Gordon Ramsay gives his stamp of approval to a Galway 99

Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay has been spotted in Ireland this week before shooting begins for the new seasons of his "Next Level Chef" competition show Co Wicklow. 

"Look who popped in to say hello!" Siopa Beag, an Teach Dóite, a shop in Maam Cross, Co Galway said on social media yesterday, July 19, with a picture of Ramsay.

"Ramsey has given his approval of our 99!

"Make sure to pop in to get yours!"

(For the uninitiated, a 99 is a vanilla ice cream cone with a Flake bar stuck into it, an Irish favorite!)

That same day, Ramsay was pictured on board a Doolin Ferry with owner Liam Ryan.

The Irish ferry company said that Ramsay was filming a new show on Inis Oírr, one of the Aran Islands on the coast of Co Galway, on Tuesday.

What a pleasure to welcome Gordon Ramsay on board, pictured here with Liam O'Brien, owner of Doolin Ferry. He was filming for an upcoming show on Inis Oírr, the smallest of the Aran Islands yesterday. @GordonRamsay #gordonramsay #celebrity #visitireland #aranislands #inisoírr pic.twitter.com/wm8oj34CmN

— Doolin Ferry Co (@DoolinFerry) July 19, 2023

Ireland's Irish language channel TG4 got in on the fun as well, retweeting a picture of Ramsay apparently after having a pint shared:

Gordon Ramsay 🤝 Inis Oírr https://t.co/Ga5gHTJKLs

— TG4TV 💋 (@TG4TV) July 19, 2023

Ramsay, famous for his hit shows "Hell's Kitchen," "Kitchen Nightmares," and "Master Chef," is believed to be in Ireland to film the new season of his hit show "Next Level Chef."

Earlier this month, Enterprise Ireland announced that Ramsay's show, recently renewed for a third and fourth season, will be recorded at new studio development at Ashford Studios in Co Wicklow, creating the largest unscripted production hub in Ireland.

The Next Level Chef global hub will see an investment of more than €30 million into the Irish audio-visual sector and create over 300 jobs during production, Enterprise Ireland noted.

The new global hub for FOX Entertainment’s US hit "Next Level Chef" will be a purpose-built, brand-new sound stage at Ashford Studios, Co Wicklow. The competition cooking show will be produced by Studio Ramsay with the Dublin-based BiggerStage as the production company.

"Creating a Global hub in Ireland for 'Next Level Chef' really is an exciting opportunity," Ramsay said.

"Not only do I get to spend weeks filming in a county that I love, it also creates an appealing opportunity for our international partners from around the world.”