Fans know celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay has a critical eye and is often harsh towards less experienced chefs on his shows such as Hell’s Kitchen and MasterChef. This same Ramsay was a different person when he walked into a Summit County coffee shop ordering a latte, bottles of water and a muffin after a bike ride near Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
Mark Anzelc, co-owner of Peninsula Coffee House, felt this difference when Ramsay visited his business in June.
“I was amazed. By himself in his biking gear with his bike, and he just walked in and ordered,” Anzelc said. “He probably sat on the deck for an hour and a half, and he had a steady stream of people coming up.”
Throughout June, Ramsay was spotted in the Cuyahoga Falls and Peninsula area, reportedly filming a new show outside of Lyla’s Family Restaurant.
The show has not been confirmed, and Lyla’s could not comment on any reported filming involving the celebrity chef.
The following Saturday, Ramsay returned to the local coffee shop and took a picture with a few employees. The photo made its way to Facebook, receiving over 700 likes and 99 comments.
Some comments included the coffee shop confirming Ramsay’s generous nature. Others praised the chef for choosing “THE place to get GREAT COFFEE!”
Another commenter mentioned Ramsay’s first visit in biking clothes and how he was unrecognizable outside of his chef jacket.
Anzelc estimated the post caused his business’s Facebook page to gain 100 followers after the visit.
“A couple of people were sort of in disbelief, ‘Was he really there, was that AI?’ that sort of thing,” Anzelc said.
From a Facebook search of “Gordon Ramsay Ohio,” posts appear including actual sightings of Ramsay, like ones from Peninsula Coffee House, and AI-generated images encouraging him to check out local businesses.
The trend of generating AI images of Ramsay began with StowNut Donut and Diner as a way to have fun, according to co-owner Eric Green.
“After 2,000 likes and over 100,000 views within a couple of hours, we were saying maybe we should take it down,” Green said. “Next thing you know, everyone in town starts doing it. Everyone starts putting Gordon Ramsay in front of their restaurant.”
Green and the StowNut team clarified that the post was AI through a hashtag and comment.
“We had people who actually thought he was there and came in and were very congratulatory,” Green said. “We had quite a few different people come in over the last few weeks who said they didn’t have any idea that this place was even here, and they really enjoyed their time.”
After recent renovations, Green offered the chef a chance to step into StowNut and believes his diner would be up to Ramsay’s standards.
“I don’t mean to brag, but our food is on point. He isn’t going to come in here and tell us our stuff is bad,” Green said.
If Ramsay happens to be in town again, Green said he would love for him to visit StowNut.
Anzelc said he is open to any marketing suggestions involving Ramsay.
“I wish I kept better track of what he ordered because we would make that the Gordon Ramsay special,” he said. “Maybe I could reach out to him and do that.”
Nikki Gasiewski is a reporter. Contact her at [email protected].
