Top 10 Best Chefs of All Time

The Top Ten
1 Gordon Ramsay Gordon James Ramsay is a Scottish-born British chef, restaurateur, and television personality. He is famous for being the host of shows like Hell's Kitchen, Kitchen Nightmares, and Hotel Hell. He tends to have a fiery personality on television.

This man owns 16 Michelin stars, the second most Michelin stars ever achieved, followed by Joel Robuchon. He has precise, perfect recipes. He is so great, but however, he is always modest compared to his pride and achievements, and he's still reaching for perfection, searching for magic in food. Yes, he swears, he gets angry a lot, but this guy does this because he wants young chefs to know, and he "doesn't like what he doesn't like," which is absolutely convincing. This man is absolutely fantastic, the master of food. He is amazing. He mastered dozens of cuisines, and he makes them perfect. 16 Michelin stars aren't random, nor common. It takes years and years of work.

Gordon Behind Bars was the season of inspiration to me. From kitchen to business, this man is a genius, and he does wonders, things that the norm would not be doing since it was never committed to. The special episodes of Kitchen Nightmares like "Mike the Microwave" simply got me hooked on his passion for real cooking. It's never just to do things for food with this guy. It's for business, passion, and family. He is Gordon J. Ramsay.

2 Jamie Oliver

Jamie Oliver is the best chef for anyone who cooks, and for those who want to learn to cook. He's such an inspiration, unlike Gordon Ramsay who treats people like dirt. I've dined at Jamie's restaurants, and the food was delicious. Furthermore, he's a very caring person who's helped and given jobs to many kids from disadvantaged backgrounds, some of whom are now chefs around the world.

He has so much enthusiasm about everything he does, and his TV shows are a joy, not to mention his cookbooks, which are fantastic. I also love the cooking tips he very generously gives. I cannot praise Jamie enough - he's by far the best in the culinary business.

Wow, there are some great chefs on here! Can't deny that Julia Child and Wolfgang Puck pioneered the food-watching movement. Kudos. Emeril Lagasse gave us excitement in watching, as did Anthony Bourdain with his travels for food. Bobby Flay may be brash, but look how long he's been in the public eye because of his great cooking. Alton Brown gives us science in cooking in such a fun way. Don't dump on Gordon too much because I hear he's not the person those crappy TV shows he was on in the beginning portrayed him to be. He's a product of the moment, but he's good. But I think the first person who really grabbed me in watching these shows as he prepared dinners with his friends who would also help out with the meal... and was so cool about it... the number one is Jamie Oliver.

3 Bobby Flay

He has his own recipe for everything, and there was even a TV show of people trying to beat him with the one dish they spent their whole life on.

The best. I used to watch him on Worst Cook in America. If you're looking at this Bobby Flay, I just want to ask you... do you remember Carla?

Amazing competitive chef. Thinks quickly on his feet and puts out amazing dishes.

4 Julia Child Julia Carolyn Child was an American chef, author and television personality. She is recognized for bringing French cuisine to the American public with her debut cookbook.

How is Julia Child down here when she considered one of the greatest chefs of all time?

Worked a party with her and many other chefs. She is a Chef and knows her stuff.

5 Paul Bocuse

The Paul Bocuse Institute is recognized as the top in terms of school of cuisine. It trains hundreds of future chefs from all over the world.

Paul Bocuse, or the nouvelle cuisine creator. The Bocuse d'Or is regarded as the most prestigious award for chefs in the world.

I love Anthony Bourdain, but him and Jamie Oliver on the same list as Paul Bocuse and Escoffier is kind of a joke.

6 Anthony Bourdain

A famous chef of the Brasserie Les Halles, a French brasserie-style restaurant in NYC. He reflected that his love of food was kindled in France, when he was young and tried oyster for the first time, and that on one of this famous oyster fisherman's boat, during vacation in the fabulous country named France.

I travel and taste the world through Chef Anthony's eyes.

Chef Bourdain, you're definitely in my top five.

7 Wolfgang Puck

He's so famous, guys. He's the first chef to become so famous that he became a celebrity.

Remember Spago's?

And he did so many charities, including AIDS charity during the time when AIDS was the most dreaded disease!

Should be right up there next to Gordon Ramsay!

He's clearly the best chef ever!

8 Marco Pierre White

I voted Marco #1. He rocks, but this list is really a who's the most famous chef list. Gordon worked under him, so he absolutely had influence on him. I hate that Gordon never cooks competitively so as to not tarnish his name. But I'd put Gordon around #5.

He is the artist of food, godfather of modern cooking, philosopher, who was the youngest chef to achieve 3 Michelin stars, then threw them away. Amazing. He trained Ramsay, Heston, Curtis, etc. Ramsay is also amazing but he is second to Marco.

You know people who vote on this list don't cook when you see Marco Pierre White, Gordon Ramsay's teacher, down at 9. Also, Michel Roux, who taught Marco and Gordon, down at 46 just shows that this list is just ludicrous.

9 Auguste Escoffier

One of the greatest chefs that ever lived. He did so much to shape the way we eat and appreciate today. I do not believe that he is listed below the poor excuses for chefs as listed above.

Without a doubt, everyone on this list would be nowhere without Escoffier. He created modern French cooking. By far #1. Personalities on TV don't stand a chance against this man.

The founder of modern culinary arts. Without him, this would be a short list.

10 Emeril Lagasse

Always a very flavorful dish and experience.

The Contenders
11 Jacques Pepin

He was the chef for Charles de Gaulle and two other French Heads of State. He is also the writer of "La Technique," the most popular French Cuisine Textbook. Nobody comes close to his knowledge and technique.

Pepin has no peer in technique and food knowledge. He just keeps getting better.

No other chef has done more for food in the USA than him. He deserves a Kennedy Center recognition.

Sad that this culinary genius is #13. Most ahead of him here may not be anywhere near his talent or knowledge.

12 Heston Blumenthal

As I read on Wiki, he is entirely self-taught. What I saw on telly, he is totally modest, without unnecessary, show-producer-demanding, stupid, temper outbursts (as we see in many other cooking shows) and unpretentiously funny, or actually... He is having fun. He is all about food and imagination. He is playing and experimenting with food to create new food. All the others just... cook.

When it comes to creativity and understanding cooking outside of traditional methods, the only person who can move forward is Heston. He is amazing and no one can do it the way he does! Complete genius.

He is simply the best. Never seen a chef with so much imagination. Just watch his programmes. Need I say anymore?

13 Sanjeev Kapoor

Sanjeev Kapoor is also known as the king chef of Indian cuisine. Other than Indian food, he is also an expert in fusing other cuisines with Indian cuisines. He is simply the best, as he shares his all cooking tips and tricks with the viewers, which are incredible.

He is one of the greatest chefs in India, who be probably the best chef in the world.

The best chef to bring Indian cuisine into the modern cuisine. Exceptionally the best chef.

14 Todd English
15 Rachael Ray

Racheal Ray is really awesome and amazing , Racheal makes delicious meals and my mom has her cookbooks all over the house and me and my mom love her very much and Racheal Ray is really beautiful .

She's just the best

She is so awesome!

16 Alain Ducasse

He is the first chef to have three restaurants with three Michelin stars each. He has earned 21 total Michelin stars. This legend is way too low here.

17 Alton Brown

A fantastic popularizer. Has a way of breaking down the science and making it understandable.

He uses science and chemistry to make food better. EOS.

18 Rocco DiSpirito
19 Nigella Lawson

I think Nigella Lawson is a great cook and I think she is the best. I want to be a chef just like you, Alex!

20 Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

Top forager, he knows what you can eat from the forest, seaside, country lanes. Whether berries, roadkill, snails, seaweed, he can make an appetising meal out of anything he finds, and he doesn't waste anything. I think he's gone a bit healthy eating now, but his recipes are still good and always work.

21 Sophie Dahl
22 Ferran Adria

One word: "innovation." His restaurant "El Bulli" is probably the best restaurant in history. I've been to a few which are said to be better but nothing like "El Bulli" and Ferran Adria. Unique experience and unique chef!

He is the best chef around the world. If you have sometime the chance to eat his food, you can be the luckiest person in the world.

Most influential chef ever, he's like Jordan in basketball or like Einstein in science.

23 Thomas Keller

Opinion not needed! He is the best. That's it, that's all!

24 Ming Tsai
25 Curtis Stone
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