It looks like being a superstar chef doesn’t make you immune to childish behavior. Mario Batali has banned one Gordon Ramsay from all of his restaurants after Gordon took offense to a comment Mario made about his food, calling it “dull and outdated and said he didn’t get New York.”
Ramsay responded by calling Mario Batali “Fanta Pants” in reference to the orange shorts the superstar chef sometimes wears.
In a recent interview, Batali said the following on the matter:
“Now he goes about town calling me Fanta Pants.” What? Because you sometimes wear orange shorts? “I suppose. And it has to be as a direct result of what you wrote.” Batali has not been slow in responding. ‘I’ve banned him from my restaurants. Ramsay’s people call trying to book tables and I say no. I won’t have him in there. If he called me himself and said, ‘Let’s sit down for a drink,’ I’m sure it would be fine. We’d be cool. But right now it’s not cool.” More wine is poured. Another cigarette is smoked. It’s clear he enjoys the feud. He also insists on telling me that the feud does not extend to Ramsay’s chef colleagues. He wants me to know he likes Angela Hartnett very much, though that doesn’t really do justice to the completely filthy way he expresses his admiration. It’s clear Angela is not banned from his restaurants.
Mr. Ramsay’s people have not been slow to respond, either.
Ramsay’s rep tried to make light of the simmering dispute, telling Page Six the two egomaniacal chefs will “get together someday and have a good laugh about it all.”
[From "HELL'S KITCHEN" STAR GORDON RAMSAY FROM EATING AT MARIO BATALI'S RESTAURANTS- New York Post]
I’ not sure if this is a battle of egos or just the way chef’s of this caliber muck with each other, but really… I think perhaps that drink is in order.
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LOL Fanta pants. Too funny. Maybe some Fanta would clear the air. :P
Ah silly chef gossip, I love it. I’m favoring Mario on this one!
If you guys want, I can arrange an Iron Chef America match up! If so, what will be the secret ingredient?
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