Gordon Ramsay's Playing With Fire
November 25th 2008 23:40
Synopsis:
Not a sausage. That is what Gordon Ramsay had when he started out as a chef, working 16-hour days, 6 days a week. When he was struggling to get his first restaurant in the black, he didn't think he'd be famous for a TV show about how to run profitable eateries, or that he'd be head of a business empire. But he is and he did. Here's how. "In the beginning there was nothing. Not a sausage - penniless, broke, fucking nothing - and although, at a certain age, that didn't matter hugely, there came a time when hand-me-downs, cast-offs and football boots of odd sizes all pointed to a problem that seemed to have afflicted me, my mum, my sisters, Ronnie and the whole lot of us. It was as though we had been dealt the 'all-time dysfunctional' poker hand. I wish I could say that, from this point on, the penny dropped and I decided to do something about it, but it wasn't like that. It would take years before the lessons of life, business and money began to click into place - before, as they say, I had a pot to piss in. This is the story of how those lessons were learned." This is Gordon Ramsay at his raw, rugged best.P LAYING WITH FIRE is the amazing story of Gordon's journey from sous-chef to superstar. In his no-holds-barred style, Gordon shares his passion for risk and adventure and his hard-won success secrets. (net sourced)
'Gordon Ramsay' mention that name to most people and they would most likely say, 'Oh the bloke off TV who swears alot and I wouldn't want to work for him'. And on the surface that appears to be true, but who is the real Gordon and this is where Playing With Fire enters the scene. Apart from what I had seen on TV and read in the papers, I knew very little about the man but was intrigued enough to buy the book and find out.
The book opens under the chapter 1 'Early Days, First Step on the Ladder, Royal Hospital Road, concluding on chapter 20 'A Change in Spending Habits', but what makes this book something rather good is the way Gordon has mixed in details of his life, the lessons he has learnt and sprinkled with gems of advice for anyone wanting to reach their goals in what ever direction they choose.
I liked this book and the more I read, the more I gained a greater understanding of the man behind the Ramsay TV persona. This is a must read book for anyone who wants to either run their own resturant or business, as its full of very helpful advice, ideas and lessons learnt the hard way, so well worth taking the time out to read, learn and enjoy.
Apart from the odd F word, which works on TV but I felt wasn't needed in the book, this is an inspiring read and good for anyone who wants to reach for the stars! And I can see why even with the swearing, how Gordon keeps his good staff from his passion for results to the way he will say morning to the lowest staff member as he realises that a good leader has to motivate his staff, winning hearts as well as minds to suceed.
kiwiauthor rating 10/10
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