1. Christine Ha (1979)

American Chef

Winner of the third season of MasterChef and author of Recipes from My Home Kitchen: Asian and American Comfort Food.

2. Jeff Mauro (1978)

American Chef

Before becoming famous for hosting Sandwich King on the Food Network, this popular chef won season seven of Food Network Star.

3. Bobby Flay (1964)

American Chef

Television chef who opened restaurants in the U.S. and the Bahamas. He was nominated for an Emmy Award for Hot Off the Grill with Bobby Flay in 2000.

4. Marcel Vigneron (1980)

American Chef

Molecular Gastronomy chef who placed second on Top Chef's season 2.

5. Charles Ranhofer (1836)

American Chef

Chef who worked at the famous New York restaurant Delmonico's during the late 19th century.

6. Fannie Farmer (1857)

American Chef

Culinary enthusiast and author of the bestselling book, Boston Cooking-School Cook Book.

7. Timothy Hollingsworth (1980)

American Chef

American chef best known as the owner of the Southern California restaurants Otium and Barrel & Ashes. He was named the Rising Star Chef of of the Year by the...

8. Ettore Boiardi (1897)

American Chef

Italian-born chef known for his popular Chef Boyardee products. He marketed his food as "Chef Boy-Ar-Dee" so English-speaking consumers could easily pronounce his name.

9. James Beard (1903)

American Chef

Celebrity chef whose numerous cookbooks and television appearances gave rise to American-style gourmet cooking.

10. John Besh (1968)

American Chef

Executive chef who gained fame at the Restaurant August in New Orleans.

11. Richard Blais (1972)

American Chef

American chef who appeared on the fourth season of the cooking reality show Top Chef before becoming the winner of Top Chef: All-Stars. He is the owner of restaurants like...

12. Leah Chase (1923)

American Chef

American chef and writer, known as the Queen of Creole Cuisine, who owned the classic New Orleans restaurant Dooky Chase. She is also the author of The Dooky Chase Cookbook, And...

13. Buddy Valastro (1977)

American Chef

American baker and reality star of the TLC series Cake Boss and the spin-off show Kitchen Boss. 

14. Lidia Bastianich (1947)

American Chef

Award-winning Italian-born chef, restaurateur and host of the PBS cooking show Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen.

15. Marcus Samuelsson (1970)

American Chef

Ethiopian-born chef who received the James Beard Award and appeared on Chopped and Top Chef Masters, as well as Iron Chef America. In 2020, he signed on as a...

16. Tyler Florence (1971)

American Chef

Chef and host of several Food Network shows, including The Great Food Truck Race and Food 911.

17. David Chang (1977)

American Chef

Famous as a chef of New American cuisine, Chang founded the Momofuku restaurant group and opened Michelin star-rated restaurants in New York, U.S.A.; Sydney, Australia; and Toronto, Canada. He is...

18. Chris Santos (1971)

American Chef

American chef who rose to fame as a judge on the Food Network reality series Chopped.

19. Paul Prudhomme (1940)

American Chef

Chef and restaurateur who established K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen, a New Orleans Cajun-cuisine restaurant.

20. Nick Stellino (1958)

American Chef

Famous for his Seattle-based PBS cooking shows Nick Stellino's Family Kitchen and Cucina Amore, this Italian-born chef is also notable for his cookbooks, which include Nick Stellino's Glorious Italian Cooking...

21. Tim Love (1971)

American Chef

Urban Western cuisine specialist and chef, he is known for his countless appearances on NBC, the Food Network, and various print publications. He is the owner of a host of...

22. Wolfgang Puck (1949)

American Chef

Austrian chef who became a celebrity favorite at Hollywood's famed restaurant Spago. His film and television credits include Wolfgang Puck's Cooking Class, The Smurfs, and Food Fight.

23. Chloe Coscarelli (1987)

American Chef

American chef who rose to fame as the first vegan chef to win a televised cooking competition. She is also recognized for having been named to Forbes' 30 Under 30...

24. Mollie Katzen (1950)

American Chef

Chef, illustrator and bestselling author who published the Moosewood Cookbook, which features vegetarian dishes.

25. Thomas Keller (1955)

American Chef

Head chef of the renowned Napa Valley restaurant The French Laundry who was named the Bes Chef of California in 1996. The James Beard Foundation named him the Best Chef in America...

26. Christina Machamer (1982)

American Chef

Chef who was crowned the winner of the fourth season of the Fox cooking competition Hell's Kitchen. Despite being nominated for elimination five times, she set a Hell's Kitchen record by...

27. Emeril Lagasse (1959)

American Chef

Energetic cable television chef from Essence of Emeril whose recipes brought excitement to many an American kitchen.

28. Geoffrey Zakarian (1959)

American Chef

American chef and television personality best known for his appearances on the Food Network productions Chopped, The Next Iron Chef, and Iron Chef America.

29. Scott Conant (1971)

American Chef

Known for his three-star New York restaurants Scarpetta NY and L'Impero, this world-class chef and Italian cuisine expert also operated a four-star Miami branch of Scarpetta. He appears as a...

30. David Bouley (1953)

American Chef

Acclaimed chef and restaurateur who established the high-end restaurants Bouley and Brushstroke in Manhattan.

31. Stefan Richter (1972)

American Chef

Southern California-based chef who competed in Bravo's television culinary competition, Top Chef. He is also known for his restaurants in Santa Monica, Tampere, Turku, and Helsinki.

32. Matthew Kenney (1964)

American Chef

American celebrity chef and entrepreneur who is widely recognized for having founded the integrated lifestyle company Plantlab. He also opened the Matthew Kenney Culinary Academy in 2009. 

33. Michael Symon (1969)

American Chef

Chef best known for appearing as a commentator on the cooking show The Chew. He also appeared regularly on Iron Chef America and The Chew. He has several successful restaurants...

34. Tom Colicchio (1962)

American Chef

Accomplished chef who has been awarded multiple James Beard Foundation medals and had several cook books published. He served as a regular judge on Top Chef.

35. Carla Hall (1964)

American Chef

American chef and reality TV personality who became a finalist on Bravo's Top Chef competition. She also appeared on Top Chef: All-Stars.

36. Grant Achatz (1974)

American Chef

A leader in molecular gastronomy, he is a chef and restauranteur most well-known for his award-winning Chicago restaurant Alinea. He has also published a number of books including the Alinea...

37. Rick Bayless (1953)

American Chef

American chef and host of the PBS show Mexico: One Plate at a Time.

38. Jamie Deen (1967)

American Chef

Son of celebrity chef Paula Deen and co-founder of the Savannah restaurant, The Lady & Sons, who has appeared on The Next Iron Chef and Heat Seekers.

39. Bobby Deen (1970)

American Chef

Restaurant owner and television personality whose cooking show Not My Mama's Meals debuted in 2012.

40. Anne Burrell (1969)

American Chef

Chef and television personality who was featured on The Best Thing I Ever Ate and Secrets of a Restaurant Chef. She has been nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for...

41. Cat Cora (1967)

American Chef

Culinary expert who competed on Iron Chef America and served as co-host of Bravo's Around the World in 80 Plates. In 2013, she appeared as a guest chef of Eastbound...

42. Estella Payton (1904)

American Chef

Estella Payton sometimes Estelle Payton was a co-star on the Woman's World cooking show that aired on WKRG-TV in Mobile Alabama for decades. Payton an African American woman appeared with...

43. L. Timothy Ryan (1958)

American Chef

L. Timothy Ryan EdD CMC AAC is a Certified Master Chef and the current president of The Culinary Institute of America. A 1977 graduate of the CIA Ryan joined the...

44. Sharon Tyler Herbst (1942)

American Chef

Sharon K. Herbst was an American cookbook and culinary books author. Born as Sharon Tyler in Chicago she was raised in Denver Colorado. She may have been best known for...

45. Kevin Gillespie (chef) (1982)

American Chef

Kevin Gillespie is an American chef author and former Top Chef contestant. He is a former co-owner and executive chef at Woodfire Grill in Atlanta. He opened Gunshow his new...

46. Travis London (1988)

American Chef

Travis London is an American celebrity chef television host writer and event planner. He was born in Los Angeles and is of both Mexican and African American descent.

47. Tom Mylan (1976)

American Chef

Tom Mylan is an American butcher specializing in local sustainably raised meat. He is the executive butcher and co-owner of The Meat Hook a butcher shop in Williamsburg Brooklyn where...

48. Kelly Liken (1976)

American Chef

Kelly Liken is an American chef and restaurant owner. She has appeared as a contestant on the television shows Top Chef and Iron Chef America.

49. Paul Liebrandt (1976)

American Chef

Paul Liebrandt is the chef and co-owner of Corton restaurant in New York and the subject of the documentary film A Matter of Taste: Serving Up Paul Liebrandt. Liebrandt is...

50. Alfred Portale (1954)

American Chef

Alfred Portale is an American chef author and restaurateur known as a pioneer in the New American cuisine movement.