Robert Irvine versus Gordon Ramsay

[Smylietron]

Originally Posted by OahuAmateurChef

Oops! I guess that kinda defeats the purpose of this thread then! Oh well, it's been good conversation anyway.

Nothing! It's all been for nothiiiiiiiing!

..but yeah, I've enjoyed reading everyone's opinions on Ramsay. And before the thread, I had no idea who Irvine was, so I'm glad for the misunderstanding!

[ChefSean]

Originally Posted by AndyG

There are those who kiss *** and there are those who find their own way. Who is brilliant? An imitator? Find your own way to excel or you are just a would-have-been

We learn in so many ways. I could read a book on how to cook a meal. I could watch the television. I could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with a cook who knows the meal. I could throw ingredients in a pan and use my own know-how. Which is brilliant?

Any one of the techniques. Why? Because each will be a learning experience. None of us knows how to cook without first learning something. Imagine if painters didn't imitate Michelangelo or Monet or the caveman paintings - where would art be? The same could be said of cooking.

Why would I work for a chef like Ramsay or Irvine? Because they can teach. If I can cook a beautiful lobster with a fine cognac sauce for a diner that's great, but Chef Ramsay can teach me (and ride my bollocks) if I make "a pig's ear of it" when my cooking goes "pear shaped". Three Michelin stars comes with absolute perfection and precision something most of us do not have and which Chef Ramsay has in spades.

If I can't learn from my mentor(s), what chance do I have of reaching perfection? In my home kitchen? Never happen.

[Ishbel]

A heartfelt post there!

As someone who has eaten the products of Ramsay's kitchens.... all I can say is: the food is great, the 'fingerprint' of the master is obvious in all the dishes.

Some like to pick holes in Gordon, based on his screen persona. All I've said, all along, is..... judge him by the loyalty of the staff he has trained and who STILL choose to work for him (even after gaining their own Michelin stars).

Until you've eaten his food.... you have no basis on which to write an opinion!

[ChefTorrie]

KYHeirloomer, why do you dislike Chef Ramsay so much?

[RSteve]

Originally Posted by KYHeirloomer

Haven't seen the commercial. But I know how I feel about the two of them. Irvine does by doing.
Ramsay does by running his mouth about how great he is.
I like one of them, and have no use for the other. Care to guess which is which.

It appears that all that glitters is not gold.

Originally Posted by Associated Press

False Resume Gets Chef Cut From Network
March 3, 2008, 3:46 PM EST

The Associated Press

After rising to culinary stardom preparing impossible meals on his Food Network series, Robert Irvine has met an obstacle his kitchen prowess couldn't overcome — an embellished resume.

The star of "Dinner: Impossible" has acknowledged fabricating some of the more fantastic parts of his resume, including having cooked for Britain's Royal Family and various U.S. presidents.

Following the revelations, the network announced it would not renew Irvine's contract, though it would air the remaining episodes of the current season, the series' fourth.

"I was wrong to exaggerate in statements related to my experiences in the White House and the Royal Family," Irvine said in a written statement. "I am truly sorry for misleading people and misstating the facts."

The Food Network said it might revisit its decision at the end of this season, but for now would begin searching for a new host for the series, which challenged Irvine to cook under arduous conditions.

"We rely on the trust that our viewers have in the accuracy of the information we present, and Robert challenged that trust," the network said in a written release.

Irvine, who is from England, first acknowledged the fabrications in a Feb. 17 story in the St. Petersburg Times.
Copyright 2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

[AndyG]

I didn't make my point very well . . .

A highly accomplished person has a lot to teach us. In my trade I certainly would take the opportunity to learn from masters. I just meant that you have to be a part of what you do if you're going to be a master, or even if you're not. That's my opinion. I also am of the opinion that when it comes to culinary arts, "perfection" is subjective.

[Blueicus]

Originally Posted by RSteve

It appears that all that glitters is not gold.

Heh, I suspected that it'd turn up when there was a new thread in the post. Well, now we'll wait until we find out GR never worked for Marco Pierre White and he simply stalked him after hours begging him to work for them.

[Bazza]

There you go then...Ramsey rules!

[OahuAmateurChef]

Wow! wow!

[Ishbel]

Hmmm - and there was me, being taken to task on this thread for never having heard about the man who had cooked for royalty and worked with the greats in London and all over the world.... A charlatan!

A friend sent me the link to the Florida article - interesting reading. Not only has his lies about cooking for some of the great and good been exposed, but so has his claims that he had a BSc from Leeds Uni - who have never heard of the man.

Doesn't mean he isn't a good cook - but why LIE?

It also means...

RAMSAY ROOLZ!