While a chef’s career was once limited to the kitchen, many have become media personalities. Food television series and televised cooking competitions are hugely popular, as food and cooking are subjects that the public enjoys, relates to, and give them inspiration for their home cooking. It means that many chefs have extended their careers beyond running their own restaurant empires and have become celebrities. In turn, this has increased their net worth and made them very wealthy people. Here is a look at some of the richest celebrity chefs in the world, including each celebrity chef’s net worth (as of April 2024) and an overview of their career.
20 Richest Celebrity Chefs in the World (2024)
=20. Giada De Laurentiis, $30 Million
American Italian chef, writer, and media personality Giada De Laurentiis is the founder of the GDL Foods catering business. According to Wealthy Gorilla, the celebrity chef regularly contributes to ‘NBC Today.’ Her awards include the Gracie Award for Best Television Host and the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lifestyle Host. She is now one of the world’s richest chefs, and Giada De Laurentiis’ net worth is $30 million. Read more about Giada De Laurentiis.
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20. Rick Bayless, $30 Million
Celebrity chef and restaurateur Rick Bayless is probably best known for his PBS series ‘Mexico: One Plate at a Time.’ Although he is American, he specializes in Mexican cuisine with a modern twist. The chef got his first executive chef position at Lopez y Gonzalez in Ohio. In 1987, Bayless opened his first restaurant with his wife, called Frontera Grill. He has since expanded his business empire, launched a prepared food range, and appears on television. Read more about Rick Bayless.
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19. Marco Pierre White, $40 Million
Marco Pierre White was the first chef to officially be given the title of ‘celebrity chef,’ and he was also the youngest chef ever to be awarded three Michelin stars. White began his career training under Pierre Koffman, then continued his training with Raymond Blanc. He went on to train many successful chefs who have also entered the entertainment world. You can read more about Marco Pierre White here.
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=17. Levi Roots, $45 Million: The Richest Celebrity Chef from Jamaica
Levi Roots was born in Clarendon, Jamaica, and he moved to the UK when he was 11. He began his career in the music industry before turning to food. Roots began making his own sauce, Reggae Reggae, which is a jerk barbecue sauce. Originally, he was selling the food at festivals and fairs. In 2017, he appeared on ‘Dragon’s Den,’ and successfully securing investment from Peter Jones and Richard Farleigh. Levi Roots then extended his sauce range and created a range of ready meals. Read more about Levi Roots.
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17. Charlie Ayers, $45 Million
Charlie Ayers began his career as a professional chef for Hilton Hotels, then later attended culinary school. The chef then worked in various restaurants in Boston and California. In 2009, Ayers opened his own café and market in Palo Alto. He is now best known for his former role as the executive chef at the Google headquarters in Mountain View, California. A large proportion of Charlie Ayers’ net worth is attributed to his Google stock options, which has helped him to become one of the richest celebrity chefs in the world. Read more about Charlie Ayers. Image credit: Alangi Derick, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
=15. Ree Drummond, $50 Million
When I first wrote this list in 2022, Ree Drummond did not make it into the top 20 richest chefs in the world. However, the successful television personality and cookbook author now ranks in joint 15th position with an impressive net worth of $50 million.
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15. Jose Andres, $50 Million
Jose Andres is a Spanish celebrity chef who founded the World Central Kitchen. He also owns multiple restaurants across New York City, Florida, South Beach, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C. He completed his culinary training and began his career in Spain before moving to America. Andres has been awarded two Michelin stars and has won multiple awards throughout his career. Read more about Jose Andres here.
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=12. Vikram Vij, $60 Million: The Richest Celebrity Chef from India
Although Vikram Vij was born in India, he is a Canadian resident, and he has been based in Canada throughout his successful career. He is the co-owner of Vij’s Restaurant and Rangoli Restaurant, along with his ex-wife. In addition to his culinary career, Vij has written two award-winning cookbooks and is an investor in the Canadian version of the reality series ‘Dragon’s Den,’ all of which have aided him in becoming one of the richest celebrity chefs in the world. Read more about Vikram Vij here.
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=12. Bobby Flay, $60 Million
Bobby Flay is one of the most famous chefs in the United States. He owns multiple restaurants across the United States, including 19 locations of Bobby’s Burger Palace. Flay has hosted and appeared on many series on the Food Network, a channel that has elevated many chefs to fame, including Robert Irvine and Ree Drummond. Flay has also authored many cookbooks. You can read more about Bobby Flay here.
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12. David Chang, $60 Million
David Chang is the founder of the Momofuku restaurant group, and he holds two Michelin stars. He is the co-creator and star of the Netflix original series, ‘Ugly Delicious.’ The chef has won multiple awards throughout his career, and David Chang’s net worth is now $60 million, making him one of the richest celebrity chefs in the world. Read more about David Chang here.
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11. Emeril Lagasse, $70 Million
Emeril Lagasse learned his culinary craft at Johnson & Wales University, graduating in 1978. He became an executive chef at Dunfey’s Hyannis Resort a year later, then was named chef of the year in 1983. For seven and a half years, Lagasse was the executive chef at Commander’s Palace in New Orleans before opening his self-titled restaurant, Emeril’s. The chef has appeared on multiple television series and published several cookbooks. Read more about Emeril Lagasse here.
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The Top 10 Richest Chefs in the World
=9. Guy Fieri, $100 Million
Guy Fieri is best known as one of the stars of the Food Network. Although he has presented several television shows on the network, most people know him as the presenter of ‘Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.’ He also owns several restaurants and has published cookbooks. His various ventures have allowed him to amass a net worth of $100 million. Fieri has one of the most notable wealth increases on the list, as his net worth in 2022 was a mere $20 million. It means he now lands within the top 10 richest chefs in the world. Read more about Guy Fieri.
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9. Rachael Ray, $100 Million: The Richest Female Celebrity Chef in the World
Rachael Ray originally worked at Macy’s Marketplace and then at the speciality food store, Agata & Valentina. Next, she managed a pub before becoming a buyer for Cowan & Lobel. Ray then began teaching classes about making meals in under 30 minutes, and it is this quick and simple style of cooking for which she has become famous. She currently has two shows on the Food Network, ’30 Minute Meals’ and ‘Rachael Ray.’ Read more facts about Rachael Ray here.
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8. Prue Leith, $107 million
Although Prue Leith is well known in the UK, she is lesser known to an international audience. She is a British chef, restaurateur, television personality, cookery school founder, and food critic. British audiences know her from her appearances as a judge on series such as The Great British Bake Off and Great British Menu. She remains a judge on the former, while Andi Oliver replaced her on the latter. According to The Sun, Prue Leith’s net worth is around £85 million ($107 million). You can read more about Prue Leith here.
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=6. Ina Garten, $120 Million
Known as the Barefoot Contessa, which is also the name of her Food Network series, Ina Garten is known for her cooking shows and cookbooks. Despite receiving no formal culinary training, she has become one of the most famous and successful celebrity chefs. Ina Garten’s net worth is now one of the richest chefs in the world, with her wealth increasing from $60 million to $120 million from 2022 to 2024. Read more about Ina Garten.
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6. Wolfgang Puck, $120 Million
Sixth on the list of the richest celebrity chefs in the world is Wolfgang Puck, an Austrian-American chef, restaurateur, and actor. The chef completed his culinary training in France before moving to the United States. He then moved to Los Angeles and became part owner of Ma Maison. Puck eventually formed Wolfgang Puck Companies, which includes more than 25 restaurants, kitchen and food merchandise, catering services, canned food, coffee, and a range of cookbooks. Read more about Wolfgang Puck.
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5. Thomas Keller, $160 Million
Thomas Keller is the fifth richest chef in the world. He began his culinary career working in his mother’s restaurant, then was mentored by a French chef before he launched his own restaurants. In 1987, he opened his first restaurant, Rakel. Keller won his first Michelin star in 2005 for his restaurant Per Se. He now holds a total of seven Michelin stars. Thomas Keller’s net worth is $160 million. Read more about Thomas Keller.
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4. Nobu Matsuhisa, $220 Million
Nobu Matsuhisa is famous for combining Japanese and Peruvian ingredients and flavours. He began his career in Japan before landing a job in a Peruvian restaurant, where he developed his signature fusion food. The chef then opened his own restaurant in Alaska, unfortunately destroyed in a fire. Next, he opened a restaurant in Los Angeles and now has many restaurants in several countries across the globe. Matsuhisa has also appeared in three major films. Read more about Nobu Matsuhisa.
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3. Jamie Oliver, $300 Million
Jamie Oliver is a British chef known for making cooking accessible to the public using simple ingredients and quick recipes. He is also known for his ‘pukka’ catchphrase. Jamie Oliver owns multiple restaurants, has appeared in various television series, has published many cookbooks, and been a brand ambassador. He is probably best known for ‘The Naked Chef’ series. His net worth has dropped from $400 million in 2023 to $300 million in 2024. Read more about Jamie Oliver.
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2. Gordon Ramsay, $770 Million: The Richest Celebrity Chef from the UK
Gordon Ramsay is a British chef who has achieved success on both sides of the Atlantic, which has allowed him to accrue a net worth of $770 million,, which means he ranks third on the list of the richest celebrity chefs in the world. In addition to his many restaurants and cookbooks, Gordon Ramsay is famous for TV series such as ‘The F Word’, ‘Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares’, ‘MasterChef’, and ‘Hell’s Kitchen.’ He has also appeared in travel/ cooking shows alongside Fred Sirieix and Gino D’Acampo. Ramsay’s restaurants hold 16 Michelin stars between them. You can read more about Gordon Ramsay here.
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1. Alan Wong, $1.1 Billion: The Richest Celebrity Chef in the World
The richest celebrity chef in the world is Alan Wong, a chef and restaurateur. He is one of Hawaii Original Cuisine’s co-founders, and some of Alang Wong’s net worth of $1.1 billion comes from his shares in the company. However, he also has several restaurants of his own in Hawaii and another restaurant in Japan. Read more about Alan Wong.
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Other Notable People Who Almost Made It on the List of the Richest Celebrity Chefs in the World
There are many other successful celebrity chefs who are millionaires, although they do not have enough money to rank amongst the top 20. The following are some who are almost rich enough to make it on the list, or who were previously amongst the richest celebrity chefs in the world but have been overtaken by the success of other chefs.
Mary Berry, $32 million: British cook and television personality Mary Berry is famous for judging The Great British Bake Off, although she has appeared on many series and published multiple cookery books.
Mario Batali, $25 million: Mario Batali is a chef and restaurateur who co-owns restaurants in cities including Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New York, and Newport Beach in California. He started his career as a sous chef at a restaurant in Toronto, Canada. Mario Batali is now known for Food Network shows such as ‘Molto Mario’ and ‘Iron Chef America’. Mario Batali’s net worth is $25 million, and he was previously on our list of the 20 richest chefs in the world. Although his net worth is the same as in 2022, other chefs have become more successful and now rank higher.
Curtis Stone, $25 million: Australian born Curtis Stone built his career in Australia as a chef, restaurateur, and television personality. He was a regular guest on MasterChef AU, alongside Gary Mehigan, Matt Preston, and George Calombaris. After marrying an American actress he opened an LA restaurant, and became popular on series including 80 Plates Around the World and My Kitchen Rules USA, co-hosting both series with Cat Cora.
Nigella Lawson, $25 million: British cook and television personality Nigella Lawson has a net worth of $25 million. She has been a judge on My Kitchen Rules Australia alongside Matt Preston and Manu Feildel, neither of whom are as financially successful.
Chefs with $15 million: Joe Bastianich, Paul Hollywood, Marcus Wareing, and Robert Irvine all have a net worth of $15 million. Although they are not on the list of the world’s richest chefs, their success is notable.