Food Network and the Cooking Channel would be a strange place if our fave celebrity chefs were no longer a part of the equation. And although they make assembling a tiramisu and preparing a coleslaw look easy, famous chefs certainly understand that it takes effort to become famous in the food industry. It took these chefs some serious training, hard work, and loads of hours in the kitchen to propel them to the fame and fortune they hold now. And after doing some digging to figure out their salaries and net worth, it seems like those long hours on the line were totally worth it.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics per Chron, chefs and head cooks in America earned an average salary of $42,480 in 2012.
This is chump change compared to what the below celebrity chefs earn in a single year. With book deals, television shows, and multiple high-earning restaurants under their belts, the majority of the chefs listed all earn within the millions per year, with some being worth hundreds of millions as a complete package. (*Cough cough* Jamie Oliver *Cough cough*).
Prepare to be absolutely gobsmacked. We knew these celebrity chefs must make some serious dough, but we had no idea exactly how much money our favorite famous cooks are worth.
1. Gordon Ramsay
Chef Gordon Ramsay has built a restaurant and television empire, with 35 restaurants (seven of which have Michelin stars) and eight television shows currently on air both in the U.S. and U.K. He’s known for his foul mouth and expertise in the kitchen, and those two attributes have amounted to a roughly $40 million-per-year salary. As of 2012, Forbes said Ramsay makes an estimated $38 million, and those earnings have likely increased in the past seven years.
In fact, CelebrityNetWorth.com estimates his yearly income at around $60 million, and places his net worth at $190 million.
2. Wolfgang Puck
Having risen to fame in the ’80s thanks to his modern take on classic pizza, Wolfgang Puck earns in the ballpark of $20 million each year, according to the 2012 Forbes writeup.
With 20 restaurants under his belt and a hugely successful line of cookware on HSN, Puck is worth an estimated $90 million in total.
3. Anne Burrell
Long-time darling of the Food Network, and cohost of Food Network’s Worst Cooks in America, Chef Anne Burrell is easily one of the most recognizable chefs on television today.
The former sous chef to Mario Batali and former Iron Chef America competitor is worth an estimated $5 million.
4. Ina Garten
Ina Garten, perhaps best known as The Barefoot Contessa, is a Food Network alum and author of several cookbooks. Loved for her flavorful recipes and posh Hamptons dinner parties, Garten has been sharing her kitchen tips and entertaining ideas with viewers and readers of her blog since 2002.
According to CelebrityNetWorth.com, Garten is worth an estimated $50 million.
5. Rachel Ray
According to Forbes, Rachel Ray, formerly of the Food Network and now the host of her own daytime television show, rakes in a yearly $25 million. She’s one of the few celebrity chefs who does not own her own restaurant.
However, that isn’t holding her back from being one of the most successful chefs in America with an overall net worth of about $80 million.
6. Emeril Lagasse
Since 1990, Chef Emeril Lagasse has expanded his restaurant empire from New Orleans to Florida, Nevada, and Pennsylvania. He’s hosted more than 2,000 shows on the Food Network and was a host of Bravo’s Top Chef for four seasons. Lagasse’s name is on 19 cookbooks and both he, and his restaurants, have earned several awards.
With a net worth of around $70 million, we think Chef Emeril’s career is definitely something to “Bam!” about.
7. Jamie Oliver
Chef Jamie Oliver first gained serious traction in the late ’90s as the young, handsome host of BBC’s The Naked Chef. From there, Oliver has built a massive culinary career for himself revolving around several television series, cookbooks, and restaurant chains.
He’s reportedly the highest-paid chef in the entire world with a gut-wrenching estimated net worth of $400 million.
At just 43 years old, Oliver’s life in the spotlight is truly still just getting started.
8. Nobu Matsuhisa
Chef Nobu Matsushisa really only has to go by his first name. He’s that ubiquitous with his incredibly successful sushi restaurants. Matsuhisa teamed up with sushi fan Robert DiNero to spread Matsuhisa’s skills and love for sushi worldwide. Now, Nobu locations can be found all across the U.S., Europe, Asia, and Africa. Forbes noted in 2012 that Matsuhisa brought in an annual $10 million.
CelebrityNetWorth.com estimates the chef’s net worth at a whopping $200 million.
9. Cat Cora
Cat Cora rose to fame when she became the one of the first professional chef competitors on Iron Chef America. Off camera, Cora heads up 18 restaurants across the U.S., with each one revolving around a menu focused on health, wellness and sustainability. She also has opened several restaurants globally, including one in Singapore, and two of her startups, Olilo by Cat Cora and Wicked Eats by Cat Cora, have over 500 locations across the country.
Thanks to her success, Cora is worth an estimated $7 million.
10. Guy Fieri
Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives wouldn’t be the show it is without celebrity chef Guy Fieri at the helm — nor would any of his Food Network shows, for that matter. Fieri, with his bleach-blonde, spiked hair, bowling shirts, and classic dad sunglasses, is a larger-than-life personality worth an estimated $8.5 million.
11. Alton Brown
Although he’s perhaps best known for his career in the food world, Alton Brown actually got started in the media industry before he turned to cooking. His first network television show, Good Eats, propelled Brown to fame and having hooked up with the Food Network in the early 2000s, Brown has gone onto host Iron Chef America along with several other Food Network series.
According to CelebrityNetWorth.com, Brown is worth an estimated $13 million.
12. Giada De Laurentiis
The Food Network’s Giada De Laurentiis is known for her big smile and her even bigger flavors in the Italian recipes she includes in her multiple television shows and cookbooks. She also hosted Food Network Star alongside fellow chef Bobby Flay for several seasons.
De Laurentiis is worth about $20 million, according to CelebrityNetWorth.com.
13. Bobby Flay
In 2012, Forbes estimated that celebrity chef Bobby Flay took in around $9 million each year. Being the host of several Food Network television shows, author of 10 cookbooks, and father to seven restaurants, this estimation makes sense. His net worth is currently calculated at around $30 million and is expected to grow.
14. Robert Irvine
Known for being the chef with mega muscles, Chef Robert Irvine specialized in going into failing restaurants and pulling them up by their bootstraps in Food Network’s Restaurant: Impossible. Irvine also launched his own food company, which supplies consumers with a “nutritionally improved line of food products,” according to FoodNetwork.com.
He’s worth an estimated $15 million.
15. Anthony Bourdain
Prior to his shocking death in 2018, chef Anthony Bourdain was loved for his outspoken nature and his no-B.S. personality which he put on display on several of his food-related television shows. Bourdain also wrote several books about his life, travel, and the culinary craft, and was worth an estimated $16 million at the time of his passing.
16. Ree Drummond
Better known as The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond has become one of the many faces of the Food Network thanks to her popular blog, which she started in 2006. Drummond specializes in down-home meals meant for ranchers, kids, and hungry cowboys.
Her television show, multiple cookbooks, and award-winning blog has given her a cushy net worth of an estimated $50 million.
17. Masaharu Morimoto
Famed Japanese chef Masaharu Morimoto was part of the OG cast of Iron Chef before the American version hit Food Network. He continued to be a competitor on Iron Chef America and has a line of successful Japanese restaurants, as well as Morimoto-branded kitchen utensils.
He’s predicted to be worth an estimated $18 million.
Is it too late for us to get on track to become a celebrity chef? Mom, Dad — we need to go to culinary school.
