The fiery UK chef has become known to American audiences through such shows as Hell's Kitchen and Kitchen Nightmares. He has long had a following in England for such work as his series Boiling Point, Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares and The F-Word.

Far different from his image in most of the shows seen in the United States, Ramsay comes across as a savvy, take charge leader in the kitchen who treats staff and guests with a strong hand and equal measures of caring, kindness, often naughty humor and disarming boyish playfulness.

Whether you agree with his outrageous personality and his overt profanity or not, there is no arguing that he is a craftsman in the kitchen. Watching his hands-on preparations to step-by-step voiceover instruction during the F-Word is like attending a private course in the basics of cooking excellence.

The chef has authored a number of books on cooking, filled with recipes, stories, and vivid photos which are among the best in food porn.

His creations tend toward taking local, available produce and ingredients and transforming them through simple, straightforward preparation into culinary wonders, filled with flavor and color while preserving texture and aroma.

Ramsay has used his name and fame to help launch the careers of young chefs, to bring attention back to local farmers and purveyors, and to help enrich the lives of families around the world by getting them back into the kitchen and back around the family dinner table.

He has used his skills in business and his influence to assist struggling restauranteurs in many countries to overcome the hurdles holding back their profits and success. In this process, he makes restaurants safer and more enjoyable for the dining public and brings attention to poor practices being used in food preparation.

Ramsay pushes his contestants and guest chefs hard and he pushes himself equally so, striving for perfection in the kitchen, in service, and in life.

He steps outside his comfort zone to raise his own livestock, to compete in marathons, and to achieve those elusive and highly coveted Michelin stars.

A Scottish family man, he embodies all that is bold and vibrant about the culture and history.

He has trained under such masters as Marco Pierre White, Joël Robuchon, Guy Savoy, and Albert Roux. He handles classic French cooking and its language with fluent expertise and can often be heard switching effortlessly between French and English in the kitchen. It is this marriage of styles which has brought him great success.

Through his corporate site, Ramsay endorses a line of fine wines, kitchen knives, books, eateries and offers restaurant vouchers.

He now owns the Tante Marie School of Cookery and offers courses through their facility.

He offers private dining, weddings, Master classes, and chef's tables through his corporate site.

Ramsay is as adept at the business side of running a prosperous restaurant as he is at the cooking. His ability to assess, meet and counter almost any personality he chances upon is part of the secret of his achievement. Handling people with aplomb is something he seems to do as second nature. He works them around to his way of thinking with the skill of a trained psychologist.

His acumen has led to his name becoming an industry all its own. He endorses a line of cookware and tableware to accompany his restaurant empire.