Gordon Ramsay's 60th Birthday Countdown

Gordon Ramsay Timeline

About Gordon Ramsay

Ramsay built a global restaurant empire that has earned multiple Michelin stars, and became a household name through Hell's Kitchen, MasterChef and Kitchen Nightmares. He's also become a social-media force, sharing quick recipes and reaction videos on YouTube and TikTok.

The footballer with the gammy knee

Ramsay grew up supporting Rangers and earned a trial with the Glasgow club as a teenager, until a smashed knee cartilage ended the dream. Rather than be known as "the footballer with the gammy knee," he threw himself into cooking at 19, surviving the ferocious kitchens of Marco Pierre White at Harvey's and Albert Roux at Le Gavroche. By 1993 he was head chef at London's Aubergine, earning two Michelin stars in three years before opening his own restaurant in Chelsea in 1998.

A quarter century of three stars

Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, his flagship in Chelsea, won its third Michelin star in 2001 and has never let go: as of 2026 that is 25 consecutive years at the top, a feat almost no kitchen on earth can match. Across his career Ramsay's restaurants have been awarded 17 Michelin stars in total and currently hold eight. Television turned the perfectionism into a phenomenon, with Hell's Kitchen, Kitchen Nightmares and MasterChef making him the most recognizable chef alive.

The soft spot in the world's toughest kitchen

With his wife Tana, Ramsay runs the Gordon and Tana Ramsay Foundation, a dedicated fund within Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity in London. The foundation helps seriously ill children get access to pioneering treatments and cutting-edge equipment, and is supporting the hospital's new Children's Cancer Centre. His restaurants invite guests to add a voluntary donation to their bill, and Gordon and Tana raise money personally too, from the Bake It Better baking week to grueling triathlon fundraisers.

Quick facts

• Born November 8, 1966, in Johnstone, Scotland
• Had a trial with Rangers FC before a knee injury turned him to cooking at 19
• Trained under Marco Pierre White at Harvey's and Albert Roux at Le Gavroche
• Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in Chelsea has held three Michelin stars since 2001
• His restaurants have been awarded 17 Michelin stars in total across his career
• Hosts Hell's Kitchen, MasterChef and Kitchen Nightmares

Frequently works with

Gordon Ramsay's cookbooks

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more.