Gordon Ramsay, the UK’s most demanding chef, takes on some severely challenged US counterparts - and their restaurants - as he tries to save them from themselves in this new DVD release featuring ten gut-wrenching episodes and exclusive footage not seen on UK TV...

Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares makes its way to the USA so that Gordon Ramsay can try to fix the problems of establishments that are running themselves into the ground. Some of the staff are obstinate, some of the bosses are frightened of change, but one thing is always guaranteed: tempers get frayed and arguments flare as Ramsay tries his best to help those who, at first, are not willing to listen.

From the West Coast disasters of The Secret Garden, Lela’s and Sebastian’s to the East Coast debacles of Finn McCool’s, The Mixing Bowl, Seascape, Campania, Pete’s Italian, The Old Stone Mill and the excruciating Dillons, Ramsay finds himself going head to head and face to face with angry, frustrated, sometimes violent, always in denial chefs as he tries his damndest to whip them into shape.

The series is fairly formulaic. Each week we see the restaurant as it's currently run, then Ramsay turns up as a customer in order to taste the food. He gives his critique (always bad) and then comes back later to watch a normal afternoon or evening session so that he can see how the kitchen and front of house staff work so that he can get to the bottom of the problem. Is it the food, the dining experience or a combination of the two that's keeping the customers away? Then he tells everyone what the real issues are as he sees them, does a bit of research of the surrounding area and then implements a new menu and gets in his team to redecorate the restaurant or refit the kitchen. He then organises a local event to create a bit of free publicity for the menu change and packs the restaurant out to see if the staff can cope under serious pressure (they usually can't at first as they're not used to that amount of customers) then Ramsay sums up whether he thinks the restaurant will continue to thrive and says his goodbyes - occasionally we also get an update on how the restaurant is doing a few months on.

I have to admit to not being much of a fan of Ramsay's - for no reason other than a false impression of him given off by the media. I'd never watched his show before and just thought that he was a cocky, arrogant man who loved himself a little more than he should. How totally wrong I was. I've eaten at several of his restaurants, including dining at the chef's table situated in the kitchen of his London's Maze - where you can't help but be impressed with how clean the kitchen and food preparation is despite it being one of the busiest restaurants in London. While you can't argue that the man knows how to offer a perfect dining experience, I was worried that this DVD would just be about Ramsay throwing his weight around, getting arrogant and generally swearing a lot.

While there is a large element of swearing, Ramsay's outbursts are understandable. They're for no other reason than the person he's shouting at hasn't listened to a single word he's said in previous chats, and is continuing to run the business into the ground. Ramsay's job is simple: get all the staff working together as a team and those that are not willing to do that have to go.

It's easy to forget that Ramsay has been called in because the owners are at their wits ends. Sometimes the biggest problem is a single member of staff (as in Pete’s Italian, Dillons and worst of all the owner of Sebastian’s - who really is one of the most deluded individuals in the entire series). Again, let's not forget that it's the owners who are obviously the ones who called Ramsay in in the first place. I think the biggest problem is that some of the owners were hoping Ramsay would pop in, say: "Wow! Great food, you just need to be marketed a little better." And that very little would change in their day to day lives. Maybe the shock of being told that the problem is that their food sucks is too much for their egos.

But it's the chefs where Ramsay usually butts heads. There are unforgettable encounters with the arrogant Chef Michel, cocky Chef Ricky, stubborn Chef Sebastian, bullheaded Chef Doug and more. Ramsay also encounters many people with good hearts who do listen to his advice and turn things around - the most notable being the family business that is Finn McCool’s Irish pub. In fact, Ramsay signs off on this episode by saying that he's really glad this one worked out as the family really did deserve to make a living from it.

Then there's the chef at Lela’s who seems lazy. Ramsay demotes him, having little confidence in the man, but when the chips are down this man picks up the pieces and pulls everything back into shape - much to Ramsay's surprise and delight.

By far the worst establishment, but most interesting episode, was Dillons. What Ramsay discovers here is nothing short of horrifying. Cockroaches, rats and moldy produce being served up to guests is just the start of his problems.

I wasn't totally convinced that a lot of the episodes weren't staged - at least a little. And one interview seemed to prove this. In The Secret Garden episode Ramsay butts heads, quite seriously, with the French owner and chef. Then after the decor and new menu is introduced and everything has gone well on the relaunch night, the owner is interviewed and he's very pleased with the new menu. However the interview is conducted while the old decor is still in place. This makes no sense as Ramsay always introduces the new menus after the new decor is in place (in fact two hours before the first night's customers arrive, as we later learn from one anxious chef (in The Olde Stone Mill episode).

There was also a little too much emotional rubbish with people breaking down and praising Ramsay as though he were the second coming. While I'm sure he's turned a lot of people's lives around, this emotional guff left a slight nasty after taste in my mouth.

Extras include a text based biography for Ramsay, as well as a list of his establishments. Nothing that exciting, but interesting all the same.

While I wasn't expecting to enjoy this series, I was pleasantly surprised at how entertaining it actually was. Although, it's probably put me off eating out at those quiet little pubs and restaurants that we have out here in the depths of Dartmoor.

9

Darren Rea