Who do you automatically think of when someone says the word “chef”? Depending on what kind of TV shows someone watches and how skilled of a cook they are, you could get several different answers featuring chefs with differing levels of fame.
1. Guy Fieri
If you flip on the Food Network at any given time, you’ve got a 75% chance of seeing one of the most famous (and recognizable) chefs in America, Guy Fieri. Known for his iconic highlighted hair, Oakley sunglasses, and bowling shirts, Fieri is maybe the most mainstream famous chef. Fieri is an Emmy award-winning chef who owns three California restaurants and also licenses out his name and infamous “Flavortown” catchphrase to restaurants across the country. His name carries so much weight because of his two long-running TV Shows, Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives and Guy’s Grocery Games. He even hosted the non-cooking tv game show Minute To Win It for two seasons because of his charismatic personality. This is why he’s not just one of the most famous chefs, but maybe the most famous chef on TV.
2. Gordon Ramsay
The eternally angry culinary critic Gordon Ramsay is one of the most famous chefs on TV, known for the harsh words he shares with the people on his TV show Hell’s Kitchen. The show has had such mainstream popularity and success that Ramsay has gone on to host several other shows including Kitchen Nightmares and Master Chef. Although he’s most known for his TV shows, Ramsay’s skills as a Michelin-Starred cook are how he became a famous chef in the first place. His most notable restaurant, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, in London has been a Michelin 3-starred restaurant since 2001, and his restaurants have been awarded 16 Michelin Stars in total. Although you enjoy seeing him on TV, you’d probably enjoy eating a meal from this chef even more.
3. JJ Johnson
One of the most exciting famous chefs in America right now is JJ Johnson. At age 36, he’s already a James Beard Foundation Book Award winner for his Afro-Asian inspired cookbook Between Harlem and Heaven. He first entered the public eye after winning Rocco’s Dinner Party on Bravo! After his victory, he caught the eye of many restaurateurs and was invited to create the menu for The Cecil, which became the Best New American Restaurant in 2013. He recently used his culinary stardom and unique take on the Caribbean, Asian, and African food cultures to open up FIELDTRIP, a fast casual rice bowl shop in New York City. He’s also a featured chef on Tasty from Buzzfeed, with posts that garner hundreds of thousands of views. Still younger than most of the famous chefs on our list, he is sure to be in the spotlight for many years to come.
4. Bobby Flay
Bobby Flay is like the less-spicy Gordon Ramsay. He too, is one of the most famous chefs on TV and is easily recognizable from appearing on the Food Network shows Iron Chef, Beat Bobby Flay, Food Nation, The Best Thing I Ever Ate, and Worst Cooks In America. He’s even done a bit of acting on TV, with cameo appearances on Law & Order: SVU and Entourage. While Bobby is a famous television chef, his cooking skills off-screen are not to be doubted. As part of the first graduating class of the French Culinary Institute, Flay became skilled in cajun and southwestern dishes, which is how he got started at a restaurant he now owns, Mesa Grill. Flay has an impressive portfolio of restaurants, including Mesa Grill in Las Vegas, Bobby Flay Steak in Atlantic City, Gato in New York, and Bar American at Mohegan Sun Casino. For the less elegant offerings from Flay, customers can check out any of his 19 Bobby’s Burger Palace locations. As a famous chef from NYC though, I’d suggest going to one of his hometown establishments.
5. Rachael Ray
Known for her catchphrase “Yum-O!” Rachael Ray is one of the most famous chefs in America and on TV. Her daytime cooking and talk show, Rachael Ray, has been airing since 2005. Like most other famous chefs on TV, she’s hosted multiple spin-off shows, including Rachael’s Tasty Travels, 30 Minute Meals, Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off, and $40 a Day. She’s even won 3 Daytime Emmys for her programs. Rachael is most famous for her delicious recipes that you can make in just half an hour. She learned her culinary skills a bit differently than some of the others on this list, simply by listening to her mother and grandmother in the kitchen. Her lack of “formal training” as they call it has led to her success as a relatable chef with tips for the everyday person. She’s so popular in fact that she has her own magazine, Every Day with Rachael Ray, and is a best-selling cookbook author.
