We've seen the tantrums, we've heard the foul language and love him or hate him, Gordon Ramsay certainly makes for good television.
One New Zealand chef knows better than most the temperament of the cuisine mogul, having worked with him for three years - impressing Ramsay so much he now runs two of his top restaurants in the United States.
Josh Emett, originally from rural Waikato, has certainly come a long way in the past 16 years and in Arrowtown on Saturday told the Otago Daily Times it may have been a "long, hard road", but the future is looking bright.
Mr Emett said after leaving school cooking was his only real option - it was the only thing he ever contemplated doing as a career.
"Growing up I was always encouraged to cook.
"We didn't have the money to go buying lemonade and biscuits and all the things that kids love . . . but we were allowed to cook.
"Mum would buy flour and eggs and cocoa powder, baking powder and bananas and whatever I wanted to make a banana cake, but she wouldn't buy a banana cake from the shop.
"It was a way, probably, of keeping us out of trouble.
"I liked being in the kitchen and when I left school I didn't want to do anything conventional . . . cooking really is just all I ever thought about."
In 1989 Mr Emett began his culinary career about as far away as you can get from the Michelin star restaurants he now runs - Gordon Ramsay at The London New York and Gordon Ramsay at The London Los Angeles - at the Wilson Carlyle Rest Home, in Hamilton.
"When I was younger, 15 or 16, I wondered how I'd even make it to England . . . you live in New Zealand, in Hamilton . . . and you wonder how you're going to get out and if it's possible.
"I think it just comes with being driven and determined to go places."
In 1999, his hard work and passion for food paid off, when he joined Ramsay in London at The Chelsea.
Mr Emett joined the company when Ramsay was on the hunt for his third Michelin star, about to expand and move into a partnership with Blackstone, and establishing Gordon Ramsay at Claridges.
It was a case of the right place at the right time to pick up some senior positions - "pretty tough jobs in those days".
"You were just dropped in it and had to get on with it.
"If you fit in with that it's a very easy environment to work in."
Luckily, Mr Emett fitted in - something he puts down to his Kiwi upbringing, but rest assured, the infamous Gordon Ramsay "dressing-downs" are not just for the cameras.
"I wouldn't call it tantrums.
"There's been lots of tears over the years and there have been really tough times in the kitchen, but most people deserve it.
"I know how to stay out of trouble - I go in there and work hard... I'm not interested in what's going on around me, I'm just focused on the job at hand.
"That's probably why I fit into that environment and thrived, because I get a task put in front of me and I deal with it."
"He's a very clever guy... he's just so good at so many things."
Mr Emett and Ramsay clearly share a good relationship - Ramsay has entrusted him with two of his restaurants in the US, being repaid with three Michelin stars in two years.
Under Mr Emett, Gordon Ramsay at The London New York gained a Michelin star in 2007 and another in 2008, while the Los Angeles restaurant also gained a Michelin star in 2008.
The Michelin star is considered the Olympic gold medal of cuisine, a benchmark that most chefs work by.
Maintaining those standards is imperative in Mr Emett's kitchens, and while he admits he has been "hardened by the industry to a certain degree", the Ramsay dressing-downs are not his style.
His kitchens are run seriously, professionally and with military precision, but Mr Emett is determined all 55 of his chefs get just as much from him as he gets from them.
"Hopefully they come back to me at some other stage when they're ready in a more senior position."
While the recession is certainly biting and being felt in restaurants across the United States, Mr Emett said there was no reason to believe the top restaurants would not survive.
"We focus on doing what we do and doing it well and keeping it consistent and looking after our customers."
The trend out of the US was a return to "good home cooking and good flavour and simplicity", something New Zealand was getting better and better at, he said.
"The produce gets better and better . . . and I only ever hear great comments from Americans who are travelling down here saying that they really enjoy the food in New Zealand, which is great. Everything from the portion sizes to the relaxed style of food and freshness of the seafood and the products.
"There are great beers coming out of New Zealand, and wines. Hopefully it's getting to be seen more of a food destination when people come down here as well as a fantastic country to visit."
While Mr Emett admits he will probably not return to New Zealand full-time, he would like to have more contact with his home country and help more New Zealand chefs achieve what he has.
"I'd love to have more New Zealand chefs in my kitchens overseas, whether it's New York or whether we can get them in kitchens in London.
"We don't want to steal the chefs out of New Zealand but I think it's good for them to leave and learn and come back and hopefully they do come back."
