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Ramsay helped give Bask46, a Woodland Park restaurant, a makeover on "Kitchen Nightmares" which aired on FOX on Monday, Oct. 2.
In the episode, owner Steve Baskinger was at the end of his rope, having sunk his life savings into the restaurant, but constantly clashing with Fortunato, his executive chef who made $100,000 a year, much to Ramsay's consternation.
Ramsay immediately took a dislike to the self proclaimed culinary gangster and the restaurant. Ramsey was asked to scan a QR code to view the menu, only it didn't work. The portion sizes were too big. Ramsay hated the mac-n-cheese, said the wings were overcooked, and the homemade cheese sauce, well not exactly as Ramsay found out.
Fortunato fired back, saying Ramsay had a "small package" and he should take the tacos and "shove it up his a--."
"You're (expletive) with the culinary gangster," Fortunato said. "Be careful how you talk to me."
"I've never seen such a new restaurant in disarray," Ramsay said as he didn't enjoy his lunch.
Baskinger and Fortunato argued in front of Ramsay, resulted in more swearing from the fiery celebrity chef. An inspection of the kitchen found wasted inventory and unsanitary conditions and Ramsay had to take drastic measures, busting out his signature catchphrase.
"Shut it down!" Ramsay exclaimed as he continued to berate Baskinger and Fortunato and the expletives kept flying.
Ramsay and his team went to work, renovating the restaurant, including outdoor patio seating, a real menu, smaller portions and great new food. Everyone seemed on the same page, but the episode had one more twist. One day after their big reopening, "Kitchen Nightmares" revealed that Fortunato quit. On Facebook, Fortunato said he was not to blame for Bask46's failures and said Baskinger was a "loser."
"When I was the executive chef at Bask 46 my food sales crushed the liquor sales," Fortunato said. "The problem was there was no front of the house management and the owner was absent and did not know how to manage a restaurant of this size properly.
"He is already trying to blame me because he doesn’t want to look like he was the cause of it. Anyone that worked there while I was the chef will confirm that. Another loser who used me and this is the reason why I retired from this industry."
Meanwhile, it doesn't seem like Baskinger enjoyed his experiences with Ramsay.
"Gordon will not be there," Baskinger said in a Facebook post announcing the reopening of his restaurant. "Thank God! He is a complete asshole."
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