Alex Guarnaschelli
Estimated Net Worth: $2 million
Restaurant: Butter
As Seen On: The Best Thing I Ever Ate, The Cooking Loft with Alex Guarnaschelli, and more
Some people have their talent embedded in their genes, and Alexandra (Alex) Guarnaschelli is definitely one of those people. Her mother, Maria, was a cookbook editor, and she recalls watching her mother testing cookbook recipes in their kitchen when she was little.
Years went by and Guarnaschelli has become a culinary personality in her own right. She appeared on several Food Network shows, including “Chopped” and “Iron Chef America.” In 2013, her first cookbook, “Old-School Comfort Food: The Way I Learned to Cook,” was released. It features recipes as well as personal memories. Her mama must be proud.
Rick Stein
Estimated Net Worth: $1-5 million
Restaurant: The Seafood Restaurant, Rick Stein's Fish Restaurant, Rick Stein Cafe
As Seen On: Rick Stein's Taste of the Sea, Rick Stein's Fruits of the Sea, Rick Stein's Seafood Odyssey, and more
Christopher Richard "Rick" Stein was born in England in 1947 and has made a name for himself in pretty much any food-related field. He ran the Stein hotel and restaurant business for more than four decades and appeared on numerous TV shows.
He has also written many cookbooks, but that almost goes without saying. Given that his celebrity chef status was achieved back in the 90s, he is one of the few celebrity chefs to have released DVD and VHS tapes. That's how long ago that was!
Amanda Freitag
Estimated Net Worth: $3 million
Restaurant: Cesca Enoteca & Trattoria
As Seen On: Unique Eats, Chopped, American Diner Revival
A Food Network frequent, Amanda Freitag is a celebrity chef you have to know. She graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in 1989 and started working in the field right away. Her first job after graduating was at Jean-Georges Vongerichten's restaurant, Vong. After five years, she left the restaurant for other food-related endeavors, including working in France and Italy.
She started her own restaurant called Cesca Enoteca & Trattoria in 2003. Her latest TV appearance is with Ty Pennington on the TV show American Diner Revival, where she and Ty transform restaurants both in terms of menu and design.
Padma Lakshmi
Estimated Net Worth: $40 million
Restaurant: N/A
As Seen On: Top Chef
Okay, so technically Padma Lakshmi is not a chef. She started her career as a model and actress. But still, after hosting 19 (!) seasons of Top Chef, she has definitely earned herself a spot on this list. Plus, you don't release three cookbooks without knowing a thing or two about cooking.
Lakshmi began her modeling career at 21 when she was studying abroad in Madrid and said: "I was the first Indian model to have a career in Paris, Milan, and New York. I'm the first one to admit that I was a novelty."
Levi Roots
Estimated Net Worth: $45 million
Restaurant: Papine Jerk Centre
As Seen On: Dragon's Den, Caribbean Food Made Easy
The British Jamaican reggae artist Levi Roots was a well-known musician way before his cooking career. He became a culinary personality upon releasing his famous Caribbean barbecue sauce — Reggae Reggae Sauce. This sauce can now be found in many households in England.
Levi's famous sauce was first sold at food trade shows in England, which is where he was approached by a BBC producer who offered him a spot on Dragon's Den, the British reality show. Thanks to the show, the sauce started selling in supermarkets around the UK and is being enjoyed by many Brits out there.