Gordon Ramsay faces backlash for cultural appropriation with new "Asian" restaurant

(image: Getty images)

The celebrity chef has announced the closure of his 14-year-old restaurant Maze Grill Mayfair, a steakhouse also known for its sushi and the same restaurant that lost its Michelin star back in 2015. It will be replaced with an “authentic” Asian concept called Lucky Cat set to open this Summer in Britain.

According to Eater, Gordon “can’t wait to open the doors to Lucky cat and bring a new flavour of Asian food and culture to Mayfair.”

With Englishman and self-proclaimed “tofu-freak”, Ben Orpwood taking charge of the new restaurant, many people took to Twitter to express their dismay about Ramsay planing to open an “authentic” Asian restaurant without an Asian chef at the forefront of the operation.

I like you @GordonRamsay but how are you gonna open an “authentic” asian restaurant without an ASIAN CHEF?

— Vivienne ?? (@vivienne_mnd) 5 February 2019

No!!! Another celeb making profits off Asian culture & food without Asians at the table! How authentic can that be?! Gordon Ramsay’s cooking up another restaurant, and some people are not quite sure how he’s going to pull this one off. https://t.co/DMi1tRCnvw # via @HPAsianVoices

I like you @GordonRamsay but how are you gonna open an “authentic” asian restaurant without an ASIAN CHEF?

— Vivienne ?? (@vivienne_mnd) 5 February 2019

— Chung Seto (@setochungster) 7 February 2019

No.

NO.

NO!!!

NOPE!!!https://t.co/XPsLlfBtBA

— AsianSocialNetwork (@AsianSocialNet) 5 February 2019

I dig his shows but it‘s impossible to have an “authentic Asian restaurant” because Asia is a *continent*, not a cuisine. It’s like if he said he was opening an “authentic European restaurant.” He’d get laughed out of town and I hope this does too.https://t.co/9Zot0XD5oJ

— Jeff Yang (@originalspin) 7 February 2019

I like you @GordonRamsay but how are you gonna open an “authentic” asian restaurant without an ASIAN CHEF?

— Vivienne ?? (@vivienne_mnd) 5 February 2019

A tweet doing the rounds shows Gordon awaiting the approval of an Asian chef for his take on Pad Thai and the chef is not impressed – causing more people to frown upon Ramsay’s latest restaurant venture.

YALL IM CRYINGGGGGGGGGG pic.twitter.com/SzTb0kkZYz

— Sydnee Williams (@sydneeW_) 2 April 2018

This is not the first time a renowned chef has faced heat from the public when claiming to open an “authentic” cuisine focused restaurant.

Last year December, we saw Bizarre Foods host, Andrew Zimmern having to apologise for his insensitive statement about Chinese food.

Zimmern told Bravo, “I think I’m saving the souls of all the people from having to dine at these horsesh*t restaurants masquerading as Chinese food that are in the Midwest.”

This statement is not only degrading and insensitive but takes away both business and respect from families that own Asian restaurants – who depend on the establishments’ longevity to survive in a foreign country.

Do you think Gordon Ramsay’s new restaurant is a form of cultural appropriation? Let us know in the comments!