The Hell's Kitchen star made a public appearance at an Auckland department store, but he was startled when one fan whipped out a kitchen knife in front of him.

Jeffery Cheung, who had waited seven hours to meet his hero, only wanted an autograph, but he gave the star another scare when he accidentally dropped the blade, narrowly missing Ramsay's foot.

The chef exclaimed, ""Oh Jesus!"" before agreeing to autograph the knife, according to Stuff.co.nz.