Landmark job roles don’t come around very often in any industry, and in the world of professional kitchens, nabbing the head honcho position at three Michelin-starred Restaurant Gordon Ramsay is a bit like winning gold at the Olympics - a feat achieved only by the culinary elite.
Originally opened in 1998, Ramsay’s iconic Royal Hospital Road restaurant is the first of his now 100-strong global empire, and a beacon of fine dining in the capital and beyond. Having won three stars in 2001, and holding onto them continuously ever since, 2026 marks 25 consecutive years of it being one of a small clutch of three-starred spots in the capital (you can read about every three-Michelin-starred restaurant in London here).
Champagne AYALA: Celebrating over 160 years of history, Champagne AYALA was one of the original twenty-six Grandes Marques Champagne Houses. The House received a Royal Warrant in 1908 and became a part of the Bollinger family in 2005. With its longstanding commitment to the restaurant industry, Champagne AYALA is known for its chardonnay driven, low-dosage wines, crafted with precision and delicacy on a boutique scale. These wines are the ultimate epicurean pairing, it’s no wonder they have been served in the UK for over 100 years in many of London’s most prestigious establishments.
Over the years, a concise list of culinary heavyweights have commandeered the kitchen. Following Ramsay, there was the peerless Clare Smyth, who left to open her eponymous Notting Hill restaurant in 2016, and then Matt Abe came in to lead the charge, who stepped away last year to open his debut restaurant Bonheur by Matt Abe. The next chef to lead the ship is sitting in front of us today.
![Kim sitting in the restaurant]()
Kim Ratcharoen picked up the baton as chef de cuisine less than 12 months ago, after a decade of working her way up through the culinary ranks. We’re sitting in the restaurant’s pristine, air-conned dining room during a rare London heatwave, and the chef is the vision of composure: calm, collected, maybe a little reserved. We find it hard to imagine a version of Kim that isn't flawless in chef whites, but like any other chef who had to start somewhere, her road to this point has been one of learning and hard graft. ‘When I started, I didn’t think I was going to last even six months,’ she laughs. ‘Mistakes happened and I was also very clumsy.’
From Thailand to the UK
Although food has always been central to Kim's life, working in a professional kitchen wasn't something she envisioned for herself growing up. Home was Surat Thani in Thailand, and although she recalls preparing meals with her grandmother in the kitchen - grinding curry pastes for lunch and being tasked with putting the rice on in the morning - it was simply part and parcel of family life. ‘Food for me brings people together,’ she says. ‘Especially for us as a family. It was always the centre of our connection.’ At that point, cooking wasn’t something she ever considered as a career. ‘I think I enjoyed eating more than actually cooking when I was younger!', she laughs.
‘I think I enjoyed eating more than actually cooking when I was younger!'
Things changed when she moved to the UK at the age of 16. Like many young students, she quickly realised she needed to learn to cook for herself while studying at Sussex University, and found a renewed sense of joy in cooking Thai food for her friends. Despite studying economics at the time, encouragement from her peers had her considering a different path. ‘I had to cook a lot to feed myself, and I felt like it was a way of bringing friends together. It was more encouragement from them, saying I should become a chef, which was something I’d never thought of,’ she explains.
Choosing a career in food was a major departure from the business-focused trajectory her parents had always envisioned for her, but that decision shows a glimpse of Kim's tenacity from an early age. And in just over a year, she landed the role of a lifetime. After graduating, Kim completed a course in classical French cookery, before a brief stage led her to Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in 2015.
Restaurant Gordon Ramsay
Stepping into a professional kitchen at any age is daunting, even more so as a fresh-faced commis chef at a revered three Michelin-starred restaurant, but Kim knew she was in the right place from the off. ‘As soon as I walked into the kitchen, I fell in love straight away with the energy and the adrenaline, and how passionate everyone was about their jobs.
‘The speed everyone was moving at was amazing. It all happened so quickly and I just thought, wow. I wanted to be part of it.’
She might not show it outwardly, but Kim’s passion is a blazing force, and her quiet determination is the reason she’s where she is today. ‘What I wanted was obviously to be successful and become the chef that I never was, and to keep learning and progressing,’ she explains.
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And progress she did. Kim worked her way across several sections over the next few years, even turning down a role at Ramsay’s sister restaurant Petrus to continue her training under then tutor Clare Smyth. ‘It was challenging, but in a way where I was learning so much. I just didn’t want to leave,’ she says.
Kim did briefly depart, however. After six years working across every section and climbing her way up to a senior sous position, the chef took a short break to travel and complete various stages. But Restaurant Gordon Ramsay pulled her back once again, this time under the tutelage of Matt Abe, who asked her to step in as head chef.
A role like that is hard to say no to, and what followed was four more years of grind, transforming Kim from a great chef into an exceptional one. She owes a lot to Matt during those years: ‘He taught me a lot, and he always noticed the little details that weren't perfect and pushed me to make them perfect. He's always been a great mentor.’
Consistency, consistency, consistency
In 2025, Kim took on the role of chef de cuisine, where she now runs a brigade of 18 chefs and 12 front of house staff.
There’s a certain irony in seeing a chef as demure as Kim leading the restaurant of a man made famous for his off-the-rails, on-screen persona and ‘idiot sandwich’ skit. In contrast, Kim leads with quiet authority. The kitchen is ordered and spotless, her voice never raises above a conversational decibel, and the dish she’s created for us today - a stunning chocolate, raspberry and coconut ‘flower’ with freeze dried raspberries and a raspberry coulis - shows immeasurable skill.
Precision is in her bones, and her attention to detail goes beyond the food. We spot the chef absent-mindedly flatten out a crease in one of the tablecloths as she walks to her seat, and, as if on autopilot, refolding the napkin in front of her into a perfect cylinder during our conversation.
Small actions like these speak volumes about what it takes to run a three Michelin-starred restaurant. Success lies in the fine margins and microscopic detail and Kim's exacting standards are implemented across every area of the business.
‘I’ve been here ten years and I feel like I’ve faced almost every challenge and every kind of problem imaginable.'
‘I think for me it takes commitment, a lot of passion and drive, and also consistency,’ she says. ‘Not just in cooking, but also in management, and perseverance.’ Indeed, what separates a two-starred restaurant from an elusive three is the million-dollar question for many a chef, but for Kim, it’s about giving the guests the best possible experience.
‘Taking care of the guests and remembering them as soon as they walk through the door is important. If someone is left-handed, for example, then we put the cutlery in the right place. It makes people feel really looked after. You don’t really notice it happening, but it happens automatically around you.’
Elevating classic dishes
The food, of course, lies at the crux of the experience. Continuing the legacy of Gordon Ramsay while putting her own stamp on the menu was always going to be a fine balancing act, but Kim has quickly found her space to play. ‘I still go back to the books on the shelf and think, "What should we do?"’ she explains. ‘Then I think about how I can make it different while still putting myself on the plate, and bringing in those Thai flavours alongside the classic dishes.’
Many of the restaurant’s signatures remain - the lobster and langoustine ravioli that originally put Ramsay on the map, and the roast veal sweetbread - but Kim is bringing the flavours of her heritage to the menu in new and exciting ways. ‘Gordon used to have the tomato consommé with basil as one of his amuse-bouches. We have that on the menu at the moment, but we've introduced Tom Yum flavours with lemongrass, Thai basil and kaffir lime.’
![Kim's raspberry and chocolate dessert]()
The chef continues to build on Restaurant Gordon Ramsay’s legacy through her own lens, although there will always be a level of scrutiny that comes with the job. The history, the high standards - does the pressure of it all ever get to her? ‘I do feel the pressure, but I also put a lot of pressure on myself,’ she says. ‘The day you stop doing that is when you take your foot off the gas and things start to go out of place.’
Part of being a great leader and mentor is learning how to cope with the challenges that come with the job, something that only comes with experience and repetition. After a decade, Kim has faced her fair share of hurdles, but it’s how you react in difficult moments that defines you as a chef. ‘I’ve been here ten years and I feel like I’ve faced almost every challenge and every kind of problem imaginable. It’s about looking back at those situations and thinking, okay, I can do this better, or I can do that better.’
Learning to lead
Of all the hurdles Kim has faced over the last decade, the most challenging part of her career has been in the last year: taking over the restaurant and learning to steer a ship that she's long been a passenger on. ‘Before that, I always had that comfort blanket of someone else making the decisions,’ she explains, ‘telling me what needed to happen and thinking ahead. Once that was gone, I had to face the reality of making my own decisions.’
Sure, she has moments of doubt, but Kim has a brilliant support network around her, including Gordon who she says is only a phone call or message away. ‘I'll send him pictures of the new dishes and he'll give me feedback!’ she says.
Expectations of herself and the team are as high as ever, but the culture she instils in the kitchen embraces openness and mentorship, no doubt influenced by the brilliant mentors Kim has been lucky enough to work with throughout her career. ‘My ethos has always been to lead by example,’ she says. ‘I like to be there myself, cooking and plating and doing things with the team, so they can see that level of involvement.’
Looking forward, retaining those three stars will always be front of mind, but Kim’s priority now is to nurture a team built on excellence, using the standards she's created for herself as a benchmark. ‘I want every chef to keep progressing, learning and becoming better every day. That's probably my biggest goal because it's so important.’
Kim's perfect match
The dish: Raspberry, coconut and chocolate
![Dish pairing with ayala bottle]()
Why it works: 'I chose this dessert to pair with Ayala's Le Blanc de Blancs Champagne because their elegance goes hand in hand. I love how fresh and fruity the Champagne is; its floral notes balance perfectly with the hibiscus in the sauce.'
Kim’s quick bites
How would you describe your cooking style in three words?
Seasonal, classical and consistent.
What's the one item you can always find in your store cupboard?
That would definitely have to be rice.
Which chef has inspired you the most?
Clare Smyth.
What's your favourite thing to cook at home?
Egg fried rice.
What's one piece of advice you'd give to chefs starting out?
Have commitment and focus. The job is not easy and it takes a lot of commitment to be successful.
If you weren’t a chef, what would you be doing?
I would be either a dancer or a florist.
What’s your favourite thing about being a chef?
Prepping the amazing ingredients.
Where do you go for Thai food in London?
There are a few places! Normally I’d go to Som Saa, Plaza Khao Gaeng, or the one that my mum usually goes to is 101 Kitchen in Chiswick.
Read more about SquareMeal and AYALA's Female Chef of the Year series, including details on judges, previous winners, and of course this year's brilliant shortlist. Or, catch-up on our recent interviews with Maria Bradford of Shwen Shwen, Ayesha Kalaji of Queen of Cups, and Nieves Barragán Mohacho of Legado and Sabor.