Celebrity chefs of Glasgow: The cooks who made Glasgow’s culinary scene what it is today
These celebrity chefs made Glasgow’s culinary scene what it is today
Glasgow is a culinary melting pot - you can have French pastries for breakfast, Japanese Sushi for lunch, and Italian pasta for dinner - which is only possible thanks to the fine chefs of our city.
We have an eclectic mix of chefs in Glasgow that craft all kinds of different dishes from all over the world. In this article we wanted to shine a spotlight on the best-known of these innovative artists whose culinary prowess is known far beyond our city limits.
These kitchen icons helped make Glasgow’s food scene what it is today - bringing attention to the city and inspiring Glaswegians to test their own skills in the kitchen.
Interested in finding out the favourite Glasgow food spots from celebrity chefs? Check out our article on the best restaurants recommended by some of the world’s most famous chefs.
From the international superstar chef Gordon Ramsay to charismatic local legends like Graeme Cheevers - whether they were born and raised in the city, or found their fame in kitchens around Glasgow, here’s eight of the biggest names in Glasgow’s culinary world.
1. Gordon Ramsay
Glasgow’s biggest celebrity chef (and perhaps the most well-known chef across the world) is of course Gordon Ramsey - growing up in Johnstone just outside of the city, Ramsey played for Ranger’s youth team and had a promising career before he got injured - cutting his dream short. Ramsay’s interest in cooking began in his teenage years: in his own words he wanted to be known as more than “the football player with the gammy knee” - sparking his love of cooking and meteoric rise in the culinary world.
2. Zero Waste Scotland 1 SA : Zero Waste Scotland - 'CANpaign' Launch Julie Linn of Julie's Can-teen and Jamie Fleming Communications Partner at Zero Waste Scotland. All images © Stewart Attwood Photography 2023. All other rights are reserved. Use in any other context is expressly prohibited without prior permission. No Syndication Permitted.
Scottish celebrity chef Julie Lin first rose to national attention when she appeared on Masterchef as an amateur cook. Since that appearance nine years ago in 2014, Julie opened her own street food restaurant in the Southside: Julie’s Kopitiam - which was quickly added to the Michelin Guide. At the start of this year, Julie closed down the Kopitiam to open a new West End restaurant, Ga Ga Kitchen + Bar on Dumbarton Road - which in a few short months, also got added to the Michelin Good Food Guide. You can also catch Julie hosting food programmes on BBC as a broadcaster! Photo: Stewart Attwood
3. Lorna McNee
Lorna McNee is a Glasgow chef with extraordinary abilities, bouncing from achievement to achievement. Undertaking her work experience as a sous-chef at the Restaurant Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles Hotel - she won Game Chef of the Year in 2016 and National Scottish Chef of the Year in 2017. In August 2020 she became head chef of Cail Bruich on Great Western Road - in January 2021. A few short months later the West End restaurant won a Michelin star in January 2021 - the first star awarded in Glasgow in 18 years.
4. Nico Simeone
Six by Nico took the culinary world by storm when it was launched by Italian-Glaswegian Nico Simeone in 2017 - now there’s Six by Nico restaurants in over a dozen sites across the UK - with talks of opening a branch in Dubai soon. The chefs early career included stints at Michelin starred Number One at Balmoral, where he was awarded Young Scottish Seafood Chef of the Year award. Nico also trained with the talented team at Brian Maule’s acclaimed Chardon d’Or right here in Glasgow.