Gordon Ramsay’s advice to students: ‘Yeah, get comfortable being uncomfortable’
During the program at Newport Performing Arts Theater, chef Gordon Ramsay answered questions from young chefs and food-content creators in the audience. His answers to their down-to-earth questions offered insights into how the culinary world has adapted in the age of celebrity chefs and social media.
First, host Issa Litton asked Ramsay which he prefers: being in the kitchen or in front of a camera?
“That’s a tough one,” said the British chef. “Every young chef needs to understand the importance of marketing. And generations to come, these kids are going to be like football stars, because they’re going to own their own DNA, their own cookbooks and their own IP, so they need to know how to market themselves. There’s a percentage of chefs that are a little bit awkward about the intrusion of social media, so I teach all their kids, embrace it. It’s a great way of establishing confidence. It’s a great way of looking at yourself and judging yourself on a global platform.”
Here are Q&A excerpts:
JC CAILLES LO, founder of the Fine Dining Club Philippines: I know you’ve been traveling to many places, but I’m curious to know what’s the best dish that you’ve tried recently, and from where?
We’re lucky, because we get treated everywhere we go. So we get to see some incredible dishes. Sisig. (applause) For me, growing up using all those intestines, and the young chef at Serai in Melbourne, he grew up in Manila. Just seeing what he’s doing, with that evolution of Filipino food, was exceptional.
And then down to the desserts. You guys have a very sweet tooth. Evaporated milk, you use a lot of it. (laughter) We grew up with a rice pudding made with evaporated milk and sultanas. I have a very sweet tooth, and those kinds of little nuances always take me back to my childhood. So, thank you.
ISSA: There’s a saying that the oil in the sisig absorbs the alcohol.
I didn’t think anyone in Manila drinks.
AUDIENCE: Oh…
ISSA: Uh-oh!
…Before lunch. (laughter)
ICOY RAPADAS, a home cook from Makati: You are a decorated chef, but like some of us you are a content creator as well, and you have been for years. Longevity is something we strive for. Can you give any tips on how to stay relevant?
I have three daughters, and they got me onto those platforms. Tilly wanted to start dancing, and I should not be dancing at my age. Last time I did dance, she said, “Dad, you look like you’re having a stroke.” (laughter)
Staying relevant is important. Staying ahead of the curve, listening to the trends, not jumping on every trendy aspect. That plant-based movement is extraordinary. So, the world’s got so much smaller. Based on these social media platforms, we get to understand what’s happening on the East Coast, the West Coast, Southern Hemisphere. So even as far as Reykjavik in Iceland, we still get to hear what’s the latest thing. So, you’ve got to study, and there needs to be a sort of 60-, 70-minute awareness every week, where you really just get up to speed with what’s happening in restaurants and what’s the excitement? What’s coming next? Really important.
Never take any job for any salary... It’s not the money you need; it’s the knowledge.
LORD BAYABAN, executive chef, Hilton Manila: As a fellow chef, I find evolution of the global cuisine exciting. There are new trends almost every day. With your welcome experience in the industry, how do you discern which one to explore and which one to pass on?
There’s such an abundance of info out there now as well. The gimmick ones are the ones I pass on. Gimmick is when it starts to get a little bit silly, when they insult the food as opposed to enhance it. And so, you think of what Noma has done in Copenhagen.
I went on that incredible journey when I thought I knew how to understand a mole. I didn’t have any idea until I actually landed in Oaxaca and spent eight hours making a proper mole.
So, understand what’s important for you, what’s missing in your culinary program, and then focus on that. The YouTube videos are incredible and getting to understand other culinary techniques—crucial. I go back to the time I spent in India, I went down to an ashram, Southern Kerala. I went to spend three weeks, cooking the most amazing vegetarian (dish). And what that did for me and my team to understand the essence of a great chickpea curry. Chickpeas—$2 for 12 portions—and understanding how to nail a proper chickpea curry, I went to the source. And so, if you can do that through online messaging, YouTube and those platforms, that’s how you stay away from the sort of fatty trends and get involved with the real, current, important, longevity trends.
JUAN ALVARO BAUTISTA, Le Cordon Bleu Manila student: As someone who is still studying, what is the most valuable lesson that you learned in school or very early in your career that you still use even till today?
You’re already speaking a second language. Your English is impeccable, so congratulations. That is going to help you tremendously across your career. May I ask how old are you now?
I’m 20 years old.
My goodness, me. So, you haven’t even touched the beginning of this exciting journey. Get comfortable being uncomfortable. Don’t get too comfortable. Between the ages of 18 and 26 you have to be the most energetic sponge. And food is like medicine. Understanding different cultures—crucial—and travel is of the essence. Traveling into different cultures and understanding… you never get up to speed with the language, but you can speak through the food and understanding what they’re about and how to master what they’re about is crucial. So, never take any job for any salary or any increase in salary, because it’s not the money you need, it’s the knowledge. And so, you just have to keep on going up and down, and when you start down again in the next kitchen, you just learn so much more, rather than going in a higher position, taking more responsibility on. It’s not about responsibility in your 20s, it’s about the education. So, every time I left, from Marco Pierre White to Guy Savoy, to Albert Roux, to Joel Robuchon, I got to an amazing standard. Next time, when I started my new job, I went back down to becoming a commis chef again. So do that three or four times in your career, and you’ll build out this plethora of knowledge that only you will have, and you can dip in those little nuances that you’ve learned, and then you start formulating your own style, because you have three or four good mentors. So, yeah, get comfortable being uncomfortable. And the very best of luck, by the way.
