Gordon Ramsay films in Long Branch, dines in Asbury Park

Sarah Griesemer, Asbury Park Press
Updated ·2 min read
Chefs James Avery and Gordon Ramsay outside Avery's Asbury Park restaurant, The Black Swan.
Chefs James Avery and Gordon Ramsay outside Avery's Asbury Park restaurant, The Black Swan.
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If you were out and about in Asbury Park this weekend and thought you spotted Gordon Ramsay, you were right.

The celebrity chef dined at The Black Swan on Mattison Avenue Thursday night. The restaurant is owned by Chef James Avery, who cut his teeth as Ramsay's consultant and on-air sous chef on "Hell's Kitchen" and "Kitchen Nightmares."

The latter, which portrays Ramsay providing help to restaurants in trouble, is the reason for his visit. According to deadline.com, the show, which ran for seven seasons between 2007 and 2014, is returning to Fox.

Filming took place from June 21 to 23 at Max's Bar & Grill in Long Branch, where members of the public were invited to enjoy a complimentary meal for "a restaurant renovation show for a major network television series," read a social media post from the show's casting company.

Gordon Ramsay visited Chef James Avery and his family at Avery's Asbury Park restaurant, The Black Swan, on June 22.
Gordon Ramsay visited Chef James Avery and his family at Avery's Asbury Park restaurant, The Black Swan, on June 22.

This wasn't the celebrity chef's first visit to the Shore.

In 2019, he filmed "24 Hours to Hell and Back" at Blend on Main in Manasquan and The White Rooster in Toms River, as well as Botto's Italian Line Restaurant in Swedesboro. The episodes aired in January 2020.

During his time in New Jersey in 2019, Ramsay also met with Kallista Flores, a young fan from Beachwood who was battling cancer. He donated $10,000 to her family to help with medical expenses and brought her cupcakes from Confections of a RockStar in Asbury Park after a visit to Avery's The Bonney Read.

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Ramsay, a British chef known for his no-holds-barred attitude and work on "MasterChef," "MasterChef Jr." and "Hell's Kitchen," among other programs, has two restaurants in Atlantic City: Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill, and Gordon Ramsay Steak.

Sarah Griesemer joined the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey in 2003 and has been writing all things food since 2014. Send restaurant tips to sgriesemer@gannettnj.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Gordon Ramsay dines at The Black Swan in Asbury Park