Oct. 11 (Bloomberg) -- What's the secret of Gordon Ramsay's success? You might think it's Ramsay himself, given how often the Scottish-born chef pops up in TV food shows and advertisements.

Just don't forget Blackstone Group LP, the private-equity firm that helped bankroll the international expansion of Gordon Ramsay Holdings. Ramsay doesn't: He describes New York-based Blackstone's role in ``Gordon Ramsay's Playing With Fire,'' a book of lessons he's learned about the business and tributes to supporters ranging from his father-in-law to his publicist.

Ramsay first encountered Blackstone a decade ago, when it was negotiating to buy the Savoy Group of luxury hotels. The acquisition held up chef Pierre Koffmann's planned move into the Berkeley Hotel in London, which in turn delayed Ramsay from getting hold of Koffmann's restaurant on Royal Hospital Road.

After that inauspicious start, Ramsay says Blackstone approached him in 2001 to take over the restaurant at Claridge's. Blackstone paid for the design and refit in return for 11 percent of revenue by way of rent, he says.

Ramsay is especially proud of one innovation at Claridge's: the installation of a chef's table, where customers sit in the kitchen. In the first year of business, he says, the table generated 500,000 pounds ($1 million) and some unusual tips: Three women showed their appreciation by baring their breasts to the cooks after one convivial meal, he writes.

Short Shelf Life

Helped by Blackstone, the Ramsay group has grown into an international chain, with outlets in Tokyo, Dubai, Dublin, New York and Boca Raton, Florida. More restaurants are planned in Prague, Los Angeles, Amsterdam and Versailles, near Paris.

The chef lists a cast of characters who contributed to his success, notably his father-in-law, Chris Hutcheson, who heads the company. His role appears analogous to that of pop impresario Simon Fuller with the Spice Girls. Ramsay's ubiquity -- he advertises products from gin to phone services -- is reminiscent of that girl band in its heyday: The brand has a short shelf life and must be milked to the max.

Suggestions that brand Ramsay risks an imminent meltdown are ill informed. One of the best chefs the U.K. has produced, he claims 12 Michelin stars, two of them awarded just this week for his Manhattan restaurant, Gordon Ramsay at the London.

Yesterday, that eatery was also named the top newcomer of the year in the Zagat guide. His London flagship on Royal Hospital Road is the only establishment in the capital with three Michelin stars, and he has other great restaurants, such as the Petrus, which he co-owns with chef Marcus Wareing.

Losing Ground

Yet Ramsay arguably has 11 Michelin stars, not 12, because one of his London venues has closed. The New York restaurant didn't even scrape into Zagat's top 50 for food. And Restaurant Gordon Ramsay at Royal Hospital Road lost ground in recent weeks in three guides -- Harden's, Zagat and the Good Food Guide.

Those looking for signs of hubris in this book will note its treatment of Wareing, once Ramsay's most important chef and close friend. Wareing would have gotten his second star at Petrus sooner if he had only taken Ramsay's advice, the book suggests.

Ramsay devotes almost as much space to his publicist, Jo Barnes, as he does to Wareing. Barnes appears beside Ramsay in a photograph; Wareing is absent from the 16 pages of pictures. It's reminiscent of how Stalin airbrushed Trotsky from history.

``Playing With Fire'' is stuffed with filler, including Ramsay's ruminations on accountants, lawyers and taxmen. Taken together, it resembles a meal that the chef has thrown together using leftovers from last year's autobiography, ``Humble Pie.'' However tasty, it's unsatisfying.

There's yet another Ramsay book out this month, ``Gordon Ramsay 3*** Chef.'' A coffee-table volume featuring beautiful photographs by Quentin Bacon of Ramsay dishes, it costs 40 pounds, roughly the price of a set lunch at Royal Hospital Road. If you have 40 pounds to spare, you might think it better spent on the lunch. I'd favor the book.

``Gordon Ramsay's Playing With Fire'' is published by HarperCollins (296 pages, 18.99 pounds). ``Gordon Ramsay, 3*** Chef'' is from Quadrille (256 pages).

(Richard Vines is London food critic for Bloomberg News. The opinions expressed are his own.)

To contact the writer of this review: Richard Vines in London at rvines@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: October 11, 2007 01:12 EDT