Chefs are a part of one of the largest industries in the world, without whose presence the food industry would cease to exist. They are highly-skilled certified cooks, who are well-versed in all the facets of food planning and execution. Traditionally, chefs go through laborious training and have to be extremely passionate when it comes to their profession. Before ascending to the position of head chef, they originally start out as ‘sous-chefs’ or apprentices in the kitchen and slowly progress to executive chef and finally, head chef. One of the oldest documented professional chefs in the world was Guillaume Tirel, who was fondly known as ‘Taillevent’. From then on, there has been an explosion in the number of chefs around the world, all working towards making the food industry bigger, from their respective homelands and while specializing in diverse cuisines. From Adriano Zumbo to Nigella Lawson and Luke Thomas to Sanjeev Kapoor, there is no dearth of chefs around the world who are all working towards a common aim with their signature white jackets and white hats—to promote the joy of cooking and serving others while consistently working towards building a bigger and a more passionate world for food. Here is a compilation of biographies of some of the most famous chefs. To learn more fascinating facts and details about them, read their biographies that include trivia, interesting facts, timeline and life history.
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.Anthony Bourdain was an American celebrity chef. He was also a renowned author, media personality and travel documentarian. His shows about the exploration of international culture and cuisine were very popular. Apart from writing several books on food and cooking and travel explorations, Bourdain also wrote fiction and historical non-fiction. In June 8, 2018, he died by suicide in France.
.Jamie Oliver is an English restaurateur and chef who gained international recognition after appearing on popular TV shows, such as Jamie's Kitchen and The Naked Chef. In 2005, his Feed Me Better campaign helped introduce several children to healthier foods. He also established a charity restaurant called Fifteen, which employs disadvantaged young people.
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.David Chang revolutionized the culinary world with his brand Momofuku, which owns several noodle bars across the world, including a 2-Michelin-star restaurant. He has produced the Netflix shows Ugly Delicious and Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner. Several issues of his food magazine Lucky Peach have been NYT bestsellers.
.A celebrated chef and restaurateur, British national Gordon Ramsay is also a writer and television personality. His TV shows about competitive cookery and food is quite popular. The Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, in Chelsea, is his signature restaurant. Known for his bluntness, short temper and strict manner, Ramsay has historically expressed a dislike for vegetarianism and veganism.
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Paul Hollywood is an English television presenter and celebrity chef. Since 2010, he has been appearing as a judge on the popular television baking competition, The Great British Bake Off. Paul Hollywood is also a motor racer. He has competed in several tournaments, such as GT Cup. In 2017, he took part in a race at Circuit of the Americas.
.Wolfgang Puck is an Austrian-American restaurateur. In 1973, Puck moved to the US and opened a restaurant named Spago in 1982. He then established himself as a respected restaurateur by opening several other restaurants. In 2013, he was inducted into the Culinary Hall of Fame. Also an actor, Puck has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
.Curtis Stone is an Australian celebrity chef, TV personality, and author. One of the proteges of Marco Pierre White, Curtis Stone is best known for appearing in several popular cooking shows, including Saturday Kitchen, Take Home Chef, and MasterChef Australia. Also known for his humanitarian efforts, Stone works closely with a domestic hunger-relief charity called Feeding America.
.Antoni Porowski is a Polish-Canadian TV personality, actor, author, and chef. He served as the food and wine expert in the Netflix series Queer Eye. He is a graduate of the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre. He is a self-taught cook. He was named the Sexiest Reality Star on People's annual list in 2019.
.Heston Blumenthal is a British celebrity chef whose unusual recipes, such as Scotch eggs and triple-cooked chips have been widely imitated. He is considered a pioneer of multi-sensory cooking and his scientific approach to cooking has earned him honorary degrees from several universities. In 2004, he won the prestigious Chef Award, joining the likes of Phil Howard and Gordon Ramsay.
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.Mario Batali is an American chef, restaurateur, writer, and media personality. He started hogging the limelight after appearing on some of Food Network's shows, such as Iron Chef America and Molto Mario. Also a well-known philanthropist and social activist, Batali established the Mario Batali Foundation in 2008, which funds pediatric disease research and various children's educational programs.
.Giada De Laurentiis is an Italian-American chef, restaurateur, television personality, and writer. She won the Gracie Award under the Best Television Host category for hosting Giada at Home. The founder of a catering business called GDL Foods, Giada De Laurentiis has been an influential figure in the American culinary business over the last few years.
.Chris Fischer is an American farmer and chef who achieved national recognition in 2018 when he married popular actress and stand-up comedian Amy Schumer. Fischer, who worked at the Beach Plum Inn & Restaurant, won the Coastal New England Rising Stars Award in 2014. In 2016, he was honored with the James Beard Award for co-authoring The Beetlebung Farm Cookbook.
.Trisha Yearwood is an American recording artist, television personality, actress, author, and celebrity chef. She is credited with releasing several chart-busting albums that have sold millions of copies worldwide. Also known for her philanthropic activities Trisha Yearwood has been supporting Habitat for Humanity, a charity home building group, for many years now.
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.Irish immigrant Mary Mallon, or Typhoid Mary, worked as a cook in affluent American households. When people started falling ill in and around places where Mary had worked, it was discovered that she was an asymptomatic carrier of typhoid. Escaping every time, she caused three deaths and was eventually forcibly isolated.
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.Celebrity chef Rick Stein has managed the U.K.’s Stein Hotel and Restaurant with his first wife, Jill Stein. He later became the head chef and co-owner of Rick Stein at Bannisters in Australia, with his second wife, Sarah. He has authored cookbooks and presented culinary shows such as Seafood Odyssey.
.Ainsley Harriott is an English television presenter, chef, and entertainer. He is known for presenting popular cooking shows, such as Ready Steady Cook and Can't Cook, Won't Cook. A multi-talented personality, Ainsley Harriott is also a best-selling author whose books have sold more than two million copies worldwide. He is also known for his singing and comedy skills.
.Chef Marcela Valladolid was the host of the Food Network television series Mexican Made Easy. A graduate of the Los Angeles Culinary Institute, she is also a classically trained pastry chef. She started her own catering company and soon began hosting cookery shows on TV. She has also authored several cookbooks.
.Renowned British cook Rachel Khoo was born to a Malaysian Chinese father and an Austrian mother. Trained at the Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, she started her own restaurant at her small Belleville apartment. She later gained fame for her cookbook and her BBC series named The Little Paris Kitchen.
Named to the FHM 100 Sexiest Women in the World six times, actor Lisa Faulkner is best known for her roles in series such as Murder in Suburbia and EastEnders. She has also taught at a theater school and is a talented chef, having won Celebrity Masterchef and co-hosted other cookery shows.
.Baker Buddy Valastro, who owns Buddy V's Ristorante and Carlo's Bakery, gained fame as a reality star with his show Cake Boss. He has also appeared on shows such as Kitchen Boss, Buddy's Bakery Rescue, and Next Great Baker. He suffered a brutal hand injury in 2020.
British chef James Martin initially gained fame with shows such as Ready Steady Cook and later hosted Saturday Kitchen for a decade. Apart from launching several restaurants, including a Michelin-starred one, he has also written food columns. He is an avid racing enthusiast and teaches at a cookery school, too.
Nadiya Hussain is a British TV chef, television presenter, and author. She is best known for winning the sixth series of The Great British Bake Off. Over the years Nadiya Hussain has become a household name in the UK by hosting shows like Nadiya's Family Favourites. In 2017, she was mentioned in Debrett's' 500 most influential people in the UK list.
.Lidia Bastianich is an Italian-American television host, celebrity chef, restaurateur, and author. She owns many restaurants in the US, including one in Manhattan. Bastianich is the recipient of several awards and honors, including a couple of Lifetime Achievement Awards. Also a philanthropist, Lidia Bastianich supports various non-profit organizations, such as the Columbus Citizens Foundation, which aims at promoting Italian-American heritage.
Anne Burrell is an American chef and TV personality who hosts cooking television series like Secrets of a Restaurant Chef and Worst Cooks in America. She has also competed in several cooking competition shows like Chopped All-Stars Tournament. In 2015, Anne Burrell won the fourth season of Chopped and earned $75,000, which she donated to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
