Cat Cora
Estimated Net Worth: $7 million
Restaurant: Cat Cora’s Que
As Seen On: Iron Chef America
Chef Cat Cora was shot to fame after claiming the title of The Iron Chef on “Iron Chef America.” She now hosts the Food Network favorite “Around the World in Eighty Plates,” which airs on Bravo. Cora got her cooking education at the Culinary Institute of America. She specialized in Mediterranean and Fusion styles of cooking. Her Mississippi upbringing has also given her a Southern flair.
As the first female winner on the Iron Chef, she made TV history. Since the big win, she has appeared in a string of culinary publications, amongst them FHM. Cora is also the spokesperson for UNICEF and was even nominated as the Grand Marshal for the ST. Patty’s parade in her hometown.
Charlie Ayers
Estimated Net Worth: $45 million
Restaurant: Google
As Seen On: The Google Story
Chefs can pop out of some unexpected places. Charlie Ayers was the head chef at Google, working hard at serving delicious lunches every day to their roughly four thousand employees. The company supplied both lunch and dinner across ten different campuses. Ayers has been such an integral part of the operation of Google that he has a whole chapter devoted to him in the best-selling book "The Google Story."
The Google chef trained in the state of New Jersey. He then moved on to the position of head chef at the Hilton Hotel. Ayers furthered in cooking in Rhode Island at Johnson & Wales. Before his big move to Google, he was based in Boston and Providence. Being at Google has made him $26 million in stock options alone.
Christine McConnell
Estimated Net Worth: $500,000
Restaurant: N/A
As Seen On: The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell
For the more eccentric food lovers, there is Christine McConnell. Her Netflix series, "The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell," is a combination of cooking, baking, and the supernatural. The premise of the show centers around her culinary adventures in her spooky restaurant/mansion. The show was developed by McConnell herself who is a baker by trade. It also incorporates some scripted sitcom-style elements.
McConnell creates wild desserts and creepy-themed treats like caramel spiders, haunted gingerbread houses, and bones made out of pretzel sticks. Before her show, she was known on Instagram and Reddit for disturbing culinary creations.
Pat Neely
Net Worth: $1.5 million
Restaurant: Neely's Bar-B-Que
As Seen On: Down Home with the Neelys
Pat Neely began his career when he discovered his passion for barbecue. In 1988, together with his three brothers and uncle, Pat opened up a barbecue restaurant in downtown Memphis. Their food empire only grew from there and when he met his wife (now ex-wife) and eventual cooking partner, Gina, the two created their New York City restaurant Neely's Barbecue Parlor. Pat and Gina Neely went on to have an illustrious Food Network career, creating a number of shows together, namely "Down Home With the Neelys" and "Road Tasted With the Neelys."
The pair also wrote a book together. Unfortunately, the two eventually divorced and have gone their separate ways. Pat is now the co-owner of a Memphis Tennessee restaurant Bar-B-Que. Neely made a TV comeback when he hosted "Save to Win" on Saturdays on The CW from November 5, 2016, to May 20, 2017
Gail Simmons
Estimated Net Worth: $2.5 million
Restaurant: Bringing It Home (Cookbook)
As Seen On: Top Chef
When it comes to critiquing and appreciating food, Gail Simmons is quite simply the queen of it all. She is the host of "The Feed," has written a series of cookbooks, and penned many food publications. She has appeared as a judge on "Top Chef" since the very beginning, which was all the way back in 2006. But that's just a part of this Canadian critic's resume. She was also the head judge on the show's spinoff "Top Chef Duels, Just Desserts" arm of Top Chef.
Simmons definitely took after her mother as she also happened to be a food columnist for the Globe & Mail. It didn't hurt that she picked up some nifty cooking skills from her as a kid. This woman has spent her life tasting and analyzing food and she sure is good at it.