Last month, I wrote about TV shows and the celebrity chefs that make them great. But, I failed to mention one in particular - a chef that has over 55 restaurants in his empire, from The United States to The United Kingdom to France to Singapore to Dubai to Malaysia to China to Korea. He doesn't have a typical cooking show, like many celebrity chefs, but can be seen all over television, from Hell's Kitchen to Kitchen Nightmares to MasterChef to The "F" Word (F standing for food, by the way). You either love him or hate him, but I am, of course, talking about Chef Gordon Ramsay.

Those that have only seen Hell's Kitchen have not seen the full picture of the man. Yes, he can be tough in the kitchen. Sometimes a little too tough and demeaning. (Much of it is for production value.) But he is a great chef with a fantastic palate and excellent business sense. And people line up to work for him, so they too can become great chefs. Anyone that has seen the BBC show, The "F" Word or read his Autobiography, ROASTING IN HELL'S KITCHEN, knows that there is a human side to Ramsay. He has a loving wife and five amazing children. Growing up, his father was abusive to his mother and his brother was a drug addict. He's worked very hard to get to where he is, working his way from dishwasher to sous chef of one restaurant, only to have to start over as dishwasher when he moved to a better restaurant.

In addition to several unique shows and his many restaurants, he has several cookbooks out. In January, I made fun of English cooking. (Thanks for the e-mails, by the way). Did you hear the one about the difference between heaven and hell? In heaven, the English are the police, the French are the cooks and Germans are the engineers. In Hell, the English are the cooks, the French are the engineers and the Germans are the police. [RIM SHOT] But Gordon Ramsay makes English food good. No, not good. Great! In one of his cookbooks, IN THE HEAT OF THE KITCHEN, he teaches us how to make a Watercress and Potato Soup. Watercress and Potato? How boring? Think again! How about guinea hen with pomegranate? Okay, so pomegranates aren't traditionally English, but that's the point. He makes it come alive by bringing in new, unusual ingredients.

From a humble, many time tumultuous upbringing in Scotland to world renowned restaurateur, Chef Ramsay has come a long way. All with a lot of hard work and the (more than) occasional "F" word.