The Meanest Chef on TV, Gordon Ramsay, Fights for Local Food (Sort of)

I heart Gordon Ramsay. I don’t know why, because he’s a total asshole, and I’m not the kind of girl that goes for that – it’s inexplicable. But this latest tidbit makes him lose his shine a bit for me: he’s an outspoken advocate of local food, and even wants to go so far as to fine restaurants that use out-of-season produce, but his own chefs don’t practice what he preaches.

Ecorazzi has it:

Ramsay told the BBC News: ” I don’t want to see asparagus on in the middle of December. I don’t want to see strawberries from Kenya in the middle of March. I want to see it home grown.” However, a surge of bloggers have begun to attack Ramsay’s own restaurants (he has 20 in the UK) for menu items like “tropical fruit desserts” and “ravioli of Italian winter squash.”

In response, Ramsay’s people say (and remember they’re British so ignore the strange spellings): “Gordon Ramsay Holdings recognises the importance of sourcing ingredients which are both local and within season. Nevertheless, the overriding concern for all our chefs is they use the highest quality produce, and therefore in some cases, they source ingredients from further afield.”

If the quality of an ingredient you want to use sucks, don’t order it from far away – change your menu temporarily (aren’t these places all about constantly changing menus?). And to Gordon Ramsay, I say – if you’re going to talk smack about restaurants using out-of-season produce, make damn sure your own restaurants always use local food, 100% of the time. Set an example. Show how you can create a great menu with items grown in your area. It’s ridiculous to talk about fines when you’d be the recipient of many of them yourself.

Link [Ecorazzi]
Photo credit: Fox