Gordon Ramsay may be the most famously temperamental man dishing up in the kitchen, but his frank personality is exactly what propelled him to superstardom in the food industry. Recently the Scottish chef spoke to Esquire UK, offering up (in typical Gordon fashion) some sage advice on life in the kitchen. Below is our pick of his best five pieces of advice below:

Don’t think that just because you can cook you should work in food
“Anyone can open a restaurant. You just need a dinner party where everyone’s pissed, and someone says, “Hey Tom, you should open a restaurant, this food’s delicious.” My industry, I’m sorry to say, is full of muppets.”

Head chefs should be the captain of the ship
“Ever been in a dressing room at half-time? Kitchens are no different, only cooking is longer than 90 minutes, and there’s no break. When the chips are down, you need to pull the team back to glory. And you’re the captain. I tell you who was a great captain, Vieira. Absolute classic. Keane.”

Be a straight shooter
“I don’t have a temper, I have passion. I get frustrated and fucked off and wound up with idiots quickly, so I get straight to the point. Cut the bullshit. That’s healthy.”

Keep home and work separate. Always
“Don’t work with family. Take it from me, it doesn’t work, I don’t care what anyone says.”

Failure is a part of the journey
“I’ve been on my arse before, but I have a lot of determination, and I’m not weak. Next day, it’s sunrise, you’re at the bus stop again, and you’re back to work. I’ve never been one for pondering or questioning and thinking. Waste of time. Dust yourself down and get back up. Because that journey of coming back to the very top is better than actually being at the top. You find out so much about yourself and who your friends are. Do that several times across 25 years, and you end up a wise old f*cker.”