6 of the richest celebrity chefs in 2024 – net worths, ranked: Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Oliver, Rachael Ray and Wolfgang Puck make the list – but what about Elon Musk’s brother, and who’s the billionaire?

May 17 , 2024

Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Oliver and Wolfgang Puck are among some of the richest celebrity chefs in the world. Photos: SCMP Archive

Celebrity chefs like Gordon Ramsay and Nobu Matsuhisa have made an art of spinning kitchen skills into serious fortunes through restaurant brands, endorsements, TV shows and savvy business deals

But which of these culinary moguls leads the pack – without a restaurant – and why is the richest man in the world’s brother Kimbal Musk among them?

There’s no denying that any renowned chef knows how to put together a delicious meal. When you hear names like Pierre Gagnaire or Marco Pierre White, you know you’re in for a treat. But some seriously savvy chefs have managed to turn their magic into the kitchen into millions in the bank too. These chefs have created true culinary empires, from bestselling cookbooks and highly rated TV shows to Michelin-starred restaurants.

Here’s how the net worths of these cashed-up cooks stack up, according to Celebrity Net Worth at the time of writing.

6. Rachael Ray

Estimated net worth: US$100 million

Food Network chef Rachael Ray plugs her Home Chef brand in a 2022 Instagram post. Photo: @rachaelray/Instagram

At 55 years old, Rachael Ray has owned the Food Network scene with her cooking approach that relies on finding simple solutions to dishes, spearheaded by her flagship 30 Minute Meals concept.

Per the Food Network, Ray said she grew up in a foodie environment, with one of her first memories being watching her mum whip up meals in a restaurant kitchen. Now, Ray boasts books, TV shows and even a magazine, shining as a culinary luminary for ordinary folks trying to up their cooking game.

5. Wolfgang Puck

Estimated net worth: US$120 million

Wolfgang Puck poses at Central’s La Rambla restaurant in Hong Kong, in 2019. Photo: SCMP Archive

Growing up in Austria, a young Wolfgang Puck was influenced by his mother who was also a chef, according to his official bio. When he was just 14 years old, he started his formal training; he went on to work at some of France’s most renowned restaurants, including Maxim’s in Paris and Monaco’s Hôtel de Paris. At the age of 24, he took a friend’s advice and made the leap across the pond to Indianapolis, where he worked at restaurant La Tour. After leaving La Tour in 1975, he moved to Los Angeles, quickly elevating his profile to catch the eye of West Hollywood’s Ma Maison.

He eventually opened his first flagship restaurant Spago on the Sunset Strip in 1982 – and the rest, as they say, is history. Now, Puck is the proud owner of Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group, Wolfgang Puck Catering and Wolfgang Puck Worldwide, comprising restaurants such as Spago and Cut, which can be found across the world in Las Vegas, Singapore, Bahrain, London and Istanbul.

4. Nobuyuki Matsuhisa

Estimated net worth: US$200 million

World-renowned chef Nobu Matsuhisa. Photo: Handout