Celebrity Chefs from 2005 Forbes Celebrity 100

By JULIETTE ROSSANT Only three chefs made the grade for the 2005 "Celebrity 100" issue in Forbes this week -- which is odd, because by my count the number of super chefs is rising, not falling -- as is their income. Just take a peek down the left-hand column of superchefblog, and you will find more than 20 super chefs listed, in addition to the six I profiled for Super Chef. It was nice to see Charlie Palmer back on the list, after a hiatus of some five years (see "Chefs du Buck"). Of course, having read (or, in my case, having written) Charlie's chapter in Super Chef, one would have known all about Oliver Grace, about Charlie's careful expansion -- and, more importantly, Charlie's level head. Frankly, I expected him back in the Celebrity Chefs column earlier, particularly after his deal with the Stirling Club in Las Vegas, a catering venue much like his Astra turfs in New York and Los Angeles -- but this one right across the street from the Las Vegas convention center. Talking about hitting the jackpot! Emeril Lagasse and Wolfgang Puck remain firmly on the list, unchanged since I first started tracking Celebrity Chefs for Forbes back in 1999 (see "Dough Boys"). Emeril's news seemed off a bit: his NBC sit-com flopped in 2003 while his buddy B&G Food's IPO went unmentioned (some benefit from celebrity branding!). Otherwise, one could hardly miss the king of Corn Dog Cuisine either on television, in the bookstore, or in the daily lexicon of gaaahhhlic-bamming Americans. I do have some question about the continued presence of Wolfgang Puck on the list -- not because he is making less money (by my estimation, he is making more) but because at some point his divorce from business partner Barbara Lazaroff has to be reflected in his own net income. Granted, while they were married (which is when I was writing Celebrity Chefs for Forbes), I never asked them whether they shared bank accounts: I assumed that they did, so I expect them to have to formally split their income. Perhaps they have not reached a final settlement, but that should receive at least a half-sentence in Wolf's write-up. Nevertheless, I expect Wolf to stay on the list, sans Barbara -- just not so high up. Otherwise, there was far too little news about any of them, and so I offer these automated searches on each from superchefblog for your further reading pleasure: Wolfgang Puck Emeril Lagasse Charlie Palmer Previous articles: Latest Forbes Celebrity Chefs column Technorati Tags: chefs food restaurants cooking branding --> back to superchefblog