When it comes to his television series “Hell’s Kitchen” and “MasterChef,” celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay is well-known for having a short temper. But it doesn’t rule out the possibility of him having a huge heart as well.
Last week, Ramsay was being featured on “The Radio 2 Breakfast Show” when Tina Clarke, the kitchen manager of Edward Peake Middle School in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, England, jokingly phoned in to beg for assistance.
“I’m cooking on my own here,” she said, referring to the fact that two of her co-workers were absent due to illness.
She had to make 300 dinners for the pupils while working with limited resources and humorously said she was wondering if Gordon would be willing provide a helping hand?”
Ramsay decided to assist her, much to her astonishment. “If I had the time, I would be in Bedfordshire right now, I guarantee you that; if you want, I can send a chef if you are good with that?” he said.
How could Clarke say no to the assistance of a chef who has worked with Gordon Ramsay?
Ramsay summoned a cab and dispatched a member of his team, chef Rob Roy Cameron of Ramsay’s Lucky Cat restaurant in London, to assist him on the scene.
The fact that Ramsay would send assistance made Clarke a bit concerned that the school management would not be happy with her for letting a stranger into the kitchen without authorization.
‘When I received a message stating that your chef will be with me in an hour, I thought to myself, ‘Oh my God, I’m going to have to confess to the head, and I hope she doesn’t punish me with detention or anything,'” she revealed.
However, the school’s headmaster, did not mind and when Cameron arrived, Clarke immediately set him to work preparing cauliflower cheese for the kids.
Clarke described the cuisine as “wonderful,” despite the fact that Cameron was surprised to find that he couldn’t use any salt in the recipe. In addition, the youngsters were delighted by their visitor.
“We’ve never had that many people [in the kitchen] before,” Clarke said.
The next day, Clarke was given the opportunity to express her gratitude to Ramsay over the radio. “It created a flurry of excitement across the campus. As a result, thank you very much”
Ramsay’s generosity demonstrates that when you have a genuine passion for food and cooking, a kitchen is just a kitchen, regardless matter whether you’re preparing a dinner for a 5-star Michelin-rated restaurant or feeding hundreds of hungry college students.