HAUTE CUISINE HAS BECOME AN ART BUT RESTAURANTS REMAIN BUSINESSES. THERE ARE MANY FAMOUS FACES FROM TV ON THE "TOP 21" RANKING OF THE RICHEST CHEFS IN THE WORLD

Haute cuisine has become an art, while restaurants remain primarily a business, and have a less direct relationship with restaurant guides and various prizes than with media exposure, television broadcasting and other "side effects".
The trio on the podium of the world's richest chefs boasts many more millions in revenue than Michelin stars. In first place the Japanese Alan Wong, who with his chain of restaurants alone is worth more than 1.1 billion dollars. This is a huge figure, which greatly distances the more famous Jamie Oliver in second place, who is a familiar face on TV and in bookstores. He has an exaggerated love for Italian cuisine and he has made it the star of most of his restaurants, which over the years have earned 235 million dollars. Third place on the podium goes to the real star of the small screen, Gordon Ramsey, the Scottish Chef, American by adoption, who brought haute cuisine to reality TV. His are the epoch marking programs like "Hell's Kitchen " and "Kitchen nightmare" without ever losing sight of his starry galaxy, with assets of no less than 118 million dollars.

Scrolling down the rankings of this particular "Top 21" compiled by the Irish catering and kitchen equipment company Shsonline, we find other names in the restaurant business, especially on the small screen, like the Austrian chef Wolfgang Puck, the American celebrity chef Rachel Ray, Emeril Lagasse (restaurateur and face on the small screen in the US), Ina Garten (between books and television has earned she has earned 44 million dollars). Also Paula Deen, with her books, TV appearances and a handful of restaurants, just like Mario Batali. First among the great French chefs, Alain Ducasse at position number 10, with assets amounting to 12 million dollars, thanks to a galaxy of stars received over the years. Other well-known names in the world of haute cuisine are the Japanese Nobu Matsuhisa (position number 12, at 10 million dollars) and Anthony Bourdain (number 15 at 6 million dollars), and holding the Italian flag high is Lidia Bastianich (mother of the famous Joe), born in Istria, which was then part of Italy, who has been able to build small empire in the United States worth 3.75 million dollars.