Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay picks NC to launch new concept, a food market-style restaurant

Michelin starred chef and restaurateur Gordon Ramsay — whose name you’ve probably heard from TV shows like “Hell’s Kitchen” — is opening up the first Gordon Ramsay Food Market in the United States in early 2022 at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort.

“I’m in love with the Cherokee/Asheville area, and I couldn’t be more excited to open my very first Gordon Ramsay Food Market in the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains. From Street Burger and Street Pizza to Fish & Chips, GR Sushi and more, we’ll highlight the very best local ingredients sourced from the region’s incredible farmers and artisans,” the British chef stated in a release.

Harrah’s has got a lot happening. This news follows the recent opening of Food Network Star Guy Fieri’s Cherokee Kitchen + Bar at the casino resort. Fieri’s restaurant can seat up to 200 guests for dinner, serving steaks, burgers, wings, salads and sandwiches.

In short: The Gordon Ramsay Food Market offer full-service dining at breakfast, lunch, dinner and late-night, along with market-style elements with seven different concepts.

Local ingredients: Menus will feature ingredients sourced from local farmers and artisans in North Carolina and surrounding areas, including Hickory Nut Gap Farm, Spicewalla, Joyce Farms and many others.

The vibe: Artwork and textiles throughout the Food Market will incorporate pop-art style prints and graffiti-inspired walls, plus English flags and motifs scattered throughout.

The decor at Gordon Ramsay Food Market will include a nod to the TV chef’s British heritage.
The decor at Gordon Ramsay Food Market will include a nod to the TV chef’s British heritage.

Dining options at Harrahs’

Some options in the Food Market are brand new, while others are new iterations of beloved Ramsay restaurants. His partnership with Caesars Entertainment — which operates Harrah’s — includes five restaurants in Las Vegas, plus others in Baltimore, Lake Tahoe, Kansas City, two in Atlantic City and one in Dubai.

In Cherokee, the Food Market will include:

Truffles Pub: The full-service dining experience with crafted cocktails will feature Ramsay classics, including Beef Wellington and fish and chips.

Street Burger: This concept will serve elevated burgers and fries with a twist, plus “scrambled” breakfast items in the morning hours.

Gordon Ramsay’s #BAE Burger is topped with bacon, and over easy egg, cheese and tomato relish.
Gordon Ramsay’s #BAE Burger is topped with bacon, and over easy egg, cheese and tomato relish.

Street Pizza: The spot will offer Neapolitan-style pizza with local ingredients and seasonal toppings with the Ramsay motto: “Pizza doesn’t need to be complicated.”

GR Sushi: The sushi concept will also serve other Asian-inspired dishes.

Fish & Chips: The focus here is Ramsay’s British-style fish and chips, plus shrimp and lobster. You’ll also find chicken wings, chicken tenders and what’s being touted as “an absolutely next level milkshake.”

Catch Cafe & Raw Bar: The spot will serve NY deli-style sandwiches, salads with locally sourced produce and a raw bar with oysters, shrimp, crab, lobster and other seasonal seafood.

GR Bake & Brew: This full coffee bar will also have smoothies, bagels, muffins and grab-and-go pastries.

The Street Burger concept will serve burgers and fries, plus breakfast in the morning.
The Street Burger concept will serve burgers and fries, plus breakfast in the morning.

Gordon Ramsay Food Market

Location: 777 Casino Drive, Cherokee, NC 28719

Neighborhood: Cherokee

Instagram: @gordonramsayrestaurants