Who Is Richer: Bobby Flay Or Giada De Laurentiis?
Bobby Flay and Giada De Laurentiis are both celebrity chefs and entrepreneurs who have amassed fortunes through their culinary talent. Both chefs are restaurant owners, television personalities, cookbook authors, and have numerous licensing deals attached to their names. The two have been friends for over two decades, with rumors that they have been romantically linked to each other popping up over the years (via Distractify). Flay and De Laurentiis have even had similar paths in their careers and lives, with their families playing key roles in their love for cooking.
According to Food Network, Flay started his culinary career at the age of 17, working as a cook at Joe Allen's, a restaurant in New York City's theater district known for attracting Broadway stars. His father was a partner at the restaurant and helped him get his break. Flay proved himself to restaurateur Joe Allen, who ended up paying Flay's tuition to the French Culinary Institute after seeing the young man's potential.
Giada De Laurentiis was born in Rome to Hollywood royalty (via Food Network). Her grandfather, Dino De Laurentiis was a famous film producer who also owned a restaurant, DDL Foodshow. De Laurentiis found herself in the kitchen often and, after graduating from the University of California with an anthropology degree, decided to train at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris for a culinary career instead.
While the two cooking stars have built impressive careers for themselves, only one can have a higher net worth.
Giada De Laurentiis' wealth
Giada De Laurentiis attracted the attention of Food Network after graduating from culinary school, and the network offered the young chef her own show (via Food Network). "Everyday Italian" premiered in 2003 and De Laurentiis' career started to blossom. The chef was offered other shows on Food Network and she went on to author several cookbooks, including "Everyday Italian," "Everyday Pasta," and "Giada at Home."
The chef opened her first restaurant, Giada at the Cromwell Hotel, on the Las Vegas Strip (via giadadelaurnetiis.com). The eatery offers Italian food influenced by De Laurentiis' time in California. Pronto by Giada, located in Ceasars Palace in Las Vegas, opened in 2018, and a third restaurant, GDL by Giada, opened at the Horseshoe Casino in Baltimore, Maryland but has since closed. De Laurentiis has also lent her name to a variety of cookware and has a line of adventure books for children.
The chef's hard work has paid off, with Celebrity Net Worth estimating her net worth at $30 million.
Bobby Flay's fortune
After graduating from culinary school in 1984, Bobby Flay worked with some of the best chefs of the time, including Jonathan Waxman and Wolfgang Puck, according to Food Network. While working at Miracle Grill in New York City, restaurateur Jerome Kretchmer offered him the opportunity to open a restaurant. The 25-year-old chef opened Mesa Grill in 1991, followed by several other eateries, including the fast-casual Bobby's Burger Palace.
Flay's first Food Network show premiered in 1996, followed by many others. The celebrity chef is best known for "Beat Bobby Flay," where he invites other chefs to see if they can outcook him. He is also the first chef to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (via People). The chef has authored several cookbooks and has a line of cookware sold at Williams Sonoma (via William Sonoma). Flay even made Wealthy Gorilla's list of the 20 riches chefs, coming in at number nine with a net worth of $60 million.
This means that between the two friends, Flay beats out De Laurentiis in the bankroll department. Next time the buddies go out for a meal, it's Bobby's turn to treat.