Actors aren’t the only TV personalities with big net worths. The last few decades have seen a rise in cooking shows, and with them, the creation of many celebrity chefs. Nearly all got their start in restaurants, but most only became truly rich and famous when landing their own TV gigs. These are the ten richest celebrity chefs.
10. Bobby Flay (est. net worth – $16M)
Flay owns ten famous restaurants around the world and has appeared on 13 different Food Network shows at one time or another, in addition to authoring 12 separate cookbooks which have grown his fortune.
9. Tom Colicchio (est. net worth – $20M)
Founder of both Craft and Colicchio and Sons restaraunts, Colicchio has also served as a judge on Bravo’s Top Chef.
8. Mario Batali (est. net worth – $25M)
Batali rose to worldwide fame mostly in New York City, and has become a staple in Italian Cuisine. He’s been involved creating a charity, the Mario Batali Foundation, which aims to feed starving children around the world.
7. Julia Child (est. net worth – $38M)
Child passed away in 2004, but her contributions to cooking knows no bounds. She was one of the original on-camera chefs, and was most recently immortalized by Meryl Streep in the film Julie and Julia.
6. Ina Garten (est. net worth – $40M)
Garten’s star has been on the rise recently with her beloved Food Network show, Barefoot Contessa. She also has authored a number of cookbooks and has a gourmet food store to her name.
5. Emeril Lagasse (est. net worth – $50M)
Emeril is most known for his Food Network shows, Emeril Live and Essence of Emeril where he coined his famous catchphrases, “Bam!” and “Kick it up a notch.” He has an enormous media empire that has made him one of the most successful chefs in the world.
4. Rachel Ray (est. net worth – $60M)
Ray is known for her cooking shows, “30 Minute Meals,” “Rachael Ray’s Tasty Travels,” and “$40 a Day.” She now even has her own magazine, and credits a Cajun influence for many of her dishes.
3. Wolfgang Puck (est. net worth -$75M)
Perhaps the most famous chef of all time, Puck is Austrian, and an incredible successful restaurateur. He’s been on hundreds of shows, has published many books and even has catered the Academy Awards (as seen above).
2. Gordon Ramsay (est. net worth – $80M)
The hot-headed cooking show host has made millions from an enormous cooking empire including a number of shows, cookbooks and restaurants. He’s paid $225,000 per episode for shows like Hell’s Kitchen, Kitchen Nightmares and Master Chef.
1. Jamie Oliver (est. net worth – $225M)
Above all else, Oliver wants to clean up eating all around the world. Using his international fame as a chef, Oliver has made it his mission to encourage healthy eating, especially in children, and has recently devoted nearly all his time to the cause.
