What do Wolfgang Puck, Rachel Ray, Anthony Bourdain, Nobuyuki Matsuhisa and Paula Deen have in common… besides cooking?
They all earn a lot of money. Not just a lot of money, in fact all make it into the Top-Earning Celebrity Chefs list, alongside the likes of Gordon Ramsay and Mario Batali.
Ten of the Top-Earning Celebrity Chefs, according to the Forbes list, include:
1. Rachel Ray – $18 million a year
The star of four Food Network programs, has her own magazine Every Day With Rachael Ray and she endorses Dunkin’ Donuts too.
2. Wolfgang Puck – $16 million a year
Started with the ritzy Los Angeles restaurant Spago in 1982.
Today Puck owns 15 other fine-dining brands, including Chinois, Cut and the Source, and he also sells sandwiches to weary airport travelers at Wolfgang Puck Express.
3. Gordon Ramsay – $7.5 million a year
He owns restaurants in London, New York, Los Angeles and Dubai. Better known for berating contestants on Hell’s Kitchen in the US and Kitchen Nightmares in the UK.
4. Nobuyuki Matsuhisa – $5 million a year
This sushi chef to the stars co-owns 17 Nobu sushi restaurants around the globe.
5. Alain Ducasse – $5 million a year
Ducasse became the first chef to own restaurants carrying three Michelin Stars in three cities. Today he owns 22 restaurants from Tokyo to Paris.
6. Paula Deen – $4.5 million a year
She is the star of two Food Network shows and her cookbooks, memoir and magazine are all bestsellers.
7. Mario Batali – $3 million a year
Owns 13 restaurants in New York, Los Angeles and Las Vegas and stars alongside Gwyneth Paltrow in a cooking/travel show.
8. Tom Colicchio – $2 million a year
Owns three high-end Craft restaurants in New York, Los Angeles and Dallas, plus three steak houses. He is also a judge on Top Chef.
9. Bobby Flay – $1.5 million a year
Hosts Throwdown!, Boy Meets Grill and The Next Food Network Star, and he owns restaurants all over the globe and has a couple of successful cookbooks to his name.
10. Anthony Bourdain – $1.5 million a year
Bourdain is the star of No Reservations, The Travel Channel’s top show and his books, Kitchen Confidential and A Cook’s Tour were both instant bestseller.
We’re wondering why Jamie Oliver is not on this list?