often do). His ultimate triumphs and successes on the world culinary stage as one of the world's best chefs is made all the more admirable when one reads his history.....and a history that as he states is just going to keep going and going due to his never ending drive. But he has compassion after all of it, more than was shown him at many stages of his life and his willingness to help others succeed as evidenced in his GREAT TV series even though he has to be often brutally honest with people to break through our all too human layers of delusions fed by egos that obscure the reality of a situation, raises him even further in my esteem....Ramsay is a a pheonix like GOD......having soared above a horrendous start in life thanks to his father. A great read from a great chef and a great person. Sure the swearing is a bit much but he is the first to acknowledge it (but when you're dealing with as many "donkeys" as he has it is obviously frustrating).

If you ever wanted to enter the world and mind of Gordon this is the book for you. It explains what he had to go through in order to have the career he is experiencing.

Just to warn the readers, this book does contain some swearing but that's Gordon for you. When reading this book it was hard to keep it down, it felt like Gordon was reading it to me.

After reading this book, My eyes were open to why he acts and treats people the way he does. I challenge anyone who ever wants to understand this amazing Chef to read this book and try to look at things through his eyes.

This review is for the hardcover edition. It measures 24 X 16 and has 294 pages and 24 pages of photos....almost exclusively of Gordon himself.
What can I say.....I worked many years in my own restaurant ( not the fine dining kind ) and his depiction of kitchen life ( such as it is )is more or less on the money although for a more honest behind the scene look read "HEAT" by Bill Buford.
Ramsay is undoubtedly a great chef but he is, despite his words to the contrary, apparently just as he depicts himself on T.V......intolerant, rude, biased and opinionated.
Does NOT want women in the kitchen and disaproves of so many things I won't bother to list them here...you'll find out.
It's a strange title for the book as, save his one MAJOR failure in the restaurant world he has never eaten humble pie and his one major failure was, naturally not his fault.
For a good look at the man FROM HIS VIEW OF HIMSELF the book is worth while but as a peek in his life in a working kitchen we hear little except a few tirades about fellow chefs he has crossed and has VERY strong criticisms of.
I got it on sale and for $5 it was worth the money.
If you find my review helpfull please leave feedback for it.

watch out...if you're a gordon ramsay fan, and already have "humble pie", DO NOT buy this book !
it's the SAME book ! wish someone had told me before i wasted my money !!!