He is famous for his short fuse and foul-mouthed outbursts but Gordon Ramsay may finally have met his match.

Charita Jones, the owner of Momma Cherri's Soul Food Shack in Brighton, gave the fiery chef a run for his money when it came to turning up the heat.

Momma Cherri's was chosen to feature in Mr Ramsay's second series of Kitchen Nightmares, during which he has been known to reduce staff to tears and menus to shreds.

He was even physically sick outside a restaurant during the first series after tasting a scallop dish prepared by staff.

But when it came to this Brighton restaurant and its feisty owner he had nothing to fear but being out-shouted by Charita.

A film crew followed the cordon bleu chef around for a week in the cramped city centre restaurant and not a four-letter word passed his lips on the packed opening night on Wednesday.

He told The Argus: "When I arrived at Momma Cherri's and ate the food it was a unique experience for me. The food was magnificent. During this programme I've never come across food that tasty.

"Usually I come into a restaurant and find the reason it is not working is down to the food they are serving.

"But here the food was not the problem. They just needed a few ideas on how to get the place going during the week when it is quieter - so we brought the prices down and tweaked the menu."

Charita said: "When his plate came back to the kitchen it had just four bones on it.

"This was never a Kitchen Nightmare - it was a Kitchen Dream."

Charita and her husband Phil opened Momma Cherri's more than three years ago and have no trouble filling it at weekends.

But like most restaurants vying for trade in Brighton, pulling customers in during the week is the hard part.

The restaurant is tucked away in a secluded corner by the town hall in Little East Street and has little passing trade.

So between them, Charita and the celebrity chef dreamt up Soul In A Bowl - three courses of so-called "soul food", tapas-style, for £10 per head.

Soul food originated in the American South during the 1800s when the slaves had to prepare food for their masters and were only allowed the leftovers to cook for themselves.

She said: "They learnt to use the discarded heads and green stalks of root vegetables like squash, pumpkin and sweet potato, and lots of fresh herbs and spices that they grew themselves.

"They had no guns so they caught chicken and other fowl but no beef or lamb."

She remained tight-lipped about "Momma's secret recipe" which gives the food a lip-smacking, defining kick.

Husband Phil, who keeps the books in order and organises the music, said Momma Cherri's was one of the only soul food restaurants in the South East.

Although happy with the food, one area Mr Ramsay tightened up was staff discipline.

He said: "The staff were treating the kitchen like it was their front room. It's very important to have a good host but you need good service too."

He also dispelled the myth that he took vegetarians' eating habits personally. He said: "I am so misquoted. I want there to be more on menus for vegetarians."

The wild-haired Mr Ramsay was positively fizzing with energy just before the guests started to arrive.

He suddenly shouted: "It's going to be an exciting evening."

He almost hit his head on the roof as he jumped up and down, before vanishing to the kitchen. The film crew faithfully followed.

The new series of Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares will be aired in May 2005.

For more information about Momma Cherri's Soul Food Shack, or to book a table, ring 01273 774545.