There’s no denying that any renowned chef knows how to put together a delicious meal. When you hear names like Pierre Gagnaire or Marco Pierre White, you know you’re in for a treat. But some seriously savvy chefs have managed to turn their magic into the kitchen into millions in the bank too. These chefs have created true culinary empires, from bestselling cookbooks and highly rated TV shows to Michelin-starred restaurants.
Here’s how the net worths of these cashed-up cooks stack up, according to Celebrity Net Worth at the time of writing.
6. Rachael Ray
Estimated net worth: US$100 million
Per the Food Network, Ray said she grew up in a foodie environment, with one of her first memories being watching her mum whip up meals in a restaurant kitchen. Now, Ray boasts books, TV shows and even a magazine, shining as a culinary luminary for ordinary folks trying to up their cooking game.
5. Wolfgang Puck
Estimated net worth: US$120 million
Growing up in Austria, a young Wolfgang Puck was influenced by his mother who was also a chef, according to his official bio. When he was just 14 years old, he started his formal training; he went on to work at some of France’s most renowned restaurants, including Maxim’s in Paris and Monaco’s Hôtel de Paris. At the age of 24, he took a friend’s advice and made the leap across the pond to Indianapolis, where he worked at restaurant La Tour. After leaving La Tour in 1975, he moved to Los Angeles, quickly elevating his profile to catch the eye of West Hollywood’s Ma Maison.
He eventually opened his first flagship restaurant Spago on the Sunset Strip in 1982 – and the rest, as they say, is history. Now, Puck is the proud owner of Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group, Wolfgang Puck Catering and Wolfgang Puck Worldwide, comprising restaurants such as Spago and Cut, which can be found across the world in Las Vegas, Singapore, Bahrain, London and Istanbul.
4. Nobuyuki Matsuhisa
Estimated net worth: US$200 million
3. Jamie Oliver
Estimated net worth: US$200 million
Jamie Oliver was just 16 when he left school to finish his studies at Westminster Training College. After cutting his teeth at restaurants across France – and Antonio Carluccio’s London eatery the Neal Street Restaurant – Oliver went to work at River Café. While here, he appeared in a 1997 documentary Christmas at The River Cafe and was soon offered his own TV show. This fast-tracked his reputation as a chef determined to “strip down food to its bare essentials”, he famously said, to create simple but delicious masterpieces.
As his fame grew, Oliver doubled down on his passion for food education, nutrition and training future chefs, creating numerous initiatives, including a national campaign called Feed Me Better for nutritious school meals in his native UK.
3. Gordon Ramsay
Estimated net worth: US$220 million
However, some say that Ramsay’s bad boy persona is mostly an act, and he only really gets riled up if his culinary reputation is at stake. His food clearly speaks for himself, as his restaurants continue to receive accolades – in fact, Ramsay has 17 Michelin stars in total, only behind France’s Alain Ducasse’s 21.
2. Kimbal Musk
Estimated net worth: US$500 million
Per DC Finance, the concept behind the group is to serve “real food at every price point” while creating over a thousand jobs. Musk’s personal ambition is to “pursue an America where everyone has access to real food”. The group’s restaurants, which include Next Door, Hedge Row and The Kitchen, source food grown from American farmers.
1. Alan Wong
Estimated net worth: US$1 billion
Wong is known for his use of fresh products, local flavours and experimenting with tastes to create delicious dishes. Unfortunately, he was forced to make the difficult decision to close Alan Wong’s Restaurants after 25 years, in November 2020.
