Dubai: Chef Gordon Ramsay ends Verre deal

British celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay has ended his partnership with Hilton Dubai Creek, the Dubai hotel that housed Verre, his first overseas restaurant consultancy. Ramsay, whose global restaurant empire includes outlets in Qatar, the US and Japan, was linked to the restaurant for more than a decade. Verre’s executive chef Scott Price and head chef Nick Alvis will continue to work at the Dubai restaurant, though it is not clear whether the venue will be rebranded. “Gordon gave us a fantastic opportunity to run Verre and we've been very grateful for his and his team’s support,” the pair said in a joint statement. “It’s time for a new challenge as Dubai is a great place with a constantly evolving dining scene and we're now working on an exciting new project which will be unveiled soon.” Verre was first overseen by Ramsay’s protégés Angela Hartnett and then Jason Atherton, Ramsay, who shot to fame following television series such as ‘Kitchen Nightmares’ and Hell’s Kitchen’, has suffered a bout of professional woes in recent years. His company recently closed two restaurants in Australia and he faces a $1.74m court battle in New Zealand after pulling out of a number of charity engagements, citing personal reasons. Ramsay’s company had its fingers burned after its rapid international expansion was impacted by the global financial crisis. The then-named Gordon Ramsay Holdings International Ltd saw a $12.9m loss in the 12 months to August 31, 2009. Ramsay is also embroiled in spat with father-in-law, Chris Hutcheson, the former CEO of  Gordon Ramsay Holdings, the TV chef’s main restaurant business. The pair ­parted after ­Ramsay accused ­Hutcheson of taking money out of the firm, which he denies.