Celebrity Chef, Gordon Ramsay, Is Coming to Canada

By Charlotte Bumstead

Known best for his vulgar insults and short temper, the culinary superstar and Hell’s Kitchen host Gordon Ramsay is coming to Toronto on Nov. 20. He will be here to spearhead the commencement of Chef’s Challenge: The Ultimate Battle for a Cure. The event is raising money for breast and ovarian cancer research, in support of Mount Sinai Hospital.

However, Montreal is his city of choice for the opening of his first Canadian eatery—a neighbourhood family restaurant. Ramsay leaves out the details for now, calling for further discussion over the next few weeks. According to the Montreal Gazette, 44-year-old Ramsay will be taking over Rotisserie Laurier BBQ downtown and renaming it Rotisserie Laurier BBQ by Ramsay. The British chef now has stakes in 25 worldwide establishments.

Ramsay says in a phone interview that Canada reminds him of home: “Canada, in my mind, is a lot like Britain. We’ve always been underdogs. (Canada) has always been overshadowed by the huge, giant scale of food in the United Sates. I always feel a little bit like it’s almost like Britain.”

The Toronto-based fundraiser asks 500 motivated competitors to raise a minimum of $2,500 to attend. Only 50 participants will be selected and divided into five teams, each supervised by a celebrity-chef. They will then compete to win over Ramsay’s expert taste buds with a three-course meal.

“I’m not one of those chefs who likes to sit on the outside of things.” Ramsay says. “I’ll be cooking, mentoring, scrutinizing and advising. It’ll be high-pressurized, but fun.”