Some chefs toil away in kitchens the world over, providing that most necessary substance we need to survive: food. Some chefs become so well known they are utilized to teach the rich and famous how to cook at home when away from the catered nourishment that is craft services. Some chefs were already rich and famous and decided to share their newfound love of cooking with the rest of the world (or at least those with an HBO Max subscription.)But some chefs ascend past the confines of the kitchen and the celebrity circuit, and achieve an even higher level of success, going on to be known not just in culinary circles, but the world over: they become TV chefs. And with their new TV programs comes a new paycheck. But which TV chef has earned the most to gain the coveted title of richest in the world? Read on to find out!
10 Marco Pierre White - $40 Million Net Worth
Dubbed by The Times as the world's first celebrity chef, British chef Marco Pierre White, who once made Gordon Ramsay cry, was the first British chef (and the youngest, at the age of 32) to receive three Michelin stars. He handed them back five years later, stating "I was being judged by people who had less knowledge than me, so what was it truly worth?" He later retired from cooking and became a restaurateur. After shunning television for the first two and a half decades of his career, in 2007 Pierre White became the Head Chef on Hell's Kitchen. He would go on to present an additional three cooking programs, including Hell's Kitchen Australia, which he joined as retaliation after Matt Preston, host of rival program Masterchef Australia, made disparaging remarks about Pierre White's son on air.
9 Levi Roots - $45 Million Net Worth
Levi Roots first gained recognition as a chef appearing on the reality business show Dragon's Den in 2007, seeking 50,000 Great British Pounds in investment to launch his Reggae Reggae jerk sauce business. The Jamaican-born Roots, father of 8 children, found investment on the show, in part thanks to a catchy tune he had written for the sauce, and his product is now found in almost every major supermarket across the United Kingdom. Roots would go on to host the BBC2 show Caribbean Food Made Easy and open several restaurants across London.
8 Ina Garten - $50 Million Net Worth
American author Ina Garten had no formal culinary training before launching her first cookbook, Barefoot Contessa, in 2009. The successful businesswoman had run a specialty food store, frequented by celebrity guests such as Steven Spielberg and Lauren Bacall, for twenty years before releasing her book, the success of which would lead to the Emmy-winning Barefoot Contessa television program, cookbook line, and take-home convenience food line Barefoot Contessa Pantry. Learning how to cook from cookbooks such as Julia Childs' Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Garten has turned her love of French food into a $50-60 million fortune.
7 David Chang - $60 Million Net Worth
Chang trained at the French Culinary Institue in New York City in 2000, and only four years later opened his first restaurant in the East Village. Over the next decade and a half, he expanded with multiple high-end and chain restaurants, with Momofuku Ko winning two Michelin stars in 2009, and retaining them every year since. Chang began making appearances on culinary programs before landing the role of presenter on Anthony Bourdain's The Mind of a Chef. In 2019 he created, starred in, and produced Ugly Delicious for Netflix. He made headlines in November 2020 for being the first celebrity (and fourteenth overall person) to win $1,000,000 on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.
6 Bobby Flay - $60 Million Net Worth
Bobby Flay has been a staple on The Food Network for 27 years as the host of his shows such as Boy Meets Grill, Beat Bobby Flay, as well as programs Food Network Star, and Iron Chef. Flay is leaving the network he has called home for almost three decades after allegedly being denied the $100 million he requested to renew his contract. Flay studied at the French Culinary Institute in New York City in 1984, before opening his first of 16 restaurants in 1993. He has amassed his fortune through his career as a restaurateur, his TV hosting, and the publication of more than a dozen books.
5 Emeril Lagassé - $70 Million Net Worth
American chef Emeril Lagassé's combined media deals, food products, and TV programs bring in a reported $150 million annually, helping him land in the top five of the richest TV chefs. The Portuguese-American trained in Providence, Rhode Island, and spent four years working in the North East before moving to New Orleans, where he would eventually open his first of sixteen restaurants. Lagassé earned his $70 million through his restaurant business, the dozen and a half cookbooks he has authored, and the multiple TV shows he has hosted or appeared on.
4 Rachael Ray - $100 Million Net Worth
"I have no formal anything," Rachael Ray says about her training. "I'm completely unqualified for any job I've ever had. I'm not a chef." That hasn't stopped the enthusiastic TV host from becoming a multi-millionaire thanks to her culinary career encompassing almost 30 published cookbooks, several product endorsements, and hosting more than half a dozen cooking programs, many based on her 30-minute meals concept. Ray has also hosted her Emmy-winning talk show Rachael Ray since 2006. Her shortening of the words Extra Virgin Olive Oil to EVOO was added to the dictionary in 2007.
3 Wolfgang Puck - $120 Million Net Worth
Austrian-born chef and restaurateur Wolfgang Puck takes spot number three thanks to his extensive collection of more than 20 restaurants and more than 80 fast dining experiences worldwide. He trained in Monaco and Paris before moving to the USA in 1973. His restaurants have been awarded four Michelin Stars. Puck has authored six cookbooks, and parlayed his successful culinary career into celebrity status, appearing in multiple television shows and films as himself, in addition to the extensive list of cooking programs he has been involved with. He was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to the television industry.
2 Gordon Ramsay - $220 Million Net Worth
One of the hardest working men in television, notorious foul-tempered, cursing Gordon Ramsey has amassed a $220 million fortune through his more than 40 TV appearances, including his BAFTA-winning turn as host of The F-Word for five years running, and his 16 years and running gig presenting Hell's Kitchen America. The Scottish chef, and Officer of the Order of the British Empire, has opened over 70 restaurants worldwide, written 26 books, and even appeared in three video games.
1 Jamie Oliver - $300 Million Net Worth
Jamie Oliver can be happy it was someone else off sick in 1997 the day the BBC came to the River Cafe in Fulham, London, where he was working, to film a documentary. The then sous-chef caught the attention of five different TV productions companies, and two years later the first episode of The Naked Chef aired, and the bestselling book of the same name followed. 30 books and 50 TV programs would follow, and two decades later, Oliver is the wealthiest TV chef in the world. He is the second-best-selling British author, behind controversial Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, and has received an MBE from Queen Elizabeth II. His campaign to ban unhealthy foods from schools in the UK was picked up by the British government and he has traveled the US in an attempt to change the way Americans eat and are dependent on fast food.
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