Marcus Wareing on reason ‘nasty’ Gordon Ramsay feud was ‘best thing’

Marcus Wareing has spoke about Gordon Ramsay (Image: Getty)

Marcus Wareing has called his feud with Gordon Ramsay “the best thing that ever happened to them” as it helped him step out of his shadow.

Wareing started his career at 18 at the Savoy, then joined Albert Roux at Le Gavroche in 1993, where he met Ramsay. After stints in New York, Amsterdam, and Sussex, he became Sous Chef at Ramsay’s Aubergine, working closely with him for 15 years.

In 1999, Wareing and Ramsay opened Pétrus, with Wareing as head chef. The restaurant quickly earned a Michelin star, and in 2003 moved to the Berkeley Hotel, where it eventually gained a second star.

But by 2008, Wareing wanted to go solo and take over the Pétrus lease at the Berkeley, which led to a public feud and legal battle. After the dispute, Ramsay kept the Pétrus name, while Wareing opened Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley.

Marcus wanted to step away from Gordon Ramsay's shadow (Image: Getty)

In 2009, Wareing told The Telegraph: “If I never speak to that guy again for the rest of my life, it wouldn’t bother me one bit.” Ramsay later responded regarding the feud that he wishes Wareing "all the best,” he told the Guardian in 2010.

Last year, Marcus admitted he was glad he fell out with the celebrity chef as it was the “best thing to happen to him. It was the best thing that ever happened to both of us,” the father-of-three told Daily Mail columnist Richard Eden.

“I wanted to be in his shoes and I can’t be in his shoes – they’re too big. I knew I couldn’t fill them and I think I had another ambition and I had another goal. So I had to try.”

The pair got into a bitter feud in 2008 (Image: Getty)

In 2021, Wareing admitted he was the one who started the feud. He told British GQ: “Listen, you must understand it was me who started it with Gordon.

“I picked a fight. I no longer wanted to be kept in a corner, moaning and feeling like I had nothing to offer his business.

“So I spoke up. And, well, it got nasty.”

Ramsay has achieved global fame and success, earning seven Michelin stars across his restaurants and starring in hit shows like Hell’s Kitchen and Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares. Wareing, too, has built a successful career as a chef and media personality.

He judges on BBC's MasterChef: The Professionals and owns his acclaimed restaurant, Marcus, in Knightsbridge.