Will Beckham Spice Ramsay With Puck?

By JULIETTE ROSSANT What's the latest rumor about David Bekham (soccer), Victoria (Adams) Beckham (the former Posh Spice of the Spice Girls) and Gordon Ramsay (famed for his antics on Hell's Kitchen as much as his vaunted restaurants)? The rumor mill has it that they are thinking of opening a restaurant together in Los Angeles. Beckham and his wife have recently moved there because he was hired to play by the Los Angeles Galaxy team for a reported a $250 million five-year. The Los Angeles Galaxy are owned by sports and entertainment group AEG, which is, according to Forbes, also an investor in David's two soccer schools – one in LA and the other in London. "AEG" is Anschutz Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of the Anschutz Corporation, owned by Philip Anschutz, whose personal net worth this year was estimated at $6.4 Billion by Forbes. Wolfgang Puck Catering & Events and Levy Restaurant Group won a multi-year contract two years ago to create and provide food experiences at AEG sports and entertainment properties throughout the world. Can David, Victoria and Gordo interest Philip in a slice of their pie? Will we see Gordon Ramsay restaurants in the sky boxes at soccer stadiums with casual Hell's Kitchens? Or will Wolfgang Puck benefit from existing partnerships and good locations and win out over Gordon in the soccer stadium? It is always surprising when celebrities from the stage, screen and sport, team up with celebrity chefs in a restaurant project. Why? Because all of them have so many lawyer and financial advisors working to make money for the star (and themselves) who know the restaurant business is a bad investment – unless one of the parties needs their partners shimmer to rub off on them, or someone is looking for a sure-fire looser. There are exceptions (Robert De Niro and Nobu Matsuhisa for one) but many are the stars who open a fine dining restaurant only to see it fail. Star power brings diners in the first time, but something else has to bring them back. Maybe the Beckhams want a familiar place to go for dinner when they moved to LA. Perhaps this is the first step in making the leap into the movie business, where plenty of cinema stars invest in restaurant, hotel and casino properties. David joins the Galaxy after he completes his contract with Real Madrid on June 30th – and it is no secret that he plans to stay in the US. David, Victoria and Gordon were all in the news recently because Gordon was fattening some lambs at the Beckham estate. Evidently Victoria was appalled that the lambs were meant for eating – she is a big PETA supporter. Did she think Gordon was raising them as plump pets? There are plenty of vegetarian restaurants in Los Angeles harboring lots of local talent that she and David could invest their money in. Please send Super Chef your suggestions. Previous articles: Gordon Ramsay: Find Me a Fanny FOOD FLICKS: Gordon Ramsay the Sailor Gordon Ramsay v. James Bond Gordon Ramsay: Women Can't Cook Gordon Ramsay: In the Heat of the Kitchen Gordon Ramsay: A Chef for All Seasons Sneak Peak: Hell's Kitchen with Gordon Ramsay Gordon Ramsay Joins Richard Branson in Fox's Reality TV Hell Euro Puck FOOD FLICKS: Wolfgang Puck on Foie Gras Foie Gras War: Rocco Saves Seals [Foie Gras War - complete] Technorati Tags: superchefblog, Juliette Rossant, super chef, celebrities, chefs, food, restaurants, cooking, branding, cuisine, blogging, food blogging, David Beckham, Victoria Beckham, Gordon Ramsay --> back to Super Chef