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Marcus Wareing puts knife into rival chef Gordon Ramsay
Felix Allen21.04.09
CHEF Marcus Wareing today attacked his former mentor Gordon Ramsay as he left him trailing in a list of the world's best restaurants.
Wareing, whose Berkeley Hotel restaurant was honoured with a “breakthrough” award, said modern chefs would only be successful if they cook in their own kitchen.
It came as Ramsay's flagship Chelsea restaurant dropped out of the influential worldwide “top 50” for the first time. Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, once rated second in the Restaurant
magazine poll and 13th last year, did not even make the top 100 in the long-list for 2009.
Former protégé Marcus Wareing, who was placed 52nd, appeared to suggest that Ramsay's focus on forging an international television career and business empire had cost him his place in the rankings.
He said: “In today's world a chef is only going to be successful if he's in the kitchen. People want more than a name.
“I'm absolutely delighted to be here. We've only been up and running for six months so to be just there on the edge of the top 50 is great for me and my team. Gordon's not in the top 100 but I don't feel sorry for him at all.”
Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley took over the site of the Ramsay-owned Petrus following head chef Wareing's acrimonious split from Ramsay after 19 years working together.
The news capped a bad week for the fiery chef after it was revealed his Chelsea bistro Foxtrot Oscar and three London gastropubs serve “ready meals” such as boil-in-the-bag coq au vin prepared at a central kitchen in Clapham.
Ramsay's spokesman said later: “Gordon takes all these surveys with a pinch of salt. Gordon regards his thousands of customers as his most valued critics. They are his judge and jury.”
Ramsay may not have attended last night's awards but he was spotted in his chef's whites during a brief tour of his restaurants yesterday. He was seen visiting staff at Claridge's and his restaurant in Royal Hospital Road.
There was good news at last for Heston Blumenthal, just six weeks after the chef was forced to close the doors of the Fat Duck when more than 400 diners were struck down by a mystery illness, costing him an estimated £150,000.
His restaurant, in Bray, Berkshire, was voted the world's second best for the fourth year running, again being pipped to the top prize by chef Ferran Adria's El Bulli in Catalonia, Spain.
The annual list of the world's top 50 was compiled by chefs, critics and industry experts for Restaurant magazine and was announced at a ceremony at Freemason's Hall in Holborn last night.
London's top restaurant was St John in Clerkenwell, at number 14. Owner Fergus Henderson, who specialises in offal and “nose-to-tail” eating, has the nerve-wracking duty of cooking lunch for the rest of the top 50 chefs
today.
Reader views (9)
they work 100 hours a week, every week to put the food on the plates they deserve some praise if they are good also they give the uk the credit it has lack since they came along in the food department. well done
- Chris Downs, turkey ,istanbul
ramsay is a brilliant chef and deserves his success,however he should refine his business empire to a more manageable size,going on to wareing also a great chef who has achieved great things but when you think ramsay has held 3 michelin stars for years,i don't think wareing should gloat as ramsay has fallen a bit,wareing has a long way to go
- Ian Bullock, great yarmouth, united kingdom
Yes, Fred of London, I agree entirely. Who cares? They are spoilt immature children. So vain and self-centred.
- John, dublin
Fred, at last someone talking sense.
Who really gives a damn about such rubbish.. They're not rock stars you know!
Paying £100+ a head for £10 worth of food on a plate is the real issue.
Do they do re-heats like Ramsey?
- Mark, St Albans
Wareing needs to be careful he doesn't turn out as arrogant as his former mentor. His condescending and frankly bullish behaviour on the Great British Menu last week, proved he's very quickly heading that way.
- Geraldine, London
Sick of hearing about cooks and cooking. Who cares?
- Fred, London
"cooking lunch for the rest of the top 50 chefs"
that'll be hell's kitchen then !!
- Phil Mason, Ash Vale
Oh here we go again, another couple of mates trying to drum up publicity for themselves with a fake feud. Whatever happened to the court case Marco Pierre White was bringing against Ramsey for the reservations debacle?
- Bob, Cheam
I think readers would like to know one thing. DOES MARCUS WAREING wear a wig?
- John Chidgey, London
