The other Gordon Ramsay: A man who can't cook reveals what it's like to share a name with the world-famous chef

• Gordon Ramsay, of Durham, UK, reveals what it's like to share the same name as the famous chef.
• Ramsay told Insider that people often ask him "Can you cook?" and "Do you swear?"
• He once got the best table at a restaurant because they thought he was the "MasterChef" star.

Gordon Ramsay has become a household name around the world, thanks to his 30-plus restaurants, multiple successful TV shows, and a knack for roasting home chefs on TikTok.

But he isn't the only Gordon Ramsay.

Gordon Ramsay, of Durham, UK, doesn't have any Michelin stars. But the 66-year-old runs a successful oven-cleaning business, and has more than a few funny stories about sharing a name with the 54-year-old "MasterChef" star.

It was around 2008 when customers first started making comments about Ramsay's name while he was working as a service engineer and repairing gym equipment.

"They would say, 'Can you make me my lunch after you repair my gym equipment?'" he told Insider. "Since then, I get remarks all of the time. 'Can you cook? Do you swear? Can I book a table at your restaurant?'"

Sharing the same name as one of the world's most famous chefs has also come with some nice perks.

A couple of years ago, while Ramsay and his partner were on vacation, she booked their reservation online under his name at a nice restaurant.

"When we arrived and gave my name for the booking, the staffs' faces just fell and you could see they were so disappointed," he said. "We did get the best table in the restaurant, and the food was delicious. I think Gordon Ramsay would have approved."

In another instance, Ramsay booked a room under his name at a hotel where he was scheduled to install some gym equipment.

"I rang in advance to give an estimated time of arrival as I would be late getting there," he told Insider. "Gordon Ramsay was quite well known on television at this time, so all the receptionists and staff were waiting for him to arrive with cameras ready for photos of the famous chef."

"To their surprise and disappointment, I arrived in overalls and work boots and said 'I have a booking for Gordon Ramsay,'" Ramsay said. "As soon as they realized it was not him, they all scurried away obviously embarrassed at their mistake."

While sharing a name with the foul-mouthed chef has led to some mix-ups, it's also been great for Ramsay's oven-cleaning business, Gordon Ramsay's Cleaner Cookers.

"Having the same name as the famous chef has helped my business immensely," he said. "It is extremely easy for customers to remember. The customers sometimes think the business belongs to 'Gordon Ramsay' and ask me what he's 'really like to work for.'"

And Ramsay - who said his parents chose his name to honor his father's Scottish heritage - is never annoyed that he has the same moniker as a world-famous chef.

"The only thing I do find is that, after 14 years of people asking me, 'Can you cook? Do you swear like him?' or 'You don't look like him,' they actually think they're the first person to say that," he added. "But the best part of having the same name as him is that I am the original Gordon Ramsay (as I am older than him) and, in my opinion, better looking!"

Ramsay has yet to meet the other Ramsay, although he did have lunch at his restaurant once in the Savoy Hotel in London.

"I would like to meet him, perhaps he could teach me how to cook and I could give him some tips on cleaning ovens," he added.

While Ramsay may not be the most experienced chef, he said he's proud of his oven-cleaning business. Now he enjoys being "semi-retired" and "pottering around in my lovely garden, fishing, and spending time with family and friends."

"I may not be rich and famous like Gordon Ramsay," he said. "But I would not change a thing."