Gordon Ramsay is to take on the French in his next culinary venture by opening a restaurant in their capital.
The chef-proprietor has revealed that his latest venture will open in the French capital in spring 2008 and that he was aiming to be the first chef to hold three Michelin stars in London, New York and Paris.
"I'm going to Paris," he said in an exclusive interview with Caterer to be published in full next month. "I'm not going to announce where it is, but I'm definitely going. I can't wait and the site is phenomenal."
The location is expected to be at the Trianon Palace and Spa Hotel outside Versailles, on the outskirts of Paris, recently bought by private equity firm Blackstone for an estimated £101m.
A spokeswoman for Gordon Ramsay Holdings confirmed that the group was in talks with Blackstone for a project in Paris and that a trip was planned next week, when the company hoped the deal would be signed.
The Paris restaurant, expected to be called Gordon Ramsay, will be his 15th and follows the group's opening in New York last month.
Ramsay will become the first British Michelin-starred chef-patron to open a property in the French capital. It also marks a return to his former training ground: he spent three years honing French cuisine skills in the kitchens of Guy Savoy and Joël Robuchon.
Ramsay told Caterer he was frustrated that the French government wanted to dictate a 32-hour working week and that he wanted the French to prep the food and the Brits to cook it.
Food historian Michael Raffael said Ramsay's move was "brave and courageous".
"Gordon speaks French so he will be able to handle the French media and he comes from the Joël Robuchon stable so that should work in his favour, but there'll be plenty willing to shoot at him out there," he said.
New openings
- November 2006 Gordon Ramsay at the London, New York
- January 2007 Boca Raton Resort & Club in Palm Beach County
- Spring 2007 LA Hotel in Los Angeles
- Spring 2008 Gordon Ramsay restaurant in Paris
By James Garner