Gordon Ramsay may have canned future episodes of Kitchen Nightmares in part because of lawsuits, but he has at least one satisfied customer. Tonight on Fox, Brooklyn Cuban restaurant Mojito makes its debut on the show, and owner Maria Velez tells us that since Ramsay gave her restaurant a makeover, business has picked up 30 percent. She says she called upon him because the restaurant was “falling apart” owing to a personal situation (the owners, who were married, had separated).
The “very charming” Gordo redecorated the dining room so that it was “more inviting, relaxed, and open,” and ever since then the production team has been keeping up with Velez to make sure all is well. Velez wasn’t the only one seduced by Ramsay — food blogger Mona’s Apple was present for the filming last spring and got a kiss on the cheek, as well as some words about then-Times critic Frank Bruni: “That guy’s a real schmuck.”
