Gordon Ramsay Competes in Vegan Cook-Off

To celebrate his one billionth view on YouTube, chef Gordon Ramsay (known for his public criticism of veganism) invited vegan actress Madelaine Petsch—known for her role as Cheryl Blossom on CW series Riverdale—to compete against him in a one-on-one, Masterchef mystery box challenge. Petsch was tasked with choosing the ingredients included in the mystery box—such as mushrooms, dates, kelp noodles, chickpeas, cauliflower, cashews, and tofu—which she kept completely vegan. During the timed cook-off, Ramsay made outdated vegan quips and purposefully “cheated” by burning Petsch’s written recipe and distracting her while crew members swapped pans onto his burner that contained his completed dish. Baker and former Masterchef judge Christina Tosi appeared at the close of the challenge to taste the vegan dishes: Ramsay’s cauliflower steak topped with spiced chickpeas and Petsch’s kelp noodles with kale pesto. “The first-ever Masterchef vegan cook-off,” Posi exclaimed before tasting Petsch’s dish and stating, “I would eat this for lunch,” and naming her the winner. While this cook-off was mostly a spoof, Ramsay recently added a plant-based pizza dish to the menu at his newest London restaurant Gordon Ramsay Street Pizza—which he promoted on social media by stating “Going to give this vegan thing a try.”