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Scottish by birth, Gordon Ramsay was brought up in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, from the age of five. With an injury prematurely putting an end to any hopes of a promising career in football, he went back to college to complete a course in hotel management.

Ramsay’s first years in the kitchen were spent training under culinary luminaries such as Marco Pierre White and Albert Roux in London, after which he moved to France where he worked in the kitchens of Guy Savoy and Joël Robuchon for three years where he was able to enhance his expertise in classic French cooking. In 1993, Gordon became chef of the newly opened Aubergine and within three years the restaurant was awarded two Michelin stars.

Gordon's first book, Passion for Flavour, was published in 1996. Since then a number of hugely successful books by Gordon have been published. His most recent recipe book, Gordon Ramsay’s World Kitchen was published by Quadrille in November 2009.

In 1998 at the age of 31, Gordon set up his first wholly owned restaurant, “Gordon Ramsay”, in Chelsea. On 19th January 2001 it won its third Michelin star. In October 2001 Gordon opened Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's which won a Michelin star in 2003. The same year saw the opening of Gordon Ramsay Holdings first international restaurant, Verre, located in the Dubai Hilton Creek Hotel. A year later he opened in St. James's. Within seven months it had won a Michelin star. The restaurant relocated to The Berkeley Hotel in 2003 and won its second Michelin star in January 2007. Gordon continued to open restaurants around the world including “Maze”, situated in the 5 star “One & Only” hotel in Cape Town.

Seating up to 170 guests, the restaurant is modeled on its British namesake yet the tasting-sized dishes will evoke the bountiful flavours of the traditional recipes of South Africa. The restaurant showcases the best in local seafood and game as well as fresh produce from organic South African farms. Maze is home to the country’s largest and most innovative collection of South African wine - housed in a magnificent tri-level wine loft. Over 6,000 bottles of South African wine from vintages of Cape Pinotage and Shiraz to both acclaimed and undiscovered South African vintages are on offer.


Above: Gordon Ramsay's Maze, Cape Town