Guns blazing, celebrity chef Ramsay takes on court of kings

0 Comments | AFP, March, 2008

PARIS (AFP) — British celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay adds a jewel to his crown Wednesday with the launch of a restaurant in the royal city of Versailles, but an acid review by France's most feared food critic has threatened to sour the occasion.

The Scottish-born Ramsay cut his chef's teeth in Paris, working three years in the kitchens of giants Guy Savoy and Joel Robuchon, as he scoured the French countryside for tucked-away champagne cellars and other foodie treasures.

"I came here when I was 22 and got my arse kicked in Paris, under the top chefs in the world," Ramsay told AFP in the light-flooded dining rooms of the Trianon Palace, a luxury hotel overlooking the grounds of the Chateau de Versailles.

The 42-year-old footballer-turned-chef says he jumped at...