(keep reading to learn what happened)
Season: UK | View All Season UK Episodes
Original Episode Air Date: November 6, 2007
Piccolo Teatro Address: 6 Rue des Ecouffes, 75004 Paris, France
Episode Recap
Piccolo Teatro was a Paris, France restaurant featured on Season 5 of Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares in the UK. Though the Piccolo Teatro Kitchen Nightmares episode aired in November 2007, the actual filming and visit from Gordon Ramsay took place much earlier in 2007. It was Episode 2 of Season 5 on the UK version.
In this episode, Gordon Ramsay is in Paris France to visit Piccolo Teatro, owned by Rachel McNally.
Rachel is from Scotland but married a frenchmen, so she moved to France.
Rachel’s father invested in her restaurant to help her out, but Rachel is in debt due to mounting debt and loans.
She is a vegetarian, so she took the chance to buy the restaurant when it came up for sale as Piccolo Teatro also serves vegetarian food.
Gordon arrives and notices the small size of the restaurant.
Gordon orders a variety of dishes, including carrot gratin and hummus salad. Gordon says the food is an insult to vegetarians.
During dinner service, Gordon can see Rachel is visibly nervous.
Daniel, the head chef, preps nothing and takes twenty minutes to prep two garden salads.
Rachel is lacking in leadership skills as Daniel begins burning food.
Gordon is sick of Daniel and asks him to leave, but he malingers around the restaurant.
He tries to take plates to the kitchen and clear them.
Gordon goes to grab him, but Daniel swings a knife around. Daniel then is in the dining room talking to customers.
Gordon has to march him out of the restaurant and physically carry him out.
Stephanie, a server, will help in the kitchen until they can find more help.
The kitchen is filthy and filled with rotten produce. Rotten produce is a pretty big issue for any restaurant, but it’s extra bad for a vegetarian restaurant.
Gordon is concerned about how successful a vegetarian restaurant will be in France since French people love their meat.
Gordon trains a staff member, Fiona, on making a two bean chili and tomato dish.
Rachel and Stephanie haven’t arrived even though they also need to be trained.
Rachel comes and calls Stephanie, who gives an excuse as to why she can’t be there. Gordon leaves.
Gordon decides to give Rachel one more chance. Currently, Rachel is on the hunt for a new chef. Her father found her chef, and Rachel and Gordon are both thrilled.
The restaurant doesn’t offer lunch service, so Gordon opens for lunch.
They made a lot of money in just one lunch service. India is the new chef that Rachel’s father found for her.
Gordon retrains Rachel on cooking and time management. India agrees to stay in France to help Rachel, and India really steps up.
India greatly impresses Gordon, but Gordon is still questioning Rachel and her priorities.
Piccolo Teatro Update - What Happened Next?
While things did seem to be looking up for Piccolo Teatro after Gordon Ramsay’s visit, that wasn’t the case.
Six weeks later, the restaurant is closed.
Gordon finds India, and she tells him she went home to get her stuff, and when she came back, Rachel was gone.
The restaurant was covered in vermin when she returned. Rachel’s father assisted India for a while, but they gave up.
Gordon offers India work in London, where she is from.
Gordon has plans to meet Rachel, but she is late.
Gordon is getting fed up waiting for her, so he leaves. As he is going, Rachel appears, and Gordon admonishes her.
Is Piccolo Teatro still open after Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares?
Piccolo Teatro closed just a few weeks after the Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares episode was filmed. Rachel just disappeared, leaving the restaurant abandoned. It seems like the mounting debts got to her.
What happened to Rachel McNally, the Piccolo Teatro owner?
According to The Sun, Rachel McNally, the Piccolo Teatro owner, became a “lady of the night” after having her restaurant appear on the show. We’re not sure how to verify this, but that’s what The Sun reported.
What happened to Chef India from Piccolo Teatro?
Though Piccolo Teatro closed, Gordon Ramsay was so impressed with Chef India that he offered her a two week work placement at his Boxwood Cafe in London followed by a permanent position. However, she turned down the permanent position so that she could return to Edinburgh.
As of 2022, she’s raising her children and offering private catering. She also had a brief stint at The Black Bull in Tarbolton, among other restaurants.
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Last updated: 2021-12-30 06:48
Article quoting Rachel on her exciting work as a prostitute:
https://www.financialexpress.com/archive/chef-turned-woman-into-200-a-night-prostitute/633644/
At least she’s no longer inflicting food on Parisians.