Nairn's ex takes post at Ramsay's restaurant

The ex-wife of Scottish chef Nick Nairn has taken on the job of general manager at Gordon Ramsay's restaurant at Glasgow hotel One Devonshire Gardens.

Ramsay signed the deal to take over the restaurant, to be named Amaryllis, last week and has made David Dempsey its head chef.

Dempsey was chef de partie at Ramsay's restaurant in Royal Hospital Road, London.

Andrew Fairlie was executive chef at One Devonshire Gardens.

He has left to set up his own restaurant at Gleneagles hotel in Auchterarder, Perthshire. It will be called Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles (Caterer, 25 January, page 55).

But it was the appointment of Fiona Nairn that excited most comment in the Scottish press because of previous reports that Ramsay and her ex-husband had traded insults in the past.

Hers is a newly-created position. She separated from her husband in 1997 but continued to run the Braeval Inn, Aberfoyle, Stirlingshire, which they had established in 1986. She sold it in 1999.

She then left the hospitality industry but decided to take the job at One Devonshire Gardens after Ramsay approached her.

She said: "Gordon and I met years ago. I've watched his progress with admiration over the years and obviously an offer from someone like that is something you have to consider seriously."

Ramsay had been considering opening a restaurant in Glasgow for some time. He was in talks about taking over the Yes restaurant in West Nile Street but decided to focus on One Devonshire Gardens.

Last week was important in more ways than one for Fiona. Two days after the deal was signed she married again at Dunblane Cathedral.

By David Harris