Who Is the Richest Celebrity Chef? The Answer Might Shock You
Cheffing ain’t easy. The average executive chef must contend with long hours, hot kitchens, and back-of-the-house drama. While they pump out delicious food night after night, they often hit the cold night air in the wee hours of the morning and are lucky to grab a slice of pizza on their way home. The paycheck isn’t anything to get all excited about either, according to Payscale the average executive chef makes just $60,000 each year. While the majority of executive chefs aren’t making it rich, there are a few chefs who rode their culinary know-how all the way to the top of the pay pile. Not only do they bring home the bacon, but they know how to cook it up, too!
Bobby Flay is easily beat
While Bobby Flay has made an entire career out of challenging people to beat him in cookoffs, the celebrity chef isn’t even close to the richest man in the culinary world. That isn’t to say the chef, tv personality and restaurant owner isn’t completely loaded. With a net worth of $30 million, Flay is doing better than 99.9% of chefs in the world.
Flay has amassed his fortune through a series of ventures, including television shows, cookbooks, and restaurants. Complex, however, suggests that Flay is kind of a jerk; after all, the majority of his fortune has been earned by telling other chefs he’s way better at cooking their signature dish.
Rachel Ray is worth an estimated $60 million
Born in scenic upstate New York, Rachel Ray got her
Formal training or not, Ray has amassed a pretty impressive empire. Aside from her shows, she has a line of cookware, a variety of endorsements and has published roughly 30 cookbooks. The television personality has amassed a net worth of around $60 million for all of her hard work, but she’s nowhere near the wealthiest celebrity chef out there.
Gordon Ramsey is a foulmouthed millionaire
Gordon Ramsey is someone that people either love or hate. Ramsey doesn’t play around when it comes to the safety of other people’s food, and he’s made an entire career out of pointing out when other chefs just plain suck. His catchphrases and quips have made him famous, but his massive fortune was amassed in a far more calculated way.
While Ramsey is best known in America as a television personality, he’s actually one hell of a chef. Amassing 13 Michelin stars during his career, Ramsey owns 31 eateries around the world. Allegedly, he is paid $500,000 a year to show up at his restaurant in Las Vegas just one day year. Ramsey has amassed a fortune of nearly $200 million so far, but apparently, he won’t be leaving it to his kids in his will. He told The Telegraph that he wants his children to work for their money, and even noted the youngsters sit in coach while Ramsey and his partner head to first class during holiday flights.
The Naked Chef tops the list with a net worth of $400 million
Jamie Oliver is charming, he is exuberant, and he takes his cooking style seriously. He first appeared, in 1999 on BBC with his series The Naked Chef. Over the course of a decade, several incarnations of the show were released. He later moved on to bigger and better things. Oliver, along with a series of partners, developed a restaurant group that operates a variety of eateries throughout the United Kingdom.
While it may seem like Oliver is on top of the world, his rise to fame has not been without problems. Oliver was hit with criticism for several stunts on his television show and was even accused of failing to understand the food plight of the poor. Most recently, Oliver’s restaurant group was dealt an enormous hit when several of its eateries were forced to shutter its doors. According to The Independent, soaring rent prices, low attendance and cleanliness problems have led to the eateries’ demises. Oliver, however, is still worth an estimated $400 million, even after taking a substantial financial hit.
