'Kitchen Nightmares' TV show visits Conejo Valley

"Hell hath no fury like an angry chef, and no chef has a sharper temper than Gordon Ramsay when things go wrong in the kitchen."

That statement is from publicity materials for the TV show "Kitchen Nightmares."

So why would any restaurant owner want a chef with explosive outbursts around their staff or customers?

Probably because Ramsay is internationally acclaimed for his bestselling cookbooks and successful restaurants. He can also help eateries attract customers.

Two restaurants in Conejo Valley recently invited Ramsay and his TV show into their establishments to help them get more business. One said she's glad she did; the other said she's still in shock. Neither knows how they're going to be portrayed once the shows that were shot in May air next season.

Lisa Hatae, owner of Sushi Ko at The Lakes, said having Gordon Ramsay help them was "one of the best experiences of our lives." After running a successful restaurant in Bel Air for 25 years, Hatae's family moved their business to Thousand Oaks four years ago, she said.

"It's been a devastating four years," Hatae said.

She said she loves Thousand Oaks and is thrilled to be in The Lakes,which she described as a beautiful shopping center, but business hasn't been good.

With Ramsay's guidance, the help of a Japanese chef the show provided and a "beautiful" physical transformation of the restaurant, they've already seen an improvement in customer traffic, she said.

"We will follow everything he recommended. We feel excited and honored to have him help us," Hatae said.

Laura Papenfus, owner of Mama Rita's Authentic Mexican Cantina at 360 Via Las Brisas in Dos Vientos, had watched the show and believed she was prepared for what she thought might be a struggle to not let him get to her. She said she succumbed to the show's trademark crying and fighting.

"He broke me like an ugly lamp when he said my grandmother—I named my restaurant after her to honor her—was rolling in her grave ashamed of me," Papenfus said.

Papenfus, a caterer who never owned a restaurant before she opened Mama Rita's about a year ago, said the famous chef called her "stupid" a lot. She said she has literally had nightmares since he left and is considering getting Tshirts for herself and her staff that say, "We survived Ramsay."

She had watched the show before and felt confident when he came that he would be impressed with her business. She was right about how she passed the test for cleanliness, she said.

He also opened her eyes a lot, taught her about the advantage of using freshly ground spices and helped her reduce her menu, which she said she now realizes was too big. He also gave her some fabulous recipes that have been very well received by customers.

"It was an emotional roller coaster," she said.

Both of the T.O. restaurants expect their customer base increase to continue after Ramsay's improvements and after the show airs, but that's not what happened at the Secret Garden restaurant in Moorpark, according to chef and owner Michel Bardavid.

"(Ramsay) made him(self) look good and made me look really bad. I lost business after the show aired," Bardavid said.