Gordon Ramsay says he takes his job 'very seriously'. Photo / File
Gordon Ramsay says he takes his job 'very seriously'. Photo / File
TV chef Gordon Ramsay has credited his success in the United States to Americans knowing "f*** all about good food", DailyMailTV can reveal.
Ramsay opened up about his time in the United States as he accepted an award for his success on both sides of the Atlantic at the Britweek Innovation Awards in Santa Monica, California, on May 4.
The chef spoke about his move to the States in 2004, when he saw a Los Angeles Times reporter to box up a Caesar salad for takeaway, said the Daily Mail.
The entrance to Gordon Ramsay's Hell's Kitchen restaurant in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo / Getty Images
He told the crowd: "The first thing that struck me when I first came over here in 2004, I got interviewed with the lady from the LA Times, and we sat in this amazing restaurant and I couldn't eat because I was too busy talking about sort of this little documentary called Hell's Kitchen.
"And it was really weird, because I said to her, "Look, I've got to get back to set. Fox runs a show, I run a restaurant, that's why we work so well together".
"And she wasn't upset, she just got a little bit nervous that I just wanted to get out of there and get back to work. And the waiter came over and said, "Would you like your food to go?" She said, "Yes", I said, "No, thank you".
"She boxed a Caesar salad and I said to her, "Do you have any idea how s**t a Caesar salad tastes 24 hours later? What will you do with that f***ing thing?" She said: "I'm going to eat it."
"I said, 'But it's been dressed. We dressed it 20 minutes ago; it's sat there for 25 minutes. Why would you eat that?' She said, 'It's delicious'.
"That's when I knew Americans knew f*** all about good food. Right there and then."
Ramsay, who attended the event with wife Tana at the Fairmont Hotel, spoke to business people and influential Brits in Los Angeles.
Chef Gordon Ramsay, on the set of Hell's Kitchen. Photo / Getty Images
Since arriving in the United States in 2004, Ramsay has become a television phenomenon.
In May 2005, Fox launched a US version of the father-of-four hit show Hell's Kitchen, which showcased the chef's perfectionism and short temper in a high-stress competition reality cooking show.
Hell's Kitchen is still on the air, and its 17th season ended in February.
Ramsay also hosted a US version of the show Kitchen Nightmares, which ran for seven seasons from 2007 to 2014, and there was Hotel Hell on Fox, which ran for three seasons.
Since 2010, has Ramsay served as a producer and judge on the US version of MasterChef.
The series' ninth season, with Ramsay, restaurateur Joe Bastianich and chef Aaron Sanchez serving as judges, will premiere on May 30.
Ramsay has opened 11 restaurants across the United States. While at least three of the restaurants have shuttered, several remain open in cities including Las Vegas, Atlantic City and Baltimore.
In 2012, Ramsay bought a US$6.75million home for his family in Bel-Air California.
The five-bedroom, 7,400 square-foot home has sweeping views of the Los Angeles and the Pacific Ocean.
Ramsay, said at the awards show that his production team were due the credit for his success.
He continued: "I take my job very seriously. I love that sort of insight between LA and London.
"I went to dinner when I first arrived out with the team and that's the secret behind any of these shows is the team, so this award is not about me, it's about the team that worked alongside me and I travel at 1000 miles an hour and everyone that is on that page gets looked after equally as important.
"So I would like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to them and more importantly I think, a big thank you to Fox for letting me be me. I don't mean to swear, it's the f***ing idiots that I have to work with."
