Gordon Ramsay Dishes on Lisa Vanderpump’s ‘Food Stars’ Power & ‘Masterchef: Generations’

So, how was working with Lisa?

First of all, honestly, she’s a frickin’ powerhouse, and it’s hard to believe she left Housewives, what, eight, nine years ago? She’s got so many fans. When we introduced her to the opening of the show, the kids went mad. I mean, they went absolutely mad. And so I’ve fallen in love with her attitude. She’s a Brit, she mastered her craft. She’s incredibly knowledgeable in that food and drink space. And it’s [a gift] when you’re working with someone as good as she is because you are giving twice as much knowledge into these individuals that are already up-and-coming young entrepreneurs. So the benefit is tenfold. We got on like a house on fire. And we butted heads on multiple occasions. We fought tooth and nail, but I’m telling you, she is Lisa Vander-Powerhouse because there is no stopping that woman.

Don’t be fooled by the pink.

Yeah. Oh geez. No, don’t mistake that kindness for weakness… but honestly, she’s an absolute delight to work with. And also I think she’s got that competitive side. We all see Lisa as someone that’s glamorous and she fronts these shows, but she has the knowledge. When we landed in London, we found out that she had 20 odd restaurants and bars and nightclubs back in the nineties and late eighties. Incredible!

You each got to pick your team of seven entrepreneurs. How messy did that process get? 

I’m a gentleman, so I always let Lisa go first in terms of the choice. But I’ll be honest, her first three picks? I also wanted them. So, we put those poor contestants in an awful situation where they had to decide. And listen, I didn’t get my own way every time. So we were literally pleading to get our teams stacked with talent. And then across the auditions, the ones that didn’t make it, I’ll be honest, she was incredibly supportive in terms of what she sees in their business, why it wasn’t a fit for her team, and what they can do to improve their business. So it wasn’t just a coldhearted, “No, it is not for me.” She has a real understanding about where their business was going and what’s needed to be done.

What kind of pitches will we see?

There are some really cool health-conscious ideas with ready-to-go drinks. [One contestant] has this beautiful hot dog–stuffed pretzel, another came up with this really unique artisanal cutlery that was pretty incredible. We had one who even came in with dog food that was so freaking good, it was fit for human consumption!

You got to film all over London. Any favorite spots?

We did an amazing challenge at the Savoy Hotel where we did a breakfast challenge where they took over the restaurants and literally did an American breakfast. The day before, we took them down to a greasy spoon, this sh---- little cafe, and served them a Full English with bacon, egg, sausage, tomatoes, black pudding, potatoes, you name it. It was like a heart attack on a plate. So they thought they were turning that little greasy spoon into a high-end restaurant, but unbeknown to them, they then jumped in a cab and [were taken to] the Savoy Hotel, where they got handed the keys to the restaurants, where they got to run a powerhouse breakfast for media sorts, publishers and critics. And they had 90 minutes to accomplish it.

And then we had one particular challenge where we were asked by Mars Candy to develop the most extraordinary brand-new chocolate bar. They got to pitch to Mars and come up with a digital plan, and the winner then got to put their bar into production by Mars. How cool is that?

Do you send them on shopping trips to Borough Market or anything like that?

Yeah, that’s a good question. So they got up to speed with Soho, Berry Street Markets, Borough Market. They saw the glamorour sides of London, you know, South Kensington, Chelsea, and Mayfair. And then we were also filming in the outskirts sometimes in the borough of London, the East End, Hackney Marshes. And so they saw a real cross-section of London, the good, the bad, the ugly.

I mean, that could be the grand prize on any other show. And how tough were the eliminations?

It was a grilling! If they ended up back at the office, the losing team would be grilled by Lisa and myself.  The team that won, we didn’t see them. They went off to enjoy themselves and celebrate in a restaurant and have dinner. And the losing team would be facing a severe grilling by Lisa and I, going over the breakdown of how they failed and looking at the results.

Can you tease the first challenge? 

They each had to conceptualize a food truck in the heart of Battersea Power Station, which has just been rejuvenated and is now the hub for the southwest side of London. They had to cook for office workers on a 45-minute lunch break and the [lines] out the door were crazy. I mean, here’s how desperate Lisa got: She was offering selfies for a sandwich. She was literally drumming up business, screaming at the top of her voice, “I’ll give you a selfie if you buy my sandwich.” I mean, come on! [Laughs]

Now, you also have MasterChef: Generations coming up.

I know! We filmed that just before Christmas, but if it’s one thing I’ve been dying to do, you know how much I love MasterChef, that one is second to none. But this year with Generations—it’s Gen Zs, Gen Xs, the Baby —it was incredible because everybody, everybody wrote off the Baby Boomers. But Damian, I kid you not, I’ll give you an exclusive: The frickin’ flavor profile of the Baby Boomers, in terms of how good and the depth of flavor, what they were doing was incredible. The Gen Z [work] was all picturesque, and it looked beautiful, but didn’t taste as good as the Baby Boomers’. But the only thing, the Baby Boomers wouldn’t stop putting bits of f------ parsley on the side of the plate! [Laughs]

The plating thing is always key! And the Gen Zs, I’m guessing they’re so used to doing it for Instagram, so it always looks gorgeous. 

That’s right. I had to close my eyes eating the Baby Boomer food because it was… not pretty. It was f------ delicious. The flavor was off the charts, but it didn’t look good. And honestly, I think it’s the most in-depth season ever, and what we unearth is extraordinary. And the strength of the Baby Boomers in terms of how long they could work and just the commitment…

They have the work ethic!

I know! And the Gen Zs, they were f----- without their cell phones. It was ridiculous. [Laughs]

Hilarious. Meanwhile, one of your former Next Level Chef contestants, Cassie Yeung, is all over TikTok! I’m obsessed…she has taught me so much about preparing Asian food, how to do ramen right with the eggs, her wet-wet sauce is perfection. It’s so cool to see these chefs become so influential.

Listen, that helps me sleep at night. You know how f------ hard I work with these kids… I want them to be me, and I don’t care when it happens in their life. I love mentoring. And that [show] is unearthing some serious talent that is blowing up right now, and it’s so good to see.

Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars, Season 2 premiere, Weds. May 22, 9/8c, Fox.