Gordon Ramsay is arguably the definitive celebrity chef of the 21st century — and he has all the qualifications to prove it. The Scottish chef made his first TV appearance on the 1999 documentary series Boiling Point, capturing the world’s attention through his talents and fiery temper, as the show followed his first few weeks as owner of his first (and later flagship) restaurant, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay.
Within the first three years of service, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay earned a maximum of three Michelin stars in 2001, the highest honor that food critics can bestow on an establishment. Soon after, Ramsay offered his expertise to budding and bumbling top chefs, through competition shows like Hell’s Kitchen and restaurant rescue series Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares. While both were initially U.K.-based shows, Hell’s Kitchen and Kitchen Nightmares spawned U.S. spin-offs that certified Ramsay’s place as a global superstar.
While Ramsay holds the same level of celebrity and recognizability as an elite athlete, musician, or actor, the famous foodie still operates and owns a number of restaurants across the world that bear his name. The Gordon Ramsay title comes with the highest expectation of quality and prestige, which is reflected in his record-breaking number of Michelin stars.
How many Michelin Stars does Gordon Ramsay have?
Throughout his career, Gordon Ramsay has been awarded 17 Michelin stars. According to his website, his first time achieving the prestigious award was when he worked as the head chef of Aubergine in London, England in the early 1990s, winning two Michelin stars. The restaurant was Ramsay’s first in the role of head chef. In 1998, he opened Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, his first restaurant as owner, achieving three Michelin stars – the most Michelin stars a single restaurant can earn, an achievement that the restaurant holds to this day, for over twenty years.
His remaining active stars lie at Pétrus in London, holding one Michelin star. In continental Europe, Ramsay has two Michelin stars at Le Pressoir d’Argent in Bordeaux, as well as Gordon Ramsay au Trianon in Versailles – both in France.
According to the food website Bon Viveur, the 10 Michelin stars that Ramsay has earned, but no longer holds, are due to restaurant closures, the majority of which came from disruption to the food industry during the COVID-19 pandemic. This included all of Ramsay’s U.S.-based Michelin-starred restaurants. Still, Ramsay’s achievements are nothing short of incredible, and he has merely moved from the third-most rewarded chef in the world to the eighth – hardly something to laugh at, unless you want to be on the receiving end of Ramsay’s iconic rants.
