The Kiwi connection in Ramsay's Michelin success

New Zealander Josh Emett is chef de cuisine of Gordon Ramsay's first US restaurant, Gordon Ramsay at The London, in New York. Photo / Supplied

It's been a good week for Josh Emett.

The New Zealander is chef de cuisine of Gordon Ramsay at The London, Ramsay's new venture in New York, which has just snared two Michelin stars despite only being open since last November.

"Getting three stars after four, five, six years is an achievement... so this is really amazing," he says.

Emett, a "Waikato farmboy" who has been wowing critics with his cooking for the past few years and has worked at a number of Gordon Ramsay restaurants since 2000, says the secret to his success is determination and a commitment to perfection.

"We copped a lot of criticism when we first started out, but we've been extremely happy for the last six to seven months with the quality and consistency of the food," he says.

Widely regarded as the most influential culinary rating in the world, Michelin stars are awarded to restaurants based on dining experiences by professional inspectors.

One star denotes "a very good restaurant in its category", two stars: "excellent cooking, worth a detour" and the ultimate three-star rating signifies "exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey".

Emett is no stranger to Michelin star success. London restaurant The Savoy Grill was awarded a star just eight months after it re-opened in 2003, with Emett in the role of head chef.

But ask him why he thinks his menus have so impressed the inspectors and he again mentions the basics: quality, consistency and a pride in what's being presented.

"That's something I absolutely hammer in to the staff day-in, day-out. There's no point being fantastic one day if you can't maintain it."

Running a restaurant in New York after seven years in the UK had its own set of challenges, Emett says, though he admits it helped having the experience he gained working at Ramsay's restaurants on the other side of the Atlantic.

"Obviously in London and England you're using the same products but from different areas and suppliers," he says.

"Getting to know the suppliers can take years and it also takes time to develop and build up consistency."

Tailoring menus to the specific tastes of New York diners also presented a challenge, but it was one Emett was more than happy to face.

"Lunchwise [New Yorkers] don't drink much at all, whereas in England boozy lunches are huge. They happen all the time.