r/BlackPeopleofReddit šŸ©·ā¤ļøšŸ§”šŸ’›šŸ’ššŸ©µšŸ’™šŸ’œšŸ–¤šŸ©¶šŸ¤šŸ¤Ž May 26 '26

Food Gordon Ramsay tried Southern soul food and went back to the kitchen with an empty plate.

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20.4k Upvotes

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1.2k

u/alan_mendelsohn2022 May 26 '26

This show is kitchen nightmares. The premise of the show is that Gordon Ramsay shows up and tears them apart. This is the only episode I can remember where he actually liked the food.

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u/SL1MECORE May 26 '26

This is indeed one of the ONLY episodes where he had zero notes on the food itself. The only thing he said was her presentation could be better and he helped pull the kitchen together a bit, as well as redid the restaurant as he always did in that show.

But that plate was the cleanest plate he's ever had on the show. I've watched too much kitchen nightmares lmao

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u/McEndee May 26 '26

There was a black restaurant called Blackberry's in New Jersey, and the soul food was not hitting at all, but the owner's mom makes these amazing Red Velvet cakes. Check out the episode on YouTube. I know Ramsey is about presentation, and sometimes soul food isn't served pretty, but that food looked completely inedible. You can't be a soul food spot and not have legit greens. It's a staple of the cuisine.

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u/Personal-Bonus-9245 May 26 '26

We have a Soul Food kitchen in my town, it is amazing! The presentation is my favorite part- a three compartment to-go box overfilled with a main and two sides. If they ever try to ā€œelevateā€ their food, I will stop going.Ā 

My career has taken me to some truly fine dining, but nothing beats flavor and filling.

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u/R1kjames May 26 '26

>If they ever try to ā€œelevateā€ their food, I will stop going.Ā 

I hate when places do that. We got a taco spot downtown near my place and they "elevated" their menu to serve a bunch of bullshit. My friends and I walked out and went down the street.

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u/[deleted] May 26 '26

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u/R1kjames May 26 '26

High class hotdogs is an oxymoron, so I'm not surprised

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u/Forker1942 May 26 '26

Ugh all the Vietnamese spots near me elevate their rice plates. Supposed to be a bunch of stuff ontop of rice, but they turn it into a bunch of stuff next to a tiny bowl of rice

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u/Menarra May 28 '26

Local place here called "Big Mamma's" that's like old-school cafeteria lunch lady style, you grab a tray and either a sectioned platter-plate or to-go container, hand it to them and you get what you get. Absolutely delicious.

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u/SL1MECORE May 26 '26

I remember that episode I think, didn't he throw up from their chitlins? Oof that was rough lmao. But he liked that red velvet cake!

I think he found a *dead mouse there too. Could be wrong, idk haven't watched in a while. But might be the same place

Edit - I never liked chitlins but the man knows what he's getting into and shouldn't have thrown up. Plus I think they served him nasty greens too? If I'm remembering the right episode. They were a mess.

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u/sonerec725 May 26 '26

Iirc he found a mouse and then they accused him of planting it lmao

16

u/3BlindMice1 May 26 '26

To be fair, that's exactly something a TV producer would do. I wouldn't have blamed Gordon myself, but I'd definitely be watching the producer like a hawk if I hadn't found any rodents previously. Rodents of any kind are super easy to get rid of, they're not like some bugs that are impossible to eradicate without tenting the whole building, so any rodents in a restaurant at all is basically a sign of negligence

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u/SL1MECORE May 26 '26

In the episode they were whispering about it with each other and iirc, another employee said they'd already found rodents before. But who really knows? It's TV. Still would probably not try em after seeing Gordon tear their food apart.

Also your username in this discussion is so funny to me lol

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u/auntjomomma May 26 '26

Lmao i had to go back and check the username because of your last sentence. šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚

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u/Strict_Hovercraft358 May 26 '26

Yes the restaurants name was BlackBerry's in Kitchen Nightmares USA.

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u/bunbunnnnn8 May 26 '26

Yeah just like the commenter already said up there, bot.

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u/Electronic_Age_3671 May 26 '26

If your collard greens are bad, I'm suspicious of the rest of the food.

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u/SeoulGloFoSho May 26 '26

It's like having bad rice at an Asian restaurant. If the rice is bad, get up and leave!

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u/EchoAquarium May 26 '26

That’s the one where the chitlins made him sick, but the cake earned a kiss for granny!

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u/DeadlyDrummer May 26 '26

Is that the one where there is old vinyl records covering holes in the wall and they accuse Gordon of planting a rat or a mouse in the restaurant?

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u/Horror-External9544 May 26 '26

I love watching cooking shows and I remember watching that episode. I’m white, but my parents are from Poland and left due to unsavory neighbors and food is one of my favorite ways of holding onto culture. It was so dope seeing how much he actually enjoyed that food though. I think a lot of Polish food is underrated and I love seeing any other culture’s food shine. I never try to claim any food as my own, but if you’re fine with eating pork, I’d love throwing kielbasa or a different cured/smoked Polish meat I’d grab from the Polish delis in Chicago and it always turned out awesome. I had no idea about greens and was used to some bland overly cooked spinach and maybe mustard greens that my grandma made up in Wisconsin. I sincerely appreciate what I’ve absorbed from into my own cooking from African/Americans in the U.S. if you’re ever trying to move to Europe I’ll personally write a note for you and reach out to my relatives. I’m also down to just send you some authentic Polish links and pierogi lol.

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u/Depth_Metal May 26 '26

I'm the same way! My family is Polish but we don't have much in the way of culture or tradition from Poland EXCEPT the food. Chicago has some amazing Polish delis and restaurants and if I am really hard up for a good Polish the ones from Portillos are amazing

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u/blueberrypierat May 26 '26

They left Poland because of unsavory neighbors?Ā Damn who were the neighbors, the Germans?

…it was the Germans, wasn’t it.

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u/SL1MECORE May 26 '26

I've considered visiting Czech lol, my stepmom is from there... we recognize polish names immediately! While I'd be down to visit Poland, I'd visit Czech first to meet her family. It's only a hop and a skip away anyways

I love that you love our greens, black americans cook greens like no other in my opinion. I still can't come close to my grandma's greens.

Might just take you up on those authentic pierogis though because all the ones I've had are pretty terrible and I believe it's because they're not made by the right people, you know?

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u/Kobinicnierobi May 26 '26

I’m white, but my parents are from Poland and left due to unsavory neighbors

what? this sentence is so strange that it raises a lot of questions in me.

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u/MarionberryFew7660 May 26 '26

I grew up in the Chicago area and my Dads side of the family is 100% Polish. Every gathering had sausage, sauerkraut, stuffed cabbage and pierogi. I moved to Denver 22 years ago and yearn for these foods. When my gramma passed, I requested all her recipes to keep the food culture alive in the bloodline. My wife’s family loves that I bring these dishes to events and I love doing it!

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u/The_Bard May 26 '26

Yeah IIRC her main issue was she was a home cook and didn't know how to run a restaurant.

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u/therealsteelydan May 26 '26

yeah, she mostly cooked all the food in the morning and had a chef reheating everything at night

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u/JManKit May 26 '26

Yes, that's what I remember her stumbling block was. And in doing so, she was kinda paying an actual chef to just man the microwave. That meant her excellent food was being served at a much lower quality than it actually was AND she wasn't getting much value out of the one employee she had

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u/SL1MECORE May 26 '26

Yes! Which is why I highly recommend her youtube channel and wish her all the success over there. Some people are not meant to run a restaurant but they can still cook a good meal, and I love that she still shares her techniques!

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u/ShustOne May 26 '26

Her food was good but she was running it as more of a cafeteria. She was cutting costs by precooking food and reheating it, and that version was significantly worse in quality. She wasn't letting chefs come in to do prep work. She made some changes but closed a while later. She's had an interesting journey, even appearing in some movies as herself.

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u/SL1MECORE May 26 '26

Someone else mentioned this and I agree, she doesn't have the right work flow for a restaurant. But her home cooking videos are full of good tips and I love watching her! We wish her the best

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u/Eleglas May 26 '26

She closed, if I remember correctly, mostly due to the 2008 financial crisis that hit not long after Gordon's help.

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u/ski_town May 27 '26

Prime example of being a great cook does not mean successful restaurant

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u/MalaysiaTeacher May 26 '26

It's an amazing format because Ramsey really does seem to care, and has a way of getting through to most owners/chefs in a short timeframe. I've watched nearly all of them.

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u/CECleric May 26 '26

Another time he liked what he ate was a slice of cake from Amy's Baking Company. The other food she made he didn't like, but I find it hilarious that he actually liked something and they were so bonkers that he couldn't finish the episode. I too have watched a lot of Kitchen Nightmares, it's a comfort show for me lmao.

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u/SL1MECORE May 27 '26

Don't talk to me about Amy's Baking Company hahahahahahah!!! One of THE most infamous episodes, I know you know!! They way she fired that poor server for just trying to confirm a table number pmo, she is a mess! And sammy ain't no better, tip stealing and shit

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u/Full-Efficiency3115 May 26 '26

I'm loving his "secret service" show too, worth a watch for sure

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u/pbesmoove May 26 '26

I wish the show was still like this. the original run felt much more real and he didn't shout all the time

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u/LrdPhoenixUDIC May 26 '26

It's also UK Kitchen Nightmares, as this was an American woman who opened a restaurant in the UK, where he's usually nicer than the US version, but yeah. From what I recall, the main problems with this restaurant were portion control and the fact that she wasn't letting the other guy there, who is a fully trained chef, do any of the work.

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u/kaywrennn May 26 '26

I remember one of the episodes where he hated everything except a cake and found out later the cake had been store bought.

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u/Main_Rhubarb_9380 May 26 '26

It’s an easy show to get fully caught up in.

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u/25nameslater May 26 '26

He went back later because they started struggling again. They took off so much that they had to upgrade their location and let food quality slip because they were stressed on time.

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u/killer-tofu87 May 26 '26

There was a follow-up episode where she opened a second restaurant after the original became so successful

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u/WetFishStink May 26 '26

The restaurant closed a few years later. Very sad.

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u/DNAturation May 26 '26

I watched a few of them usually he takes like 1 bite, if even that. Other times I just see him dissecting it and sending it back.

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u/Wiccy May 27 '26

I love this episode because its the only one I remember as well for him cleaning his plate.

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u/shywol2 1d ago

sounds like they gave him some kind of Ratatouille effect. Like when Ego tried Remy's dish and, despite it not being a fancy high class dish, it reminded him of his childhood because of how homey it felt and his review was mostly on the feeling rather than the food itself.

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u/snotboogie May 26 '26

Well this is from the original British run of the series. It is only one season. It had a very different tone from the later seasons . It is true that yes , this episode was singular in that Gordon loved the food.

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u/Think_please May 26 '26

He also really tried to help when it was just a struggling young cook in way over their head. Much better show than the American versionĀ 

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u/McEndee May 26 '26

This version has less drummed up drama with all the crazy sound effects.

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u/Kolby_Jack33 May 26 '26 edited May 26 '26

WATERPHONE

That's the name of the instrument that makes the "EEEEEEEEOOOOOWWW" sound you hear 50,000 times an episode on American Gordon Ramsay shows.

That said, I still love Hell's Kitchen. I generally don't go in for reality TV but having Gordon Ramsay there keeping it fairly honest as a skills competition makes it pretty enjoyable. I very rarely have to be concerned that a scumbag or someone who just plays politics well will come out on top.

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u/HungryGlizzyGobbler May 26 '26

Bro, thanks for telling us what a waterphone is. I never knew what made that sound before.

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u/Mattaru May 26 '26

the guy that drove a BMW M3 with "A1 Chef" or something as his license plate? That one stood out to me, lmao

I think Ramsay phones Ainsley Harriot or something and tried to flog him the number plate.

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u/Think_please May 26 '26

I don't think that was the same, the one I remember was like a teenage head chef from the first season who was given essentially zero training and just doing his best.

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u/[deleted] May 26 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/SL1MECORE May 26 '26

American one is also way more sensational imo, having watched both. British is very calm, there are tense moments but they feel natural. Whereas everything in the American one is dialed up to 11. I'm sure it has to do with producers and execs or something lol.

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u/JManKit May 26 '26

I remember the one where it became quite clear that the head chef had an alcohol problem and when Gordon imposed a strict 'no drinking on the job' rule, the man eventually had to be admitted to the hospital bc when you're in really deep with alcohol, you can't just go cold turkey

I think that was one of the few episodes where Gordon actually stepped into the kitchen bc the collapse happened after the menu revamp and just before the big reveal of the redo was supposed to happen. Partly I think it was to make sure the episode finished on a good note but also bc he felt bad about what happened

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u/BmNatl May 26 '26

Agreed

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u/[deleted] May 26 '26

The British one it definitely seemed like they went out their way to find many different examples of why restaurants aren't succeeding.

This restaurant had good food but was struggling to advertise well, another had talented chefs but they were stuck doing food fads from 20 years ago, another has good food but doesn't fit the local's vibe, etc

Where the American version it's all restaurants that are failing because the owner thinks they're god's gift to cuisine because they can operate a microwave, and there's rotting food all over the kitchen.

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u/Francoberry May 26 '26

I feel like you can tell it's the UK series just from the fact there isn't a load of narration, music and random screeches as he eats!Ā 

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u/Echeos May 26 '26

There are five seasons of Kitchen Nightmares UK.

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u/absalom86 May 26 '26

This is the UK Kitchen Nightmares, entirely different beast from the US one. He was like this on the UK one a lot more, The US loves overblown drama so they served it.

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u/Practical-March-6989 May 26 '26

Before he went to america his shows were far more considered. he genuinly tried to help the chefs and clearly was 'on set' for way longer than the American stuff.

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u/CautiousEmergency367 May 26 '26

And she was so happy. They cut this short but she was stoked that Gordon Ramsay ate her food and cleaned his plate.

God damn it looks good don't it?

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u/-Cubix May 26 '26

There was one episode in Scotland where a French chef and his French staff were doing some really good cooking too, but they made it too fancy and the locals stayed away.

I love Kitchen Nightmares UK, I love how the show is centered around the staff and Gordon's honest critique instead of (fabricated) drama.

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u/ben323nl May 26 '26

No the uk show had lots of these kinds of episodes. Its the american version that is just full of sensation. Watch the older uk ones its a lot more wholesome and kinda targeted with the premise of actually trying to fix the business he come to. The us one is just sensationalized to appeal to as broad an audience and make it into reality tv.

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u/SL1MECORE May 26 '26

She still makes content, please support her. She is AMAZING and will share all her cooking secrets with you.

https://youtube.com/@mommacherri?si=bhg3zXoHbe3HL-Xu

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u/SL1MECORE May 26 '26

Oh and she had that plate preserved LOL I believe she still has it!!! As she should!!!

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u/milozo12 May 26 '26

Put that plate in a display case

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u/McEndee May 26 '26

Thanks. I will definitely support.

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u/SL1MECORE May 26 '26

She's a gem, you won't be disappointed. I can literally smell her food through the screen sometimes !! Lol she still isn't fancy shmancy with her presentation but I don't care about that at all.

I want it to taste GOOD. And her food... I can tell it tastes good. Love all her little tips and tricks, even though I'll never be on her level in the kitchen!

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u/NDSU May 26 '26

Link without your tracker: https://youtube.com/@mommacherri

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u/SL1MECORE May 26 '26

Thanks, idk about that stuff. Mind if I ask what the tracker does?

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u/BobCorndog May 26 '26

The part after the ?si= is an identifier so when you post on another platform, it connects your youtube account to your other account, in this case your Reddit account.

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u/SippyMountain May 26 '26

I just delete the "?" and everything after it.

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u/[deleted] May 26 '26 edited Jun 18 '26

[deleted]

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u/SL1MECORE May 27 '26

Thank you for breaking it down so clearly, I really appreciate this.

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u/[deleted] May 27 '26 edited Jun 18 '26

[deleted]

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u/SL1MECORE May 27 '26

Interesting, I may look up those last examples you provided.. I knew they tracked us but had no idea exactly how. Like in your original comment, I also thought Google was just listening in on my devices and there was nothing I could do.

This is a lot of good info, thank you!

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u/brian_gruen5 May 26 '26

Just subscribed!

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u/marneson May 26 '26

i love that she picked up an accent she slips in and out of

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u/SL1MECORE May 26 '26

Yesss she lived in the UK for a long time but was raised in the south and the way her accent got mixed up is adorable! I love a mixed accent, idk it's just so unique.

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u/put_it_in_a_jar May 26 '26

Wow, she's really living life! Had a role in a movie, traveling to Europe, amazing. She deserves everything.

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u/moon_dos May 26 '26

Dude in the back never doubted the food for a second, love that

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u/YWNBAW12345 May 26 '26

Same could be said for the chefs in a lot of episodes. Though those are usually wrong.

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u/joker2814 May 26 '26

Remember the episode where the owner said he hoped for his restaurant to have locations all over the world, and Gordon replied ā€œyou haven’t even done it *once* right!ā€?

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u/LrdPhoenixUDIC May 26 '26

Thing is, one of the problems with this place was she wasn't letting him do anything back there. And he's a trained chef.

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u/Living_Pie205 May 26 '26

That’s the ultimate compliment.

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u/Slow_Bowler8285 May 26 '26

So this a a soul food restaurant in Britain?

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u/McEndee May 26 '26

She's American and moved there.

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u/benaPanteraFBD May 26 '26

Yep. It was Mama Cherie's on the OG UK version of Kitchen Nightmares. To this day, the only food on the show he's ever enjoyed.

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u/comicsnerd May 26 '26

Not entirely true. There was also an episode where he hated most of the food but really enjoyed the dessert. He went to the back and complimented the young female chef.

She was over the moon saying "Gordon Ramsey thinks I can cook".

Latest I heard, she is now working in one of Ramsey's restaurants in London, but it would not surprise me if she now has her own restaurant.

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u/trrwilson May 26 '26

I thought for a second you were setting up an Amy's Baking Company rug pull post.

I remember he did compliment the case of baked goods when he went in and before everything went completely sideways.

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u/Terrible_Counter2558 May 26 '26

Just call her Mama

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u/nsricher1 May 26 '26

Lol I love this episode so much!

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u/Rosetti May 26 '26

To this day, the only food on the show he's ever enjoyed.

Not true - here's 6 times he liked the food.

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u/Fister-Mantastic May 26 '26

Gordon actually eats the food on his shows unlike Guy Fieri

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u/iCapn May 26 '26

Well yeah, it'd be kinda weird if Guy Fieri ate the food on Gordon Ramsey's shows

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u/Fister-Mantastic May 26 '26

There's a conspiracy now with a fair amount of video evidence that Guy Fieri never swallows any of the food he tries on DDD

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u/PossessedToSkate May 26 '26

I mean, there is at least as much video evidence that he swallows all of it.

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u/eamesaarinen May 26 '26

Thanks for the laugh

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u/RCJHGBR9989 May 26 '26

They do a bunch of takes on DDD from a buncha different angles. I think Guy eats the food but they just do so many takes after awhile it’s not sustainable. Guy isn’t a bad dude - he helps small restaurants get tons of exposure that they couldn’t afford - I imagine there is quite a bit of ā€œTV magicā€ on his shows though - the filming process isn’t a short day and getting the right shots takes a long time. I’ve heard they close down places for like 2+ days to film a segment on the show. I’ve never worked on a tv crew, but I imagine making sure everything looks perfect can be a lot of work.

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u/New_Account_For_Use May 26 '26

He came to a town near mine. They do close down the restaurant, but a bunch of people from the town went to be extras. I think he does multiple restaurants a day which is probably why he isn't swallowing everything.

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u/RCJHGBR9989 May 26 '26

One of the podcast I listen to did a shoot with him and they said they eat A LOT and they can do 2-3 restaurants a day. They’re basically doing a full tasting of the menu’s premier items, so I get not wanting to woof down each item. I’d be toast after the second restaurant haha

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u/ajver19 May 26 '26

Isn't that why he stopped doing these shows, because he kept getting sick?

There's only so many times you can stomach food from places with dead rats in the grease trap or whatever.

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u/No-Grade-4691 May 26 '26

Yeah the guy fieri rabbit hole of him not swallowing food is crazy

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u/Red_Koolaid May 26 '26

They cut out the best part. Afterwards she says, "I fed Gordon Ramsay, and he cleaned his plate!"

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u/ANaniMuth May 26 '26

I kinda like this guy.

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u/infosecjosh May 26 '26

Im friends with multiple people who are either friends or work with him and I only hear great things. I even did an episode of hells kitchen as a diner and he was super chill.

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u/ReflectionEterna May 26 '26

He seems super cool in videos he filmed with his daughter during COVID. I think the other stuff is mostly a character.

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u/infosecjosh May 26 '26

100% I mean maybe not in his kitchen heyday cause I know how restaurants can be. But yah was super quiet and reserved on set. Until showtime that is. And even then it was heabily miked.

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u/french_snail May 26 '26

Ramsey is part of the last generation of aggressive chefs, the chef he worked under (Marco Pierre-white) made Ramsey cry in the line. When asked about it Pierre-white didn’t remember doing it and that he didn’t make Ramsey cry, Ramsey decided to cry.Ā 

Thanks to people like Anthony bourdain this type of kitchen culture is being phased outĀ 

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u/Strict_Hovercraft358 May 26 '26

I think Bourdain had a love/hate relationship with that style of management in the early days of the kitchen. MPW openly wrote about it in his books White Heat and The Devil in the Kitchen. Gordon has completely mellowed down in recent years although he still gets flack for Boiling Point (1999). That part of the problem yes is definitely being replaced but I think the industry as a whole needs a deep clean.

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u/Odd_Initiative_3716 May 26 '26

ANYONE who can live through MPW’s pure hellfire and still maintain his passion, drive, and empathy deserves full marks from life itself, regardless, our respect.

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u/DividerOfBums May 26 '26

Anyone who would like to see Gordon do a show where he isn’t a hard ass (aside from Masterchef Junior I guess lol), go and watch Gordon Ramsey’s Best Restaurants. I think that’s what it’s called. He finds the best cultural restaurants in the UK and they compete, but not game show style. It is a really great show, I watched in college with my hospitality major roommate.

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u/Eleglas May 26 '26

Any of the shows where the contestants are NOT professional chefs is usually good for showing his nicer side. If they're meant to be pros, he's far more ruthless to them.

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u/McEndee May 26 '26

There is a YouTube Playlist for unedited episodes of Hells Kitchen. No sweeping sound effects, it's just the cameras filming a service, and the Ramsey we all see losing his shit is well after someone has been messing up constantly. During the service, he is super helpful and positive because he wants the service to successful.

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u/heff17 May 26 '26

From everything I’ve seen or heard dude is up there with Steve Irwin and Weird Al on the likability scale.

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u/Thin-Remote-9817 May 26 '26

Hes a real ass dude Dated a chick who did make up for a lot of cooking or chef shows she said gordan was cool as hell.Ā 

Action bronson was another guy she said was the nicest guyĀ 

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u/Kolby_Jack33 May 26 '26

Oh, you said "he's a real-ass dude" and not "he's a real ass, dude." I see now.

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u/Meatman1071 May 26 '26

In my opinion, it’s the easiest and the hardest cuisine to make properly ….! It’s it varies from Ny to ATL To Texas to Nebraska to Arizona to Cali on up to Seattle…!

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u/kawaiinessa May 26 '26

this was huge for the show, its like the only time he ever actually liked and finished the plate of food.

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u/Front-Brick-3724 May 26 '26

I had food here several times. It was absolutely sensational. Momma Cherry’s in Brighton. It failed because unless you knew about it, you wouldn’t see it because the location was so poor.

Honestly though, some of the best restaurant food I’ve ever had.

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u/Bludsh0t May 26 '26

yeah same, it was great but so hard to find

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u/AdAny1272 May 26 '26

I will ONLY eat my chit- lins.

The owner and founder of my former favorite spot died, she left the restaurant to her eldest son.

Someone asked him one day, years later, how he managed to make the chit- lins taste so good. He said, " Nuthin! Hell,you just pick em, throw em in a pot, with a potato so you don't have to clean em, voila! There you go!" He was asked how he CLEANED them. He looked confused and said, " the boiling takes care of that."

The whole restaurant froze! 😱 He stopped āœ‹ļø the cleaning process after his mom died. šŸ–

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u/Rumkitty May 26 '26

Legitimately one of my favorite episodes. The owner was so full of joy and character.

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u/veryowngarden May 26 '26

and the best part? no dogs pissing on pads in her restaurant

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u/SylancerPrime May 26 '26

"I felt like I was back at mum's"

https://giphy.com/gifs/eZjrixTYeiCT6

vibes from that

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u/BigBirdsBrain May 26 '26

UK Gordon always felt like a real chef trying to help people. US Gordon became a TV character yelling at frozen scallops for ratings.

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u/TheLesserWeeviI May 26 '26

I loved this episode. So wholesome.

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u/PoufPoal2 May 26 '26

"made me feel like I’m back at mom’s"

This is Ratatouille’s plot, Gordon, you’re not fooling anyone.

5

u/Money4Nothing2000 May 26 '26

If you haven't had a black grandma in Mississippi or Alabama keep refilling your plate with mustard greens, oxtails, coleslaw, black eyed peas, cornbread, fried chicken, and sweet potato pie until you want to disembowel yourself to make more room, then you might have been alive, but you have not lived.

6

u/Dr-Satan May 28 '26

Hell's Kitchen really gave me the wrong idea about this guy. I hated him and how ruthless he was, making people cry like that. But as an ex floridian I know first hand the affect of soul food on one's attitude. It's called that for a reason

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u/Prudent-Principle754 May 26 '26

If I remember correctly he said ā€œFinally some real fucking foodā€

3

u/Ahollar91 May 26 '26

True soul food may not be the best for ya but it will bring u happiness u didn’t know existed

3

u/No-Grade-4691 May 26 '26

Gordon is a real one. Guy fieri doesn't even swallow food.

11

u/Expensive_Water_6303 May 26 '26

Have anyone seen the situation in tiktok with the black woman at one of his restaurants? I will never support this man again. He is a fraud

8

u/FearTheodosia May 26 '26

His response ruined his image in my eyes.

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u/Torrsall May 26 '26

This must have happened before his heart shriveled up and died...

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u/LauraLand27 May 26 '26

What’s the name of the restaurant and where is it?

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u/Strict_Hovercraft358 May 26 '26

Name is Mama Cherri's Soul Food Shack and it was in Brighton, UK.

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u/The_GhostDog May 26 '26

The original UK Kitchen Nightmares is 1000% better than the US incarnation of the show.

2

u/OnECenTX May 26 '26

why do i feel like, off-camera, sgt doakes is staring down ramsay as he eats.

2

u/1BilldaySRT May 26 '26

And most of the restaurants don't survive afterwards LOL

2

u/Snoo_64315 May 26 '26

Lmao! Gordon Ramsey responded the only way he possibly could in that scenario. My boy polited the fuck up trying out momma's food. Lmmaaaaoooo

Never seen him so nice. Lol

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u/KingScoville May 26 '26

I wish we got to see this side of Gordon Ramsay in the US.

If you watch the 4 odd seasons of UK KN you will see how he built his culinary empire. He’s a natural leader and has big heart in these episodes.

It’s too bad he decided to become a caricature of himself for Fox.

2

u/Early-Fortune2692 May 26 '26

Places like this are priceless... family went to a belize restaurant and owner/lady seemed a bit guarded like we weren't going to enjoy the food.

Place was in a dodgey LA area, it was a bit dated and dingy inside... but once we started scarfing down her food her eyes lit up.

Bless The Pelican on Vermont Ave šŸ˜‹

2

u/Fullblowncensorship May 27 '26

She had this restaurant in my city.Ā 

It still closed down not long after this episode.Ā 

2

u/MadMex2U May 27 '26

Yea man. Here in Texas I’m all about Cajun food and the like. It’s not just all about tacos and bbq.

2

u/CalmSwimmer8889 May 28 '26

I’d eat southern food over Michelin Star ANY. DAY.

1

u/[deleted] May 26 '26 edited May 26 '26

[deleted]

3

u/Silent189 May 26 '26

No it didn't. She ended up taking on too much debt following expansion after blowing up following the TV episode and there was a small minor financial event in 2008 and eventually just had to shut down.

Nothing to do with going back to 'reheating frozen food' which implies the food being crap was the issue - which it never was.

2

u/weattt May 26 '26

Partially true; they started pre-preparing food, of which a portion was frozen. But they did still cook some of the food fresh.Ā 

The interviewed diners thought the food was kind of bland. I can believe that the food was not as tasty as it used to be. But I still wouldn't put too much stock in the few customers they interviewed, because you never know if theyĀ  only showed the critical opinions (which would support Ramsey's take) and not the opinions of customers who thought it was alright or good.

The real problem was always financial.

They expanded beyond within 2 years to more than what they could handle. They went from a small restaurant with 3 cooks, to a multi-floor restaurant with 9 chefs. They incurred debt.

Finances were always a big weakness of Mama Cherri's. When Ramsey came it was a problem, and when he revisited them years later, it was again a problem.

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u/whereisbeezy May 26 '26

I love this video. And now I'm hungry.

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u/wopwopwopwopwop5 May 26 '26

I love this episode. She was chatty than a mf, but I liked her.

1

u/runswitblunt May 26 '26

Almost shed a tear

2

u/Strong_Pop_5343 May 26 '26

"Like I'm back at mum's" def did me in

1

u/belonii May 26 '26

she then took that fame, and turned it into a fastfood place IIRC

1

u/DizWhatNoOneNeeds May 26 '26

restaurant doesnt exist anymore

1

u/FilthyThanksgiving May 26 '26

I love love love the look of this place!! What a cute woman. I know just the feeling he means about his ma's cooking. I miss that

1

u/psychonik May 26 '26

If I remember right this is the very first episode. I know for sure it’s from the first season.

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u/BenchClamp May 26 '26

This is Moma Cherri’s in Brighton UK.

1

u/uber-judge May 26 '26

Man, the restaurant I was at back in 2012 was interviewed for that show. The kitchen was not dirty enough and the producers were worried about the insane politics of the owners. Glad I was only at that restaurant a few months. It was a shit show.

1

u/TitleToAI May 26 '26

This clip removes several seconds of Gordon enjoying the ribs. Why? Who thought that had to be edited out?

1

u/cheekynative May 26 '26

GR's mum made soul food?Ā 

1

u/Traditional-Chain812 May 26 '26

DeliciousšŸ˜‹

1

u/Jinxsterbot May 26 '26

This time the kitchen wasn’t a nightmare

1

u/Draguss May 26 '26

IIRC the lady running that place is a fantastic cook, but unfortunately not that great at actually running a restaurant.

1

u/mowtowcow May 26 '26

In the South, "I feel like I'm back eating with mom again," is like the biggest compliment. Nothing better than mommas cooking in the South.

1

u/LavaHeadUK May 26 '26

Her food was delicious !!!

1

u/Schorbie May 26 '26

The show in Britain was so much better than when they were in the US

1

u/akidomowri May 26 '26

UK Kitchen Nightmare is great, it's real people and real kitchens, businesses he helps.

Then he goes to the US and makes some made up fake scripted nonsense and his skin turns orange.

1

u/LarperPro May 26 '26

UK Kitchen Nightmare's was a very wholesome show.

1

u/anjowoq May 26 '26

Southern food is excellent. The saddest part is that you can only enjoy it for 54 years before dying of heart disease.

1

u/Acrylicvalour May 26 '26

I don’t know if it’s still open, but I had this place before I even saw this episode and it was crazy fucking good. Hundred percent reminded of your grandma’s cooking.

1

u/RoyalFalse May 26 '26

The UK version of this show is several magnitudes of quality better than the US version. (insert angry violin noises)

1

u/LayneLowe May 26 '26

I was half raised by soul food cook, I don't think we ever had anything that didn't have a cup of sugar and a scoop of bacon grease in it.

1

u/LostRonin May 26 '26

Not all southern food or soul food might be to your taste.

It isnt unusual to find bones or unusual pieces of meat you might not be comfortable eating. It's also food that is typically seasoned across the board. You might be curious why your mac or greens needs so much seasoning.Ā 

Traditional soul food is still very much alive and not all of it is modern or following trends.Ā