"I see children now who have suffered burns and I think 'that's really tough' but I know I got through it and I hope they will too."
After leaving school, Gordon moved to Melbourne where he completed his apprenticeship and was exposed to exotic ingredients from around the world.
Now living in London where he has his famous Sugar Club restaurant with branches in New Zealand, Australia and Istanbul, Gordon gets back to his home town as often as he can and has two nieces attending Whanganui High School.
Despite having achieved just 50 per cent when he sat School Certificate English back in the day, Gordon said he has written all his own best-selling cook books. "When my first book, The Sugar Club was proposed, the publisher suggested that someone could write it for me, but I wanted to write it myself.
"I didn't own a computer [not many people did back then] so I bought one and learned how to use it."
Students were told that life as a chef could be tough with long hours and diminished social life.
"If you are passionate enough, you will still find it is worth it," said Gordon.
He described the thrill of cooking in his London restaurant for famous diners such as Elton John and Madonna.
"I would say to myself 'I'm from Whanganui and these famous people are eating my food'," he added.