With its great power of influence, television is also the medium in which different people have the potential to become remarkable in front of wide international audiences. We’ve seen this happening with up and coming film stars, news presenters, music singers and so much lately with chefs.
The creation of star chefs is one of the phenomenons television made possible by letting their skills be shared with millions of people from all over the world. Some of the first chefs made rich and famous by TV are Julia Child and Fanny Cradock.
Although appearing in TV shows isn’t the only way to build a reputation as a celebrity chef, as being awarded the highest Michelin stars for outstanding skills and restaurants also puts a chef on the world map, TV makes things a lot easier and helps them become wealthy in the process.
The recipes and cooking advice that some well regarded chefs have shared over TV shows has proven the impact and influence they’ve got over the general population, leading to a large increase in the sales of certain recommended products as a side effect of their status.
Now let’s find out which are The Top 11 Richest Celebrity Chefs:
11. Giada Pamela De Laurentiis
Giada Pamela De Laurentiis is an Italian-born American chef, host of Food Network’s program Giada at Home. She also has a good number of appearances on NBC Today. Author of several books, Giada also founded the catering business GDL Foods and opened her first restaurant in July 2014 inside the Cromwell in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The eponymous restaurant offers a serene setting overlooking the Bellagio and Caesars Palace with a menu that combines the Italian cuisine with Californian influences. She’s the winner of the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lifestyle Host, got on the Culinary Hall of Fame in 2012 and her net worth right now is estimated at a good $15 million.
10. Robert William ‘Bobby’ Flay
Featured on the TV series Great Chefs, the American chef, writer, restaurateur and TV personality Robert William ‘Bobby’ Flay built his fame by hosting several of Food Network’s programs.
He’s the executive chef on a long list of restaurants such as Mesa Grill in Las Vegas and the Bahamas, Gato or Bar American in New York City and 18 of Bobby’s Burger Palace to name just a few of them. His other more symbolic achievements are three Daytime Emmy Awards, a place in the Culinary Hall of Fame and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. And on the materialistic side of things, Robert has a total net worth of $16 million.
9. Thomas Patrick Colicchio
He’s the founder of the Gramercy Tavern in New York City and the Craft and Colicchio & Sons restaurants. Apart from being a great chef, Thomas Patrick Colicchio is also the executive producer of the show Best New Restaurant, with other important appearances on Top Chef reality TV show on Bravo, and the co-author of three books.
He was featured on the Great Chefs shows and his current net worth rises to $20 million.
8. Nobu Matsuhisa
Nobu Matsushisa is a Japanese chef and restaurateur who relocated to Los Angeles back in 1977 and opened his first restaurant there three years later. Titled Matsushisa and located in Beverly Hills, the restaurant became a huge success and his dishes legendary, combining traditional Japanese cuisine with Peruvian ingredients.
His friendship with Robert de Niro led to his expansion in Tribeca, Milan, London, Greece, Tokyo, Moscow and many other important locations around the world. The same friendship landed him a role in the film Casino, where he portrayed a wealthy businessman. His net worth is an estimated $20 million today.
7. Mario Francesco Batali
The Italian chef Mario Francesco Batali is an expert on the history of the Italian cuisine with restaurants in important cities around the world such as New York City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Hong Kong or Singapore.
Molto Mario, as he was nicknamed, is the owner of the one Michelin star restaurant Babbo, has written eleven highly praised cookbooks, was a judge of Iron Chef America and has had many guest appearances on other TV shows like Saturday Night Live, Good Morning America or The Daily Show. His net worth today spins around the pretty sum of $25 million.
6. Ina Rosenberg Garten
Host of the Barefoot Contessa program on Food Network and a former staff member at the White House Office of Management and Budget, Ina Rosenberg Garten became one of the greatest and wealthiest chefs in the world despite having no formal training in culinary arts.
She was praised for her use of fresh ingredients and time saving tips. Ina is the author of nine books and her net worth rises to a good $40 million today.
5. Emeril Lagasse
Made a star by the Food Network’s TV shows Emeril Live and Essence of Emeril, Emeril Lagasse is the owner of 13 restaurants in the United States and the author of no less than 18 bestselling cookbooks.
His ‘New New Orleans’ cooking style, combining Louisiana ingredients and his own take on Creole cuisine with influences from the Asian, Portuguese and Southwestern cultures made him both a celebrity and a rich man. His net worth is a nice round $50 million.
4. Rachael Ray
Rachael Ray is a celebrity cook with no restaurant of her own. She dedicates her time to writing cookbooks and hosting several programs on Food Network, the Rachael Ray lifestyle program, the 30 Minute Meals, Rachael Ray’s Tasty Travels and $40 a Day.
Winner of three Daytime Emmy Awards, two for Best Outstanding Talk Show and one for Best Outstanding Service Show, Rachael Ray was named one of the 100 most influential people in 2006 by the Time magazine. Her net worth reaches a decent $60 million today.
3. Gordon Ramsay
The Scottish chef and restaurateur Gordon Ramsay received no less than 16 Michelin stars throughout his career. His eponymous restaurant in Chelsea, London was awarded 3 Michelin stars – the highest Michelin award – and still keeps it since 2001.
Gordon’s most famous TV shows are Hell’s Kitchen, The F Word and Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares and were featured both on British and American channels as well. Nowadays he’s the owner of 23 restaurants around the world, the author of 21 cookbooks and has a net worth of $60 million according to Forbes.
2. Wolfgang Puck
Wolfgang Puck is an Austrian celebrity chef who became famous after opening the first Californian cuisine restaurant on the Sunset Strip. Called Spago, the restaurant was awarded two Michelin stars in 2008 and 2009. CUT Beverly Hills, another restaurant of his, was awarded a Michelin star in 2007.
He’s the author of six cookbooks and appeared in many TV shows during his career. Nowadays he owns around 30 high-end dining locations and many catering companies and licensed products, all of this rising his net worth to an outstanding $75 million.
1. Jamie Oliver
Jamie Oliver is today’s richest celebrity chef with a whooping net worth of $170 million. Most famous for his TV shows and his 20 published cookbooks, Jamie Oliver is also praised for taking part along many other important chefs in a campaign for a better food education. His specialty is the Italian cuisine but his recipe repertoire is highly varied.
Since his first television show, The Naked Chef, many others followed but his primary focus remained the same: to advise against unhealthy diets and to educate and improve the cooking habits of people from the UK and US in particular, so it’s no wonder that many people praise him and his advice.
