These days being a celebrity chef is about more than just making mouthwatering food.
It's a full-on lifestyle that goes well beyond the kitchen and into TV shows, kitchenware
lines, book deals, and product endorsements.
But the hustle is well worth it for these chefs, who are making mega bank off of their
popularity with foodies.
Curtis Stone
This Australian celebrity chef is now known for his appearances on shows like The Biggest
Loser and The Celebrity Apprentice.
But the road wasn't always easy for Curtis Stone.
At 21, he was jobless and found himself at the door of Marco Pierre White, a chef he
had admired since childhood, begging for a chance.
Fast forward a few years, and Stone earned a starring role in the show Surfing the Menu
to show off his entertainment skills.
From there, he's gone on to appear in countless other TV programs, bringing his net worth
to a delicious $16 million dollars.
Not bad for a guy with such humble beginnings.
Nobu Matsuhisa
Sushi chef Nobu Matsuhisa's name has become synonymous with good food.
Before he was cool enough to go by just "Nobu", he was just a normal guy with a restaurant
in Los Angeles.
Once actor Robert De Niro started dining in on a regular basis, though, things changed
in a very major way for the budding restaurateur.
"You talkin' to me?"
De Niro had his heart set on Nobu opening a new location in New York and spent four
years pushing for it to happen.
Clearly, caving to the Hollywood A-lister's demand was the right move because the decision
changed Nobu's life and made him a global star in his own right.
The celebrity chef now has multiple cookbooks, nine Nobu branded hotels, and a line of dinnerware.
All told, Nobu is worth a cool $15 million, and he's got the invaluable benefit of being
besties with Robert De Niro, to boot.
Rachael Ray
Oprah Winfrey has a long history of making celebrities out of semi-ordinary folks.
There's Dr. Phil, and Dr. Oz, and, of course, bubbly television chef Rachael Ray.
Ray isn't the traditional celebrity chef, in that she doesn't own her own restaurant
like other big names like Gordon Ramsay, Anthony Bourdain, or Tom Colicchio.
But Ray did create her famous "30-Minute Meals" concept while working at a gourmet food shop
in upstate New York.
She knew that if people were willing to wait 30 minutes for pizza to be delivered, they
could easily whip up something better in the same amount of time, so she began giving in-store
demonstrations.
The concept eventually got her a weekly segment on local television, followed by the attention
of Food Network.
Then came Oprah, and everyone knows once you're on Oprah's list, you've really made it.
After earning her own cooking shows and developing her own branded product lines, Ray is now
worth an estimated $55 million.
David Chang
It's tough to talk about must-try foods in New York City without mentioning the Momofuku
Restaurant Group or its founder, David Chang.
Chang really made his mark in the world with food that's, quote, "Ugly Delicious," meaning
your meal might not look attractive, but it'll be comforting.
He also includes a lot of menu options that are just pretty enough to be featured in the
pages of his hit cookbook.
The Korean-American chef is currently worth $50 million with restaurants all over the
US, Toronto, and one location in Sydney, Australia.
And perhaps even more impressive, Chang is a two Michelin star chef, earning that prestige
at just 30 years old.
Ina Garten
Also known as "The Barefoot Contessa," Ina Garten is nicknamed after the specialty food
store she bought in 1978.
On a whim, Garten decided it was time for a career change and left her life as a nuclear
policy analyst in Washington.
Yes, really.
"How's that for a precedence for the food business."
Buying the food store changed everything, as she took on a new persona by becoming THE
Barefoot Contessa.
After years at the store, Garten decided it was too much and sold it; but she did find
a future in cookbook-writing and was eventually offered a show.
Nowadays, she's worth a whopping $50 million, thanks to her show, cookbooks, line of cookware
products, and ingredients that are sold to help you "cook like a pro."
Robert Irvine
Military veteran Robert Irvine is strict in and out of the kitchen.
The muscle-bound chef learned many of his skills while cooking in the British Royal
Navy and is known for helping restaurants shape up or ship out on Restaurant: Impossible.
After leaving the Royal Navy, he came to the U.S. to cook at the Naval Mess in the White
House, and that's when things got weird.
In 2008, Irvine was discovered to have lied on his resume by claiming to have cooked for
four presidents, as well as owning a castle, being friends with the royals, and even having
had a hand at making Princess Diana's wedding cake.
Fortunately, all that food-centric fibbing hasn't hurt him when it comes to making money
because Irvine is still worth a cool $15 million.
Jamie Oliver
It's probably no surprise to hear that British chef Jamie Oliver has a healthy bank account,
but you might be shocked to find out he's actually one of the wealthiest chefs in the
world, with more than $400 million to his name.
Oliver first struck gold while working at River Café in London, when he made it onto
the cameras during a documentary being filmed about the café.
His fun attitude earned him his own show, The Naked Chef, on the BBC.
The name came from his style of simple cooking, and it became his nickname worldwide -- even
though he wore clothes the whole time.
He's since made his way into American hearts and bellies as well, with his nutritional
PSAs on Food Revolution and by partnering with Hello Fresh to create easy-to-follow
recipes for its subscription service.
It's safe to say Oliver has built himself an empire to be proud of, naked or not.
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