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 Batali, 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.
Graham Elliot
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!
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.
Robert Irvine
Estimated Net Worth: $20 million
Restaurant: Robert Irvine's Public House, Fresh Kitchen by Robert Irvine
As Seen On: Dinner Impossible
Not every chef has listed on their resume that they've graduated from culinary school at Le Cordon Bleu. Rather, there are chefs who chose to take a different path, which led them to success. Chef Robert Irvine, the host of Food Network’s "Dinner: Impossible," is one such chef who got to where he is today in a rather unique way. According to his resume, he has been knighted, has worked as a chef for four U.S. presidents, and is good friends with King Charles. Sounds like the perfect candidate for the host of a show, right?
That is, that's what he wanted producers of the shows to believe. In 2008, it was revealed that the chef had exaggerated his resume. "Dinner: Impossible" at once let him go and replaced him with Michael Symon. However, after the show declined in viewers, the Food Network decided to bring back the fibber. Seems like the public didn't care about this scandal. A spokesman for the Food Network defended their decision to bring back the chef by saying that the audience wants the chef to come back and that Robert did everything to make up for his former lies.
Joshua Adam Garcia
Estimated Net Worth: N/A
Restaurant: Jag's, Tavern on the Square
As Seen On: Next Food Network Star
In the third season of "Next Food Network Star," there was a contestant named Joshua Adam Garcia, or “JAG” for short. In the middle of the contest, he was forced to pull out, as it had been revealed that he had lied about his background. An imposture chef! On his resume, he wrote that he graduated from the New York Restaurant School and had served in the United States Military.
In reality, he never served in combat, was most definitely not a standing corporal, and was discharged for unspecified reasons. His website, however, does specify that he got his training as a chef in the military. He has since started working on a book titled “Hispano” which will explore Hispanic cuisine and culture through time.