Being Gordon Ramsey

This is basically promo for Gordon’s new ventures at 22 Bishopsgate in London, but I enjoyed it. Cameras follow Gordon as he travels around the world opening new restaurants, tasting new menus, shaking hands with hundreds of people, and stepping out of a helicopter to join his family on holiday.

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We also see the property at the top of London’s highest skyscraper move from empty space to fully-functional restaurant. The excitement increases when there’s a problem with the carpet, when the hangers are temporarily lost, when there is a backup at the fry station on opening night and people have to wait nearly 20 minutes for their appetizers. If you’ve ever worked in a restaurant, this series will be especially interesting.

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The thing I liked the most about this is that gives us a pretty round picture of Gordon Ramsey's life - not just his professional life. We get to see how he interacts with his young children, we are taken along to the engagement party of one of his daughters, and on a surprise visit to the culinary school where another daughter is enrolled. We also hear a lot from his wife as she and Gordon talk about his past, their life together, and the ramp-up to the big opening. The love between him and his wife seems solid and grounded and is a reminder that behind any successful person is at least one other person holding things down.

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I haven’t seen any of Gordon Ramsey’s television shows but I do know that he is famous for his potty mouth and for yelling at people.

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Yes, he swears a lot in this and we do see him pressure certain people (understandably and within reason), but we walk away from this documentary with the impression that Gordon is a fair and respectful person who strives for and expects perfection from himself, from those who work for him, and for the patrons of his restaurants.

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This is a fun peek into the stress of working in a commercial kitchen and of running a global empire. It’s also about the value of family and is an intimate look at a hard-working successful man maturing.

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