Estimated Net Worth: $1.5 million
Restaurant: Graham Elliot Bistro
As Seen On: Top Chef
This Seattle-based chef is a bit of a prodigy. All before the age of thirty, Graham Elliot, won several awards from the James Beard Foundation, was the youngest American to get four stars in a major restaurant review, and was a contestant on both Top Chef Masters and Iron Chef. Well, he has been in kitchens since 1997.
In addition to that, he is the owner of a unique Chicago restaurant that combines French fine dining and casual-style cafe. This guy is not only a star in the kitchen but also has quite a flair for music as he plays guitar and even sings!
Emeril Lagasse
Estimated Net Worth: $70 Million
Restaurant: Emeril's New Orleans
As Seen On: Essence of Emeril
A celebrity chef, restaurateur, TV personality, writer, and National Best Recipe award winner for his ‘Turkey and Hot Sausage Chili’ recipe in 2003, Emeril Lagasse has created a food empire and is probably one of the richest chefs in the world. His Creole and Cajun-style cuisine, dubbed "New New Orleans" has earned him a regional James Beard Award. Lagasse has appeared on several cook shows, most notably the Food Network shows Emeril Live and Essence of Emeril.
His shows are famous for their many catch-phrases such as "Kick it up a notch!" and "Bam!". The Massachusettes born chef has an estimated annual revenue of US$150 million. He truly is the king of the kitchen
Rick Bayless
Estimated Net Worth: $30 Million
Restaurant: Frontera Grill
As Seen On: Iron Chef America
This Oklahoma-born all Amerian boy is known as the expert on all Mexican Cuisine. While this sounds a little unexpected, his many foodie fans wholeheartedly agree. Bayless really strives for authenticity but adds a modern approach. He even lived in Mexico from 1980 to 1986. It was there that he wrote his first book Authentic Mexican: Regional Cooking from the Heart of Mexico. But Bayless is probably most widely known from the PBS series Mexico: One Plate at a Time.
The Mexican meal master had a run on Iron Chef America where he, of course, worked on his specialty Mexican dishes. Most importantly, Bayless is lauded by the food community mostly for championing Mexican cuisine and giving its rightful place in the world of fine dining.
Mario Batali
Estimated Net Worth: $25 million
Restaurant: Eataly
As Seen On: Molto Mario and Iron Chef America
Many men involved in the entertainment industry have been ousted in the last few years by women on the accusation of misconduct. Mario Batali's turn came around in 2017 when four women spoke out against him. The world-famous chef and restaurateur first became a household name in 1996, when he started his show on the Food Network called Molto Mario. The show, which ran for 8 years, helped popularize the Food Network.
The chef didn't even deny the accusations and instead apologized, admitting that he takes full responsibility for the pain and unease he caused his friends, colleagues, and employees. Although his apology was remorseful, the chef was fired from his hosting gig on The Chew and the Food Network canceled its plans to reboot Molto Mario. Additionally, Target stopped carrying his products and all of his restaurant holdings were forfeited (and he had many all over the world). Credit to all these powerful corporations for taking action where it is very much needed.
Geoffrey Zakarian
Estimated Net Worth: $6 million
Restaurant: Country
As Seen On: Chopped
Sometimes fame can't seem to pay your bills, no matter the amount you achieve. One such fella who knows all about this is Geoffrey Zakarian. You probably know him as a judge on Chopped, but his resume extends far beyond that. He is the chef on four Food Network shows and a renowned restaurateur. Oddly enough, his fancy-schmancy resume hasn't helped him advance with his financial progress, considering that in 2011, he was sued by his former employees from his now-closed restaurant, Country.
Zakarian, like Mario Batalli, messed around with his staff's pay. He cut overtime pay, faked pay records, and docked paychecks. The employees demanded from him $1 million in damages and an extra $250,000 in penalties. Zakarian denied the allegations made against him, which surely didn't help him in the financial sense- it pushed him to the brink of bankruptcy.