Chefs List of Famous Chefs

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List of famous chefs, with photos, bios, and other information when available. Who are the top chefs in the world? This includes the most prominent chefs, living and dead, both in America and abroad. This list of notable chefs is ordered by their level of prominence, and can be sorted for various bits of information, such as where these historic chefs were born and what their nationality is. The people on this list are from different countries, but what they all have in common is that they're all renowned chefs.

Everyone from Padma Lakshmi to Paul Oakenfold is included on this list.

From reputable, prominent, and well known chefs to the lesser known chefs of today, these are some of the best professionals in the chef field. If you want to answer the questions, "Who are the most famous chefs ever?" and "What are the names of famous chefs?" then you're in the right place. 

Padma Lakshmi is listed (or ranked) 1 on the list List of Famous Chefs
Padma Lakshmi is an American cookbook author, actress, model, television host and executive producer. Her debut cookbook Easy Exotic won her the "Best First Book" award at the 1999 ...more

Bethenny Frankel is listed (or ranked) 2 on the list List of Famous Chefs
Bethenny Frankel is an American reality television personality, talk show host, author, and entrepreneur. She founded Skinnygirl Cocktails, authored four self-help books and hosted the talk ...more

Julia Child is listed (or ranked) 3 on the list List of Famous Chefs
Julia Carolyn Child was an American chef, author, and television personality. She is recognized for bringing French cuisine to the American public with her debut cookbook, Mastering the Art of ...more

Gordon Ramsay is listed (or ranked) 4 on the list List of Famous Chefs
Gordon James Ramsay, Jr, OBE is a Scottish born British chef and restaurateur.His restaurants have been awarded 15 Michelin stars in total and currently hold 14. His signature restaurant, ...more

Kelis is listed (or ranked) 5 on the list List of Famous Chefs
Kelis Rogers Mora, better known mononymously as Kelis, is an American singer-songwriter and certified chef. She has won Brit Awards, Q Awards, and NME Awards, and was nominated for two Grammy ...more

Anthony Bourdain is listed (or ranked) 6 on the list List of Famous Chefs
Anthony Michael Bourdain is an American chef, author, and television personality. He is a 1978 graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and a veteran of numerous professional kitchens, ...more

Rachael Ray is listed (or ranked) 7 on the list List of Famous Chefs
Rachael Ray is an American television personality, businesswoman, celebrity chef and author. She hosts the syndicated daily talk and lifestyle program Rachael Ray, and three Food Network series. ...more

Giada De Laurentiis is listed (or ranked) 8 on the list List of Famous Chefs
Giada Pamela De Laurentiis is an Italian-born American chef, writer, television personality, and the host of the current Food Network television program Giada at Home. She also appears regularly ...more

Paula Deen is listed (or ranked) 9 on the list List of Famous Chefs
Paula Ann Hiers Deen is an American celebrity chef and cooking show television host. Deen resides in Savannah, Georgia, where she owns and operates The Lady & Sons restaurant with her sons, ...more

Jamie Oliver is listed (or ranked) 10 on the list List of Famous Chefs
James Trevor "Jamie" Oliver, MBE is an English celebrity chef, restaurateur, and media personality known for his food-focused television shows, cookbooks and more recently his global ...more

Bobby Flay is listed (or ranked) 11 on the list List of Famous Chefs
Robert William "Bobby" Flay is an American celebrity chef, restaurateur, and reality television personality. He is the owner and executive chef of several restaurants: Mesa Grill in ...more

Dom DeLuise is listed (or ranked) 12 on the list List of Famous Chefs
Dominick "Dom" DeLuise was an American actor, comedian, film director, television producer, chef, and author. He starred in a number of movies directed by Mel Brooks, in a series of ...more

Vincent Price is listed (or ranked) 13 on the list List of Famous Chefs
Vincent Leonard Price, Jr. was an American actor, well known for his distinctive voice as well as his serio-comic performances in a series of horror films made in the latter part of his career.

Nigella Lawson is listed (or ranked) 14 on the list List of Famous Chefs
Nigella Lucy Lawson is an English journalist, broadcaster, television personality, gourmet, and food writer. She is the daughter of Nigel Lawson, the former Chancellor of the Exchequer, and ...more

Joan Severance is listed (or ranked) 15 on the list List of Famous Chefs
Joan Severance is an American actress and former fashion model.

Paul Sorvino is listed (or ranked) 16 on the list List of Famous Chefs
Paul Anthony Sorvino is an American actor. He often portrays authority figures on both sides of the law, and is possibly best known for his roles as Paulie Cicero, a portrayal of Paul Vario in ...more

Cat Cora is listed (or ranked) 17 on the list List of Famous Chefs
Catherine Ann "Cat" Cora is an American professional chef best known for her featured role as an "Iron Chef" on the Food Network television show Iron Chef America and as ...more

Chris Cornell is listed (or ranked) 18 on the list List of Famous Chefs
Chris Cornell is an American rock musician and singer-songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist, primary songwriter and rhythm guitarist for Seattle rock band Soundgarden and as former lead ...more

Martin Yan is listed (or ranked) 19 on the list List of Famous Chefs
Martin Yan is a Chinese-born Hong Kong-American chef and food writer. He has hosted his award-winning PBS-TV cooking show Yan Can Cook since 1982.

Emeril Lagasse is listed (or ranked) 20 on the list List of Famous Chefs
Emeril John Lagasse is an American celebrity chef, restaurateur, television personality, and cookbook author. A regional James Beard Award winner, he is perhaps most notable for his Food Network ...more

Wolfgang Puck is listed (or ranked) 21 on the list List of Famous Chefs
Wolfgang Johannes Puck is an Austrian-born American celebrity chef, restaurateur, and occasional actor. Wolfgang Puck restaurants, catering services, cookbooks and licensed products are run by ...more

Jane Asher is listed (or ranked) 22 on the list List of Famous Chefs
Jane Asher is an English actress who achieved early fame as a child star, and has worked extensively in film and TV throughout her career. She was a key figure of 1960s showbusiness society as ...more

Peter Gordon is listed (or ranked) 23 on the list List of Famous Chefs
Peter Gordon ONZM is a New Zealand-born, London-based chef.

Tom Colicchio is listed (or ranked) 24 on the list List of Famous Chefs
Thomas Patrick "Tom" Colicchio is an American celebrity chef. He co-founded the Gramercy Tavern in New York City, and formerly served as a co-owner and as the executive chef. He is ...more

Jehane Benoît is listed (or ranked) 25 on the list List of Famous Chefs
Jehane Benoît, OC was a Canadian culinary author, speaker, commentator, journalist, and broadcaster. After studying at the Sorbonne and the Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris, she started ...more

Ruth Graves Wakefield is listed (or ranked) 26 on the list List of Famous Chefs
Ruth Graves Wakefield was the inventor of the Toll House Cookie, the first chocolate chip cookie, which she created circa 1938.

Ming Tsai is listed (or ranked) 27 on the list List of Famous Chefs
Ming Tsai is an American restaurateur, television personality, and celebrity chef of fusion cuisine. Tsai currently hosts Ming's Quest, a cooking show featured on the Fine Living Network, and ...more

Mario Batali is listed (or ranked) 28 on the list List of Famous Chefs
Mario Francesco Batali is an American chef, writer, restaurateur and media personality. In addition to his classical culinary training, he is an expert on the history and culture of Italian ...more

Guy Fieri is listed (or ranked) 29 on the list List of Famous Chefs
Guy Fieri is an American restaurateur, author, game host, and television personality currently working for Food Network. He co-owns five restaurants in California and is known for his television ...more

Katie Lee is listed (or ranked) 30 on the list List of Famous Chefs
Zealand Katherine Rebekah "Katie" Lee is an American cookbook author, television food critic, cook, and novelist.

Isabella Beeton is listed (or ranked) 31 on the list List of Famous Chefs
Isabella Mary Beeton, universally known as Mrs Beeton, was the English author of Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management, and is one of the best-known and posthumously best-selling cookery ...more

Marika Hanbury Tenison is listed (or ranked) 32 on the list List of Famous Chefs
Marika Hanbury Tenison Marika Hanbury-Tenison was an English journalist, cookery writer, and explorer.

Lidia Bastianich is listed (or ranked) 33 on the list List of Famous Chefs
Lidia Matticchio Bastianich is an American celebrity chef, television host, author, and restaurateur. Specializing in Italian and Italian-American cuisine, Bastianich has been a regular ...more

Isa Chandra Moskowitz is listed (or ranked) 34 on the list List of Famous Chefs
Isa Chandra Moskowitz is an American author, magazine columnist, and former host of community access cooking show Post Punk Kitchen. She has authored several best-selling cookbooks, including ...more

Colombe Jacobsen-Derstine is listed (or ranked) 35 on the list List of Famous Chefs
Colombe Jacobsen-Derstine is an American chef and actress. She attended the Natural Gourmet School in New York City, and competed in the 2007 season of The Next Food Network Star. She currently ...more

Christopher Lee is listed (or ranked) 36 on the list List of Famous Chefs
Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee, CBE, CStJ, is an English actor, singer and author. Lee initially portrayed villains and became best known for his role as Count Dracula in a string of ...more

Rocco DiSpirito is listed (or ranked) 37 on the list List of Famous Chefs
Rocco DiSpirito is an American chef based in New York City.

Marcela Valladolid is listed (or ranked) 38 on the list List of Famous Chefs
Marcela Luz Valladolid is an American chef and author. She is the host of the Food Network television series Mexican Made Easy, and a co-host of the Food Network television series The Kitchen.

Ina Garten is listed (or ranked) 39 on the list List of Famous Chefs
Ina Rosenberg Garten is an American author, Emmy Award winning host of the Food Network program Barefoot Contessa, and former White House nuclear policy analyst. Known for designing recipes with ...more

Richard Deacon is listed (or ranked) 40 on the list List of Famous Chefs
Richard Deacon, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was an American television and motion picture actor.

Jacques Pépin is listed (or ranked) 41 on the list List of Famous Chefs
Jacques Pépin is an internationally recognized French chef, television personality, and author working in the United States. Since the late 1980s, he has appeared on French and American ...more

Judy Ann Santos is listed (or ranked) 42 on the list List of Famous Chefs
Judy Ann Santos-Agoncillo is a Filipino film and television actress, Pokémon trainer, Pokémon Gym Leader, host, product endorser, recording artist, and film producer. Santos began ...more

Sarah Kramer is listed (or ranked) 43 on the list List of Famous Chefs
Sarah Kramer is a vegan cookbook author from Canada. She is the best-selling author of How It All Vegan, The Garden of Vegan, La Dolce Veganand Vegan A Go-Go!. She also recently released Go ...more

Madhur Jaffrey is listed (or ranked) 44 on the list List of Famous Chefs
Madhur Jaffrey CBE is an Indian actress, active in radio, theatre, television and film as well as a food writer, authoring numerous cookbooks and television chef and entrepreneur who, alongside ...more

Eric Ripert is listed (or ranked) 45 on the list List of Famous Chefs
Eric Ripert is a French chef, author and television personality specializing in modern French cuisine and renowned for his work with seafood. Ripert's flagship restaurant, Le Bernardin, located ...more

James Beard is listed (or ranked) 46 on the list List of Famous Chefs
James Andrew Beard was an American cookbook author, teacher, syndicated columnist and television personality. Beard was a champion of American cuisine who taught and mentored generations of ...more

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is listed (or ranked) 47 on the list List of Famous Chefs
Hugh Christopher Edmund Fearnley-Whittingstall is a British celebrity chef, television personality, journalist, food writer and "real food" campaigner, known for his back-to-basics ...more

Sara Moulton is listed (or ranked) 48 on the list List of Famous Chefs
Sara Moulton is an American chef, cookbook author and television personality. She was the on-air food editor for Good Morning America, a morning news-and-talk show broadcast on the ABC ...more

Gail Simmons is listed (or ranked) 49 on the list List of Famous Chefs
Gail Simmons is a Canadian culinary expert, food writer and television personality, and is the Special Projects Director with Food & Wine magazine. In addition to her role with Food & ...more

Mary Ann Esposito is listed (or ranked) 50 on the list List of Famous Chefs
Mary Ann Esposito is an American chef and the television host of Ciao Italia with Mary Ann Esposito, which started in 1989 and is the longest-running television cooking program in America. ...more