We all know that the likes of Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver are very wealthy chefs – but some might be surprised to know neither are the world’s richest.
Instead that title reportedly belongs to Alan Wong, who is known for highlighting Hawaiian foods and cuisine but you won’t catch him with a show on Food Network.
Wong’s culinary excellence and business acumen earned him a spot as the richest celebrity chef in the world – and according to Celebrity Net Worth, his net worth in 2022 is nearly £1.19 billion.
He is one of President Barack Obama’s favorite chefs and was invited to cook for the annual White House Congressional Picnic in 2009.
In 2015, Chef Wong and his two Honolulu restaurants were inducted into the Hawaii Restaurant Association’s Hall of Fame.
As he revealed in an appearance on Beyond the Lines, Wong was born in Tokyo, Japan and moved to Hawaii at age five.
He developed a passion for cooking while working on a pineapple plantation as a teen. And he then went on to study culinary arts at Kapi’olani Community College.
According to his website, Wong started his career with an apprenticeship at The Greenbrier Hotel and then moved to New York, where he began working under his mentor, Chef Andre Soltner, in Manhattan’s famous French restaurant, Lutece.
Wong then moved back to Hawaii, where he opened his first restaurant, The Canoe, at Mauna Lani Bay Hotel and Bungalows.
In 1991, Wong and a group of fellow Hawaiian chefs founded Hawaiian Regional Cuisine — an organisation dedicated to promoting Hawaiian flavors, products and cuisine.
His next restaurant, Alan Wong’s, opened in 1995 and was recognised as one of the best in the country by the James Beard Foundation, Gourmet Magazine, Nation’s Restaurant News Magazine, Food and Wine and the Ilima Awards.
Along with his restaurant, Wong has received several accolades over the years, including the James Beard Award for Best Chef, Pacific Northwest in 1996 and a Wedgewood Awards nomination for World Master of Culinary Arts in 2001.
In 2013, Wong was inducted into the American Academy of Chef’s Hall of Fame.
Much of Wong’s wealth comes from his restaurants – which have closed in recent years due to the pandemic – and his stake in Hawaiian Regional Cuisine.