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Today’s Q10 comes to us straight from Forbes. Do a good job at Thanksgiving and this could be you, next year! These are yearly earnings, by the way, not total earnings.
10. Anthony Bourdain, $1.5 million. I was pleased to see this, because I love Anthony Bourdain. I especially like the No Reservations where he ends up stranded in Romania because of a crappy rental car and the guide he is with throws is back out trying to move the car. So, the guide drinks to try to alleviate the pain. Eventually, the guide (who was also Bourdain’s friend) ended up pounding on a table with his fist drunkenly yelling, “Tony! Tony!” It was fabulous. The figure seems low to me, though, considering the restaurants, the show, the books, etc.
9. Bobby Flay, $1.5 million. I don’t have much to say about Bobby Flay, ‘cause I don’t really like him. OK, that’s not fair. He is the owner and executive chef of six restaurants, has eight cookbooks, and has hosted seven Food Network shows.
8. Tom Colicchio, $2 million. The Top Chef judge owns the Craft line of restaurants, including ‘wichcraft. He also used to be the co-owner, co-founder, and executive chef of NYC’s Gramercy Tavern.
7. Mario Batali, $3 million. This seems low, too – he’s owns not one… not two… but 13 restaurants in New York, L.A. and Vegas. But he’s also got the cookware. I guess if he runs low on cash he could always approach Crocs about becoming a spokesperson.
6. Paula Deen, $4.5 million. My mom’s favorite! Two Food Network shows, cookbooks, a magazine, an memoir – Paula’s money comes as much from selling her personality as it does from her butter-soaked, Southern-style food.
5. Alain Ducasse, $5 million. He tops Batali’s 13 restaurants – Ducasse owns 22 across the world. But he’s got some incredibly interesting side projects going on – he has two cooking schools in Paris – one for the general public and one specifically for chefs. His school for chefs is partnering with the European Space Agency for tastier astronaut meals.
4. Nobuyuki Matsuhisa, $5 million. He co-owns 17 Nobu sushi joints (yum). But I’m sure the real money comes from his movie royalties – he was Mr. Roboto in Austin Powers in Goldmember. On second thought, I bet his four cookbooks do OK, too.
3. Gordon Ramsay, $7.5 million. He might be a television personality, but no doubt the dude can cook. He’s got a total of 13 Michelin stars, the third highest number in the world (Alain Ducasse and French Chef Joel Robuchon rank above him). Couple that with the cookbooks, the autobiographies and the T.V. shows, and you can see where the $7.5 million comes from.
2. Wolfgang Puck, $16 million. He started with Spago and now owns 15 other restaurants, plus Wolfgang Puck Express, which you can find in airports across the world. And he’s developing his brand into your grocery store, too.
1. Rachael Ray, $18 million. You know, I liked Rachael Ray at first, but I’m waaaay over her. She was too everywhere, too fast. But being everywhere apparently meant lots of cash for Rachael, since she’s bringing in $18 mil a year. That includes her Food Network shows, her magazine, her talk show, her EVOO brand olive oil and her Dunkin’ Donuts endorsement.
Comments (27)
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Rachael Ray? I thought this article was supposed to be about chefs?
posted by Jill on 11-25-2008 at 3:45 pm
“Rachael Ray? I thought this article was supposed to be about chefs?”
Likewise, Paula Deen. “Chef” means you’ve graduated from Culinary School.
posted by gjoe on 11-25-2008 at 3:55 pm
Good call Jill.
posted by taylor on 11-25-2008 at 3:57 pm
I’d love a clear answer for these comments. A quick search seemed to indicate that the title chef, an abbreviation of the French phrase chef de cuisine or chief of cuisine, seems to convey authority rather than training.
If your the head of the kitchen in a restaurant, hotel or private estate, your a chef. Equally, if you’ve graduated from culinary school, but you’re unemployed, you’re not. Is there a reliable resource that disputes this?
By either definition, Rachael Ray, by her own admission, does not qualify as a chef. If formal training isn’t a requirement, however, Paula Deen should. She owns a restaurant in Savannah called The Lady and Sons where, at least at one point, she ran the kitchen.
posted by Adam on 11-25-2008 at 4:20 pm
I agree. Rachael & Paula don’t qualify and both are just down-right annoying as all hell.
posted by s on 11-25-2008 at 4:33 pm
Mario does have a deal with Crocs:
bistro Mario Batali edition
crocs™ bistro Mario Batali- signature Mario Batali edition available for kitchen aficionados
check them out on the crocs website
posted by Michelle on 11-25-2008 at 4:45 pm
Just following up on my earlier post. In considering graduation from Culinary School as a requirement for the title “Chef,” I can’t find any record that any of the following people from this list attended Culinary School:
Mario Batali, Tom Colicchio, Alain Ducasse, Nobu Matsuhisa, Gordon Ramsay and Wolfgang Puck
They all appear to have learned their craft on the job.
posted by Adam on 11-25-2008 at 4:52 pm
Neither Rachael Ray nor Paula Deen are chefs, but at least Paula Deen is a cook who has a very successful restaurant (The Lady and Sons in Savannah, GA). Rachael Ray makes me ill with her cutesy “delish” and “yum-o”. I was surprised that Emeril wasn’t on that list and he is actually a chef.
posted by kani on 11-25-2008 at 5:20 pm
OK – stipulated that Rachael Ray is annoying, and Paula Deen has cardiologists and dieticians in an uproar, but they’re making a ton of $$. It’s like musicians griping about Kenny G. Yeah, he’s bland as hell, but nobody ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American consumer (to paraphrase P.T. Barnum).
posted by Chris on 11-25-2008 at 5:21 pm
As an FYI, the term “chef” is an official title. While there is no requirement that one attends culinary school to obtain the title, it is still an official designation that must be earned through testing. In America, the certification is completed through the American Culinary Federation.
Neither Ray nor Deen have earned the right to be considered “chefs” and, if you watch their shows, you will notice they are never referred to as chefs and never refer to themselves as chefs. To do so would be considered disrespectful to those who have earned the title.
I At least have some respect for Deen who owns a restaurant and has worked in a professional kitchen. Ray has done neither. She is a talentless douche bag who has done nothing other than whore herself and cheapen an otherwise respectable profession.
posted by Florida on 11-25-2008 at 5:32 pm
Chef doesn’t mean you graduated from school, lots of folks worked themselves up from the bottom. Both approaches have their merits.
As for Bourdain not making more – makes sense, I don’t think he owns any restaurants. He’s just the executive chef at Les Halles NYC, and I doubt he’s bringing too much in from that at this point. 1.5 mil would be just fine by me since he has the coolest job ever.
posted by Josh on 11-25-2008 at 5:37 pm
I can’t stand Deen or Ray. They are both super annoying. Listening to Paula Deen speak makes me want jam pencils (or pens, whichever is more accessable) directly into my eardrums. And Rachel Ray has basically become a caricature of herself. I didnt mind her so much on 30 minute meals back in the day. But now it’s “EVOO this” and “Delish that” and i cant stand it!!!
On a different note, I’m surprised that Bobby Flay doesnt make more than that. it seems like he would make more because of all the shows he’s on, books he’s done, and restaurants he owns.
posted by Andy on 11-25-2008 at 5:49 pm
The No Reservations in Romania is by far my FAVorite episode… I about died laughing. I can’t believe he doesn’t rank above the number 10 spot though.
posted by Pam on 11-25-2008 at 5:57 pm
Wow, some foul mouths with this whole chef thing.
Who cares.
I absolutely cannot stand Paula Deen and her laugh, but she makes some pretty good lookin’ food.
I absolutely love Rachael Ray’s 30 Minute Meals on the Food Network. She may not be a chef, but I have learned time saving techniques from her.
posted by Aimee on 11-25-2008 at 8:45 pm
If Rachel Ray is on here, why not Martha Stewart? I can’t believe she doesn’t out-earn all these people. I realize her empire is under the catch-all of “entertainment”, but I have never gone wrong with one of her recipes and never gone right with one of Rachel Ray’s.
posted by Diana on 11-25-2008 at 9:24 pm
The term “chef” is actually self-designated. There is no certification or degree that bestows the title, so basically, anyone could call himself a chef.
posted by Nan on 11-25-2008 at 11:39 pm
Sorry guys, but as a chef in training I have to put my word in…yes Deen and Ray do not have formal training, but keep in mind culinary school is something of recent history. Would that lessen the accomplishments of Antoine Careme since he did not go to culinary school? Keep in mind folks, neither claim to be chefs, but don’t knock em for trying to make money. They both offer entertainment on tv by providing humor and easy recipes from the stressed meal provider at home. A chef truly is a person who cooks professionally and makes money doing it.They should have a passion for it. I think both of these ladies do do that. So long as they are not walking around saying they are ACF accredited CCC or CEC, why complain? If you don’t like them turn the channel and get over it.
I am honestly surprised Jamie Oliver isn’t on this list, only in the last year or so has he been toppled by Gordon Ramsey as top British chef.He also just published his ninth cookbook,owns several restaurants all abroad so I can’t name them all, and even came out with a videogame that half cookbook. I can’t count all the shows he’s had, although most are on BBC, but I know atleast five have come here.
I agree Tony should have been higher, I have loved his since his sordid affair with Food Network.
And last but not least, I am ashamed at the foul language used here, take your dirty words and go somewhere else, thank you.
posted by Sarah on 11-26-2008 at 12:53 am
I just made a cookie recipe from this month’s Good Housekeeping from Paula Deen, and it is AWFUL. The dough didn’t stick together, they were roll cookies instead of drop, they are horribly sweet, no distinct flavour… I’m having to choke them down with hard cider for a bedtime snack!
B’sides, it’s really annoying that everytime I see her pic, I think of domestic violence. DH: “Who the h*ll is she?” “Dunno, but her husband used ta beat her”.
posted by Marion on 11-26-2008 at 1:52 am
My father has worked in kitchens almost his entire life, from McDonald’s right up to a 4-star restaurant. The title “Chef” is a sign of respect. It does not require a degree from a culinary school. You could just go around calling yourself a chef, but unless you have the respect of your peers and those who work under you in the kitchen, you are not truly a chef. I waitressed in a restaurant for a few years and the head cook never liked being referred to as “chef” because he felt he hadn’t earned it.
posted by Amy D on 11-26-2008 at 8:32 am
That figure for Bobby Flay did seem really low. It comes out to about $250,000 for each of the restaurants he runs. Nothing to sneer at for us working class folk. But when you consider that in addition to the restaurants he has all those shows on the Food Network, about half-a-dozen bestselling cookbooks and a line of barbecue sauces, it seems like he be making more. Maybe they’re only counting official salaries – what they get on their actual paychecks – and not all the profits they’re raking in from their enterprises each year.
Also the No Reservations Romania was wicked hilarious. I especially loved the part where he was forced into going to that costume party at Dracula’s castle and it was like a really bad Rocky Horror Picture Show convention.
posted by BKReporter1 on 11-26-2008 at 8:58 am
As far as who can call themselves a chef. I have learned in life that it is much less important what you call yourself rather more important what others call you. Respect is the key here.
posted by Christopher on 11-26-2008 at 9:31 am
Okay, I’m a chef. I’m also a Southern Colonel, since that is a self-designated title, as well. What else can I claim to be? I’m pretty sure I’d land in jail if I claimed to be a ‘doctor’, or a ‘lawyer’, or a ’sheriff’. But what can I get by with?
posted by airship on 11-26-2008 at 10:25 am
Yay, Tony Bourdain!!!
Although this ‘rock god’ faded temporarily in my eyes when I saw a show when he visited LA and couldn’t stomach an ‘Okie Dog’…
This from the guy who eats practically ANYTHING! ;-)
posted by Amy on 11-26-2008 at 3:29 pm
even if he isn’t on this list, my favorite is still alton brown.
posted by m on 11-26-2008 at 3:44 pm
F*ck Rachel Ray and her dumpy ass.
posted by Amanda H. on 11-26-2008 at 5:34 pm
Rachel Ray says herself that she is not a chef but a cook, as she has no formal training. So, i mean, if she says it herself, then I guess she shouldn’t be on this list.
posted by Karleigh on 11-29-2008 at 12:39 am
I know he hasn’t been big for awhile now, but no Emril? I’m kinda surprised
posted by Noctrl23 on 12-1-2008 at 2:59 am