Originally posted on July 21, 2019 @ 2:05 am
Being a great chef is never a walk in the park. It is a journey that demands a lot of hard work, sacrifices, and more so your time, persistence, and patience. Besides the skills gained through long hours in the restaurant kitchen, most of the famous chef have culinary degrees.
However, after all the hassle, an ordinary cook graduates into the respected rank of a chef. Chefs have the creative freedom in that they can experiment and develop a personal style with food. They mainly focus on menu creation and also their restaurant’s vision.
Below, you will find interesting facts about famous chefs in 2019. Details of their net worth, restaurants and their journey to where they are now are discussed below. Know their net worth here.
Table of Contents
Gordon Ramsay Net Worth: $190 Million.
The man is a very talented and excellent chef. Apart from being a chef, he is also a restaurateur and a reality television personality. Gordon Ramsay, an award-winning chef, is also an owner of several high-end restaurants. For instance, the Narrow, York and Albany and many more. Also, he is a culinary consultant for Singapore Airlines and other famous organization. According to wiki-bio, Ramsey has a total of 35 Gordon Ramsey Restaurants and 7 Michelin stars around the globe.
Gordon Ramsay is presently 53 years old since he was born on 8th November 1966. He was born in Johnstone, Renfrewshire, Scotland alongside his two siblings, Ronnie, and Yvonne. Gordon Ramsay is a husband and also a father. His wife is Cayetana (Tana) Elizabeth Hutcheson with whom he has four children. Megan, born in 1998, Jack and Holly born in 2000 and Matilda, the last born, born in 2002.
Jamie Oliver Net Worth: $235 Million.
Jamie Oliver is a renowned British chef and restaurateur. Jamie’s enthusiasm and experience in food service have its roots from his childhood. According to wiki-bio, Jamie Oliver’s parents owned a famous pub in England. Unlike many of the chefs, Jamie Oliver’s rise to fame was not complicated at all. He was working as a sous-chef at River Café restaurant in London when it was featured in a documentary. As a result, he was offered a cooking show, The Naked Chef, by BBC a short while after. Jamie was born on 27th May 1975; thus, his present age is 44 years.
Presently, Jamie Oliver is in the forefront in the campaigns focused on eradicating junk food from school cafeterias. He is the owner of Jamie’s Italian restaurants and Barbecoa restaurants. He also owns Recipease, a chain of cooking schools.
Ben Robinson Net Worth: $2 Million.
Ben Robinson is an acclaimed English Certified Health Coach, and more so in addiction, weight loss, and cancer. He is famous for his appearances on the Bravo reality series, Below Deck and Below Deck Mediterranean. Also, Ben Robinson owns a renowned catering company in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. His career entails traveling the world doing nutritional awareness since he is a staunch believer in food as medicine.
For over a decade, Ben Robinson has been the head chef on yachts. He earned an apprenticeship at The Fat Duck, a three-Michelin Star in the United Kingdom. He also gained much experience while working under Italian master chefs in Florence.
Ben Robinson is only 38 years old since he was born on 30th December 1980. He was born in Oxford, England to a British father and an American mother. Wiki-bio indicates that Ben Robinson has one sibling named James Robinson.
Lawrence Page Net Worth: Under Review.
Chef Lawrence Page is commonly referred to as soul food chef. He came to the limelight after securing a role on WE TV reality series, Hustle, and Soul. The show mostly follows his life at his restaurants in New York City and also in Miami Beach. In late 2018, Lawrence Page opened a spectacular South Beach restaurant named Pink Teacup Villa.
Chef Lawrence has a unique way of doing business. Most of his employees are people who need a second chance in life. For instance, he hires people who have felony records and are trying to makeover their lives. Surprisingly, this is what makes the Hustle and Soul show.
Lawrence Page was born on October 18, 1975, in the United States. Therefore, the chef, who is a black American is presently 43 years old. He is married to Ana Lavender with whom he has a son named Rebel.
Carson Kressley Net Worth: $8 Million.
Carson Kressley is a renowned American fashion designer, television personality, and actor. He is best known for his role in Queer Eye whereby he showcased his fashion expertise. Also, he hosted other TV shows like How to Look Good Naked and even OWN‘s Carson Nation. Most recently, he made an appearance on the show, The New Celebrity Apprentice.
During his career life, Carson Kressley has been a judge in many beauty pageants. For instance, he has been a judge in Miss USA and Miss World. He has also been involved in many red-carpet events such as Oscars and Golden Globes. Carson Kressley is also the commentator for Logo TV’s Eurovision Song Contest. Carson Kressley became a contestant on Worst Cooks in America season 11.
49-year-old Carson Kressley was born on 11th November 1969. He is gay since he confessed of dating NFL Player, Esera Tuaolo some time back.
Mario Batali Net Worth: $25 Million.
Mario Batali is a respected American chef, restaurateur, author, and media personality. His entrance into the culinary world came after he landed an apprenticeship with legendary London chef Marco Pierre White. He further went for a three-year intense study on the same in North Italy. After years of hard work, he opened Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca and Del Posto. These are famous restaurants in New York City. Besides, he opened several other eateries.
Eventually, Mario Batali and his partner Joe Bastianich had a total of 22 restaurants from New York and beyond. In the recent past, Mario Batali lost his role on ABC’s show, The Chew. Besides, he was forced to resign from his restaurants’ empire, Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group, due to alleged sexual harassment cases.
Mario Batali is presently 58 years old. He was born on 19th September 1960 in Seattle, Washington.
Anthony Bourdain Net Worth: $1.21 Million.
Initially, Anthony Bourdain was a restaurant dishwasher before climbing the ladder to being a celebrated chef. He also worked as a line cook and a sous-chef in different restaurants in the Northeast. He wrote an article which translated to him getting a job to write a book, Kitchen Confidential. The book’s success landed him to his TV shows on the Food Network, Travel Channel and CNN’s, Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown.
Anthony Bourdain passed away on June 8, 2018, by suicide at the age of 61 years. In his career life, he won four Emmy awards and a Peabody award. Before his television career, Anthony Bourdain worked as an executive chef at Brasserie Les Halles restaurant. He has written incredible culinary materials.
Before his death, Anthony was always open about his struggle with drug addiction. He is survived by his eleven-year-old daughter, Ariane and her mother, though separated, Asia Argento.
Bobby Flay Net Worth: $30 Million.
The celebrated chef, Bobby Flay, was born on December 10, 1964, in New York. His parents are Bill and Dorothy Flay. Bobby is an Irish American. He grew up as aCatholic and attended denominational schools.
He owns several restaurants where he also acts as the executive chef. Bobby is the proud owner of Mesa Grill which was opened in 1991 in Nassau.
He also owns the Bolo Bar and Restaurant. Bolo was opened in 1993 in New York City’s Flatiron District.
In 2004, Bobby Flay opened a second Mesa Grill in Las Vegas’ Caesar’s Palace. He later opened the bistro Bar Americain in 2005. Besides, he also opened Bobby Flay Steak in Atlantic City in 2006.
In 2007, the celebrated chef opened a third Mesa Grill in the Bahamas. He also opened a second Bar Americain at Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun casino in 2009.
Thomas Keller Net Worth: $130 Million.
When talking about the most prosperous chefs in the world, Thomas Keller is among the top of the list. His fame as an American chef, restaurateur and author is based on his over three decades of experience. According to wiki-bio, Thomas Keller was born 14th October 1955 in Camp Pendleton, Oceanside, California.
He is highly commended for his expertise to bring out a restaurant that is relaxed yet very exciting. Thomas Keller kicked off his culinary career at Palm Beach restaurant, which was managed by his mother at that time. After that, he worked in several Michelin-starred restaurants in France.
In 1986, Thomas Keller opened his first restaurant, Rakel, in New York City. He also took up a job as the executive chef at the Checkers Hotel in Los Angeles that same year. Presently, Thomas Keller has eight renowned restaurants and two bakeries in the United States.
Wolfgang Puck Net Worth: $90 Million.
Wolfgang Johannes Puck was born on July 8, 1949, in Carinthia. He grew under the tutelage of his mother. He began going through formal culinary training at the age of fourteen. Chef Wolfgang Puck is currently famous as a chef, restaurateur, and actor.
Wolfing Puck owns three companies; Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group, Wolfgang Puck Catering, and Wolfgang Puck Worldwide, Inc. The famous chef first worked in France restaurants such as Maxim’s in Paris, the Hotel de Paris in Monaco.
In 1975, Wolfgang moved to Los Angeles and became a chef and part-owner of Ma Maison restaurant. In 1982, he opened his own restaurant Spago, initially located in West Hollywood.
Later, in 1983, Wolfgang also opened Chinois on Main in Santa Monica. His third restaurant, Postrio, was opened in the Prescott Hotel off San Francisco’s Union Square, in 1989. In 2006, he opened the famous steakhouse ‘chef CUT’ at Beverly Wilshire.
Rick Bayless Net Worth: $30 Million.
In business, finding a niche and specializing in it yields extraordinary results. If you want a perfect Mexican cuisine, chef Rick Bayless is the most excellent in this field. Rick Bayless was born on 23rd November 1953 in Oklahoma City, into a family of grocers and restaurateurs. He is best known for the famous PBS series, Mexico: One Plate at a Time. His professional career debut in 1980 whereby he became the executive chef at Lopez y Gonzalez, in Cleveland Height, Ohio.
Rick Bayless was a contestant on Iron Chef America though he lost to Iron Chef Bobby Flay. Since his youth, he trained in culinary, focusing more on Mexican cooking. He has even authored and published a book about Mexican cuisine.
Rick Bayless is the owner of Frontera Grill together with his wife, Deann. Moreover, he is a restaurant consultant and also teaches authentic Mexican cooking in the US.
Paula Deen Net Worth: $14 Million.
Paula Deen was born on January 19, 1947, in Georgia, United States. She is an established restaurateur, chef, author, and TV personality. Her love for cooking was inspired by a string of family tragedies that left her suffering from agoraphobia. She was unable to leave the house and thus began cooking. With time, she ventured in a full-fledged restaurant business.
From 2002 to 2013, Paula Deen hosted the famous Food Network series, Paula’s Home Cooking. She also hosted two other series, Paula’s Party, Paula’s Best Dishes, Positively Paula and Paula Deen’s Sweet Home Savannah.
In June 2013, Paula Deen was fired from the Food Network after she was found guilty of racism. In 2015, she participated in Dancing with the Stars reality show. She was also selected as a guest judge on the TV series, Top Chef and MasterChef. She is a great author with a vast collection of cookbooks.
Rachael Ray Net Worth: $80 Million.
Rachael Ray is a famous name in the culinary world, and she is named among the best chefs globally. Her fame began with these three cooking shows; 30 Minute Meals, $40 a Day and Rachael Ray’s Tasty Travels. She is a celebrated chef on the Food Network. In 2006, Rachael Ray published her magazine, “Every Day with Rachael Ray.”
According to her wiki, she was born as Rachael Domenica Ray, on 25th August 1968 in Glen Falls, New York. Seemingly, she fell for a culinary career since her parents owned restaurants. Initially, Rachael Ray worked as a manager in different food companies. She is an iconic recipe creator who is praised for her great creativity.
In her career life, she has earned several Daytime Emmy Awards due to her bubbly personality and confidence. The Rachael Ray Show has also been named among the most influential. She has also authored different books and cookbooks.
David Chang Net Worth: $60 Million.
Chef David Chang was born on 5th August 1977 to a Korean-American family in Vienna, Virginia. He is commonly known as a gourmet specialist of New American cooking. He is the founder of the famous Momofuku restaurant group. The restaurant group comprises of Momofuku Noodle Bar, Ma Peche, Momofuku Ssam Bar, and Milk Bar. It extends to Momofuku Ko, which was awarded two Michelin stars, in New York City, Momofuku Seiobo in Sydney, Australia, and the Momofuku Toronto restaurants.
David Chang is a graduate of the French Culinary Institute in New York City. The respected chef was a guest judge on Top Chef: All-Stars and also MasterChef Australia. In 2012 he featured in the PBS series, The Mind of a Chef with Anthony Bourdain. Most recently, David Chang was featured in Ugly Delicious, a Netflix series.
Ming Tsai Net Worth: $10 Million.
Ming Tsai, a famous American restaurateur, television personality and celebrity chef, was born in March 1964. Reportedly, he was born in Newport Beach, California. He is married to Polly Talbott with whom he has two sons, David and Henry. Ming Tsai graduated from Yale University, Le Cordon Bleu and Cornell University.
From 2004 to 2013, he hosted the famous PBS series, Simply Ming. In 1998, Ming Tsai, in conjunction with his wife, opened their first restaurant named Blue Ginger. It was an Asian Fusion restaurant based in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Consequently, he was named “Chef of the Year” by Esquire Magazine. However, he closed the hotel in June of 2017. His restaurants are famous since they focus on East-West fusion cuisine.
In 2013, he opened another restaurant, Blue Dragon in Boston. Besides being on TV and opening restaurants, Ming Tsai has authored five very informative cookbooks.
Marcus Samuelsson Net Worth: $5 Million.
Marcus Samuelsson is an Ethiopian-Swedish chef and restaurateur who is reaping big from his career. His birthdate, according to wiki-bio, is January 1970. Reportedly, he gained interest in cooking from his grandmother in Sweden. As a result, he enrolled at the Culinary Institute in Gothenburg to hone his skills. Also, he received apprenticeships in Switzerland and even in Austria. In 1991, he moved to the United States as an apprentice at Restaurant Aquavit.
He made a very radical shift in his career in that at age 24; he became the executive chef of Aquavit. James Beard Foundation named him Best Chef: New York City in 2003. Still, in 2003, Marcus Samuelson opened his restaurant in New York City and called it Ringo. He is an established author of cookbooks such as New American Table, Marcus Off Duty and The Soul of a New Cuisine.
Alton Brown Net Worth: $13 Million.
Chef Alton Brown graduated from the New England Culinary Institute in 1997. He is an American celebrity chef, author, and television personality who has bagged a net worth of $13 million from his career. In 1998, he made a debut on Good Eats, a series which originally aired on PBS before the Food Network took it up. He starred in this award-winning show up to 2012. Alton Brown also served as a commentator on Iron Chef America and The Next Iron Chef.
Alton Brown is 66 years old since he was born on July 30, 1962, in Los Angeles. Reportedly, Alton Brown was dissatisfied with the quality of cooking shows airing on American television as he grew up. As a result, he was compelled to pursue culinarily and produce his show. He was married to a Good Eats executive producer, DeAnna but divorced in 2015.
Emeril Lagasse Net Worth: $70 Million.
American-born Emeril Lagasse was born on October 15, 1959, in Fall River, Massachusetts. His longevity in her career as a celebrity chef, restaurateur, television personality, and cookbook author has earned him great fame. After completing high school, he was offered a full scholarship to the New England Conservatory of Music. However, he turned down the offer and opted to pursue a career as a professional chef. Therefore, he enrolled for culinary at Johnson and Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island.
After completing his studies, he returned to the United States and secured jobs in fine restaurants. In 1982, Lagasse took over as the new executive chef of the famous New Orleans restaurant Commander’s Palace. He served in this position for seven and a half years before opening his first restaurant. He opened the restaurant in 1990 and named it, Emerils.
Leah Chase Net Worth: $14.7 Million.
Leah Chase was born on January 6, 1923, in Madisonville, Louisiana, United States. She passed away on June 1, 2019, in New Orleans aged 96 years. The celebrated chef married the late musician Edgar “Dooky” Chase II in 1946. Together, they had four children, sixteen grandchildren, and twenty-two great-grandchildren.
After high school, Chase worked at the Colonial Restaurant and The Coffee Pot in the French Quarter in New Orleans.
In 1950, she started working in the kitchen of her husband’s parents’ restaurant. With time, together with her husband, they took over the stand and changed it into a sit-down establishment. They named it Dooky Chase’s Restaurant.
The celebrated chef later changed the menu to reflect her own family’s Creole recipes. In 2018, her restaurant was named by Food & Wine as one of the 40 best-known restaurants of the past 40 years.
Andrew Zimmern Net Worth: $5 Million.
Andrew Zimmern is famous as an American culinary expert, chef, a restaurateur, and a television personality.
The famous chef was born on July 5, 1961, in New York City. He was born to a Jewish family. His interest in cooking started during his school days. He, therefore, began his formal culinary training at the age of 14.
Andrew Zimmerman prides in being the co-creator, host, and consulting producer of several Travel Channel television series. Some of these include Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern, Bizarre Foods America, and Andrew Zimmern’s Bizarre World. The celebrated chef also co-hosts The Zimmern List and Andrew Zimmern’s Driven by Food. Also, he is a co-creator and producer of the Food Network series ‘The Big Food Truck Tip.’
Andrew Zimmern opened a Chinese restaurant by the name “Lucky Cricket” in November 2018. He serves as the head chef. The restaurant is located in St. Louis Park, Minnesota.
Cat Cora Net Worth: $7 Million.
Catherine Ann Cora was born on April 3, 1967, in Jackson, Mississippi. She is the daughter to Virginia and Spiro Pete Cora. Both her father and grandfather were restaurateurs.
She is widely acclaimed as an American professional chef. She has featured as an “Iron Chef” on the Food Network television show Iron Chef America.
The celebrated chef has opened more than 18 restaurants across the United States. She also has other restaurants around the globe.
Her most famous restaurant chain is the Cat Cora’s Kitchen, located in numerous airport locations throughout the U.S. She also owns Cat Cora’s Taproom which is located in the Detroit Metro Airport.
In addition, she owns Ocean by Cat Cora, which is an award-winning restaurant in Singapore. Another of her restaurants is Kouzzina by Cat Cora located at Disney World. She also owns CCQ at Macy’s, Postino in San Francisco’s East Bay and Mesa Burger in Santa Barbara.
Duff Goldman Net Worth: $5 Million.
Chef Duff Goldman’s real name is Jeffrey Adam Goldman. He was born on 17 December 1974 in Detroit, Michigan to Morrie Goldman and Jackie Winch. Duff Goldman and his brother, Willie Goldman, holds Jewish descent. Duff Goldman is a graduate from the University of Maryland whereby he majored in history and philosophy.
Goldman later enrolled at the Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena. In 2000, chef Duff Goldman opened the famous Charm City Cakes.
His cake company, Charm City Cakes, is widely acclaimed. Between 2006 and 2011, it was featured on the Food Network reality show, Ace of Cakes. What is most remarkable about Duff is that he holds a record on the Guinness Book of World Records. In 2008, he was featured in it for baking the world’s largest cupcake at 61.4 pounds. Reportedly, the cake was over a foot tall.
Roy Choi Net Worth: $1 Million.
Roy Choi is a South Korean-born celebrity chef, born on 24th February 1970. He was born in Seoul, South Korea but relocated to Los Angeles with his parents at age 2. Roy Choi’s parents owned a Korean restaurant, and this somehow influenced his career choice. However, wiki reveals that Emeril Lagasse charted Roy Choi’s career path. When he was 24 years old, he fell in love with Lagasse’s show, Essence of Emeril. From then, he decided to enroll for culinary training at the Culinary Institute of America in New York.
After graduation, Roy Choi was determined to introduce Korean food in his hometown, Los Angeles. Together with his two friends, he launched the Kogi Korean BBQ-to-go, a trendy food truck. Later on, he established a company called 10 Grand Hospitality. The company currently features several restaurants and food trucks. In 2016, he opened another restaurant named Local.
Tom Colicchio Net Worth: $20 Million.
Tom Colicchio is the owner and founder of Craft and Colicchio & Sons restaurants. He is also famed for being the head judge on Bravo’s protracted series, Top Chef. In addition, he is a co-founder of the famous Gramercy Tavern restaurant and was featured on Great Chefs.
Thomas Patrick Colicchio is his full name, and he has Italian roots. His birthdate is August 1962 in Elizabeth, New Jersey.
Gramercy Tavern was voted the Most Popular Restaurant in New York City in 2003 and 2005. He is also the owner of In Craft Restaurant which he opened in 2001, Craftsteak opened in 2003, and a sandwich shop called witchcraft.
His most famous chain of restaurants, Colicchio & Sons and Riverpark were opened in 2010. Tom Colicchio has won five James Beard Foundational Medals and an Emmy Award so far in his career life. He is also an author of three great cookbooks.
Michael Symon Net Worth: $4 Million.
Talent has made Michael Symon feature as one of the top-rated celebrity chefs. Chef Michael Symon ascribes his fame to his appearances on the Food Network show, Food Feuds. He is a 1990 graduate from the Culinary Institute of America in New York. Michael Symon’s wiki states that he was born in Cleveland, Ohio of the United States on September 19, 1969.
Chef Michael Symon owns several restaurants in Cleveland, Ohio area. Some of his most famous restaurants are; Lolita, Lola and The B Spot. He has been an outstanding co-host of The Chew since 2011. Similarly, he has been featured in Iron Chef America, Cook Like an Iron Chef and The Best Thing I Ever Ate. In the course of his career, Michael Symon has written numerous publications. In 2015, he won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Informative Talk Show Host for The Chew reality series.
Giada De Laurentiis Net Worth: $20 Million.
Giada De Laurentiis is at the pick of her career as an Italian-American chef, writer, and TV personality. However, she is still growing active in the restaurant venture. She is a native of Rome, Italy, born in 1970. Concerning education, Giada De Laurentiis studied at Paris’ Le Cordon Bleu with a dream of becoming a pastry chef.
Food Network hosted her Emmy Award-winning, cooking show, Everyday Italian in 2003. She also hosted Behind the Bash, Giada’s Weekend Getaways and Giada at Home. After gaining tons of experience and financial muscles, Giada De Laurentiis opened her first restaurant in 2014. She named it GIADA, and it was located in Las Vegas. Most recently, Giada opened her second restaurant called Pronto by Giada located in Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. She is also own a flagship restaurant in Cromwell, Las Vegas. She is also a famous author of recipe books.
Rocco DiSpirito Net Worth: $9 Million.
Rocco DiSpirito grew up in Jamaica, Queens whereby he learned recipes for various traditional Italian dishes from his mother. Just like many other celebrities, he studied at the Culinary Institute of America in New York, graduating in 1986. When it comes to Italian-American cuisine and innovative fusion cooking, Rocco DiSpirito is number one.
Besides being a chef, Rocco DiSpirito is also a successful cookbook author and television personality. He opened his restaurant, Union Pacific, in 1997 located in the Gramercy Park section of Manhattan. Consequently, the New York Times featured his work. A few years later, Rocco DiSpirito opened the Rocco’s 22nd Street restaurant. As a result, The Restaurant, NBC reality show opened doors for him.
Among his career accomplishments is that he was honored to be a guest judge on Bravo’s Top Chef. His famous weekly reality TV cooking competition, Rocco’s Dinner Party, debut in 2011 on Bravo TV.
Guy Fieri Net Worth: $8.5 Million.
Guy Ramsay Fieri was born on January 22, 1968, in Columbus, Ohio. His parents were Penelope Anne and Lewis James Ferry. He is famous for being an American restaurateur, author, and an award-winning television personality. He developed his interest in cooking as a foreign exchange student in France.
Guy fiery opened his first restaurant, Johnny Garlic, together with his business partner Steve Gruber in 1996. It was located in Santa Rosa, California. In 1999, he went on to open his second restaurant in Windsor. Later he opened two more branches in 2002 and 2008. The third one was located in Petaluma while the fourth was located in Roseville.
In addition to Johnny Garlic, the two business partners also opened Tex Wasabi’s (barbecue and sushi) in 2003. The restaurant was located in Santa Rosa. Another location opened in Sacramento’s Arden Arcade in 2007. In April 2014, Guy Fieri’s Vegas Kitchen and Bar were opened in Las Vegas.
Martin Yan Net Worth: $10 Million.
Martin Yan was born on 22nd December 1948 in Guangzhou. His father was a restaurateur while his mother was a grocer. He is widely acclaimed as a Chinese-American chef and food writer.
Martin Yan started to cook at only 12 years. At 13 years, he relocated to Hong Kong and attended Munsang College. In college, he worked at his uncle’s Chinese restaurant and learned about the traditional method of Chinese Barbecue.
Yan later received a diploma from the Overseas Institute of Cookery in Hong Kong. In 1975, he earned a Master of Science in Food Science from the University of California.
Yan owns a chain of Yan Can Restaurants. He is also the founder of the Yan Can International Cooking School in San Francisco. In addition, he has over two dozen cookbook titles to his name. The American Culinary Federation has also designated him as a master chef.
Ina Garten Net Worth: $50 Million.
Ina Rosenberg Garten was born on February 2, 1948, in Brooklyn, New York. She is famous as an American author and host of the Food Network program, Barefoot Contessa. She is also a former member of the White House Office of Management and Budget.
The celebrated Garten did not have any formal training in cooking. All her culinary skills were self-trained. She majorly relied on French and New England cookbooks. She also improved her work, following her intuition and friends’ feedback.
Garten left her White House job in 1978 and bought a specialty food store called Barefoot Contessa in Westhampton Beach, New York. The store specializes in lobster Cobb salad, caviar, imported cheese, and locally grown produce.
She did much of the cooking herself but also employed local chefs and bakers.
In 1996, Garten sought a change, sold her store, and turned into publishing. She wrote the sleeper bestseller, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook.
Robert Irvine Net Worth: $15 Million.
Robert Paul Irvine was born on 24th September 1965 in England. He is widely known for being an English celebrity chef and a talk show host.
At the age of 15, he enlisted in the UK’s Royal Navy, and this marked the start of his cooking career. While there, he did his culinary training and served aboard Her Majesty’s Royal Yacht Britannia. He did his tour of duty for ten years.
In 2008, Robert opened ‘Robert Irvine’s eat’ restaurant alongside his business partner Randall Williams. The restaurant was located in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Unfortunately, they eat closed at the end of 2003.
He later opened his second restaurant, Robert Irvine’s Nosh, in December 2011. However, Nosh also ended up closing in in early 2015. In July 2017, Irvine opened ‘Robert Irvine’s Public House’ in the Tropicana Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is also the founder of Robert Irvine Foods.
John Besh Net Worth: $8 Million
John Besh was born on May 14, 1968, in Meridian, Mississippi. He married Jenifer Berrigan Besh in 1991. They are blessed with four children.
John Besh is famous as an American chef, TV personality, philanthropist, restaurateur, and author. He is a former US Marine who graduated from The Culinary Institute of America.
He was named the ‘Best New Chefs’ by Food and Wine magazine in 1999. The recognition was based on his food at his restaurant ‘Artesia.’
In 2006, the celebrated chef also won the James Beard Award for the ‘Best Chef South.’
John Besh has several restaurants associated with him. The restaurants include August in New Orleans, Borgne in Louisiana, Domenica, Lüke and Pizza Domenica. Others are; Shaya, Willa Jean, Eunice and The Caribbean Room, Bayou Bar and Hot I Tin, located in Pontchartrain Hotel.
Carla Hall Net Worth: $2.5 Million.
Carla Hall was born on May 12, 1964, in Nashville, Tennessee. She is widely known as an American chef, television personality, and former model.
The celebrated chef studied at L’Academie de Cuisine in Gaithersburg, Maryland. She then served an externship at the Henley Park Hotel. Her skills and hard work saw her being promoted to the position of a sous chef. In 1999, Hall became the Executive Chef at the Garden Cafe in the State Plaza Hotel.
Hall started her own catering company, Alchemy Caterers, in 2001. It was located in Wheaton, Maryland. She is still in charge of the company. However, she later renamed it ‘Alchemy by Carla Hall. Also, she has written the cookbook ‘Cooking with Love: Comfort Food that Hugs You. Hall also opened her restaurant, Carla Hall’s Southern Kitchen, on June 17, 2016. The restaurant, located in Brooklyn, New York, closed in August 2017.
Anne Burrell Net Worth: $5 Million.
Anne W. Burrell was born on September 21, 1969, in Cazenovia, New York. She is widely known as an American chef and television personality. She is also a former instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education. In addition, she hosts the Food Network show ‘Secrets of a Restaurant Chef.’
After graduating from Canisius College in 1991, Burrell joined the Culinary Institute of America and graduated in 1996.
The celebrated chef worked as a sous chef at Felidia, owned by celebrity chef Lidia Bastianich. Later, she was named the chef for Italian Wine Merchants by Lidia’s son and restaurateur Joseph Bastianich.
In 2007, an Italian restaurant, Centro Vinoteca, opened in New York. Burrell was made the executive chef. However, she left the restaurant in 2018 due to her busy schedule.
In 2017, Burrell opened her restaurant, Phil & Anne’s Good Time Lounge, in Brooklyn. Unfortunately, it closed down in April 2018.
Geoffrey Zakarian Net Worth: $6 Million.
Geoffrey Zakarian was born on July 25, 1959, in Worcester, Massachusetts. He is widely known as an American chef, restaurateur, and television personality. Geoffrey began his culinary career with an associate degree from the Culinary Institute of America.
His first work was at Le Cirque restaurant under chef Daniel Boulud. In 1990, he was made the executive chef at 44 restaurants. In the spring of 2000, he moved to the Arpège restaurant in Paris. This was a three-star restaurant.
In 2001, he opened his restaurant, Town, which was located on the East side of Manhattan. However, it closed in 2009. In 2005, he also opened ‘Country’ restaurant in the Carlton Hotel. His hotel has already earned a Michelin star.
Currently, Zakarian acts as a consultant at the Water Club in Atlantic City. He is also the executive chef at the Lamp’s Club in New York.
Alan Wong Net Worth: $1.1 Billion.
Alan Wong is a famous chef and restaurateur. He is one of the 12 co-founders of Hawaii Regional Cuisine. He is also an alumnus of the Kapiolani Community College Culinary Arts program. Information about his birth date, age, or even place of birth has remained hidden from the public.
In 2001, Alan Wong won the Chef of the Year award by Santé Magazine. Later, in 2006, he was a guest judge on the television cooking competition Top Chef. In 2009, Wong was invited to the White House to cook a luau for President Obama.
Alan Wong owns three restaurants. The Pineapple Room is located at Ala Moana Center. The other one is Alan Wong’s King Street, and the latest one is Alan Wong’s Shanghai, located in Shanghai, China.
He also had opened Alan Wong’s Hawaii in Tokyo Disneyland in Maihama, Japan. However, the restaurant has presently closed.
Sunny Anderson Net Worth: $5 Million.
Sunny Anderson was born on April 9, 1975, in Lawton, Oklahoma. She is known widely as a Food Network personality. She is famous for hosting the show How’d That Get On My Plate? and Cooking for Real.
Sunny Anderson grew up as an Army brat. This gave her a chance to travel the world and sample many local cuisines. Her parents were also food enthusiasts. She did her studies at Madison High School in San Antonio, Texas.
She started and owned a catering company, Sunny Delicious Dishes, from 2003 to 2005. Her company was located in Jersey City, New Jersey.
Her first appearance on the Food Network was in October 2005. She was a guest on the Emeril Live program. In 2007, she co-hosted the program ‘Gotta Get it’ of the Food Network together with Marc Istook. In 2006 and 2007, Sunny Anderson worked as Food and Lifestyle Editor for Hip Hop Weekly magazine.
Buddy Valastro Net Worth: $10 Million.
Buddy Valastro’s star to fame came as a result of his appearances on Cake Boss reality show. Most chefs are never known by their real names, and this also applies to Buddy. His real name is Bartolo Valastro, Jr. He is an Italian-American born on February 3, 1977, in Hoboken, New Jersey.
His career is far-fetched from his childhood since he started working at his family business, Carlo’s Bakery, at age 11. Six years later, his dad passed away, and Buddy became the new cake boss in the bakery. Buddy has been featured on TLC’s, Cake Boss since 2009. Presently, Carlo’s Bakery has multiple branches, but its primary location is in Hoboken, New Jersey.
Buddy Valastro is the owner of Buddy V’s Ristorante in partnership with two veteran restaurateurs Elizabeth Blau and Kim Canteenwalla. The famous Italian restaurant is located in Las Vegas and was inspired by his large family gatherings.
Delia Smith Net Worth: $36 Million.
Delia Smith is a renowned English cook and television presenter who was born on 18th June 1941. Chef Delia is a native of Woking, Surrey, England. Her unique style of teaching necessary cookery skills is what put her in the limelight. Initially, she worked at a small Paddington restaurant called The Singin Chef. She was an avid reader of English cookery books and practically tried out the recipes she read about at home. Later on, she wrote dozens of books based on her cooking experience. She is presently the best selling author in the U.K, having sold out over 21 million copies.
She is the owner of Delia’s Restaurant & Bar located in Norwich, England. Together with her husband, Michael Wynn-Jones, they are joint majority shareholders at Norwich City Football Club. Delia Smith was also appointed by the Queen appointed as the Commander of the Order of the British Empire 2009.
Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall Net Worth: $4 Million.
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is the owner of award-winning restaurants, River Cottage Kitchens and Delis. He was born in England on, January 14, 1965. Thus he is presently 65 years old. Hugh Christopher Edmund Fearnley-Whittingstall is a celebrated English chef, author, journalist and TV personality.
He played a significant role in developing a nettle-flavored ale, Stinger, for the Hall & Woodhouse brewery. He hosted the famous River Cottage series on the UK television Channel 4. Hugh is a for-front campaigner on issues related to food production and the environment. His focus is mostly on fisheries management and animal welfare. Seemingly, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall has taken after his mother, who was a gardener and a writer.
Hugh’s initial television exposure was on Cook on the Wild Side series. He has since then appeared in other numerous television series.
Famous Chefs and Their Net Worth Table.
| Chef | Net worth. |
| Gordon Ramsay | $190 million |
| Jamie Oliver | $235 million |
| Ben Robinson | $2 million |
| Lawrence Page | Under review |
| Carson Kressley | $8 million |
| Mario Batali | $25 million |
| Anthony Bourdain | $1.21 million |
| Bobby Flay | $30 million |
| Thomas Keller | $130 million |
| Wolfgang Johannes Puck | $90 million |
| Rick Bayless | $30 million |
| Paula Deen | $14 million |
| Rachel Ray | $80 million |
| David Chang | $60 million |
| Ming Tsai | $10 million |
| Marcus Samuelsson | $5 million |
| Alton Brown | $13 million |
| Emeril Lagasse | $70 million |
| Leah Chase | $14.7 million |
| Andrew Zimmern | $5 million |
| Catherine Ann Cora | $7 million |
| Jeffrey Adam Goldman | $5 million |
| Roy Choi | $1 million |
| Tom Colicchio | $20 million |
| Michael Symon | $4 million |
| Giada De Laurentiis | $20 million |
| Rocco DiSpirito | $9 million |
| Guy Ramsay Fieri | $8.5 million |
| Martin Yan | $10 million |
| Ina Rosenberg Garten | $50 million |
| Robert Paul Irvine | $15 million |
| John Besh | $8 million |
| Carla Hall | $2.5 million |
| Anne W. Burrell | $5 million |
| Geoffrey Zakarian | $6 million |
| Alan Wong | $1.1 billion |
| Sunny Anderson | $5 million |
| Buddy Valastro | $10 million |
| Delia Smith | $36 million |
| Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall | $4 million |