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Behind the fame of the celebrity chefs we love, there is a lot of hard work, passion, entrepreneurial spirit, and smart business decisions. As a result, their names became a powerful and lucrative brand. Most of them have an empire with licensed products, cooking books, and restaurant chains.
They all invest their money in high-quality products and are always learning. Those chefs are also natural leaders who can motivate and choose outstanding people to work for them. Some of the rules they followed to become successful can be followed by anyone, even if they work in a completely different area. Here are 10 rules that celebrity chefs follow to become successful.
Jamie Oliver - Overcome Adversities
Jamie Oliver is one of the wealthiest chefs in the world and has a net worth evaluated at $300 million. When he started on television, his vibrant personality and youthful looks changed the idea of celebrity chefs forever. It didn't take long until he created an empire with cookbooks, products, and restaurants.
Oliver says that his success was not just because he loved to cook, but because he had to work harder than others due to his dyslexia. It gave him a different perspective of the world.
Nigella Lawson - Just be yourself
Nigella Lawson became a household name 20 years ago when she released the cookbook How to Eat. Since then, Lawson has built a stable career as a TV star. Although she refuses to use the title of chef, she is one of the most famous chefs on television.
Lawson had no intention to achieve fame. Perhaps that's why she kept being herself, and she believes she is the opposite of the untouchable beauty queen. And just being herself was enough to make her adored by millions of people around the globe.
Gordon Ramsay - Be a perfectionist
Gordon Ramsay is a famous chef and has 35 restaurants around the world. He became a household name thanks to reality TV shows, where the public can see his strong personality. He has a net worth estimated at $22 million.
Ramsey has achieved a lot, and several things have led to his success. But perhaps the first step is his dedication always to deliver a perfect dish and understand that it is mandatory to be part of his team.
Rachael Ray - work harder Than anyone
Rachel Ray is always busy. She's a celebrity chef, a bestselling author, and also has launched a magazine. Ray also found time to release a non-profit organization. The multiple endeavors helped her to build a $80 million empire.
Ray learned one of the things that would bring her success from her mother when she was young. The TV star revealed in an interview that her mother taught her to work harder than anyone, never complain about it, and never go to bed before she is happy with what she is making.
Guy Fieri - Have A Mentor
Guy Fieri saw his life change when he won the Next Food Network Star in 2006. He already had a restaurant, but the reality TV show gave him a new status, and he got his own show, Guy's Big Bite. Fieri believes that his success is thanks to more experienced people who helped him at the beginning. Having a mentor is always helpful in any career.
Fieri has a special admiration for Rachel Ray, and he says she gave him the best advice. Ray told him to keep on doing his work in front of the camera no matter what was going on. For example, if a light goes off, or if the mic goes mute, just keep going.
Giada De Laurentiis - You are your best secret weapon
Giada De Laurentiis became famous thanks to the show Everyday Italian. The celebrity chef revealed that she struggled at the beginning. Many people at work didn't trust her because of her size and because she was a woman.
That was when she got the best advice of her career: "You are your best secret weapon." She used her image to make Italian cuisine look easy, and she has become a powerful brand.
Tyler Florence - hire the right people
Tyler Florence already had a solid career as a chef when he joined the Food Network team. Since then, we have seen him on several TV shows like Tyler's Ultimate, The Great Food Truck Race, Food 911, and Food Court Wars. Florence is also a bestselling author.
Florence recognizes that the key to the success of a business is knowing how to hire the right people. He not only found individuals with potential but who can do the job with perfection. Hire someone who meets your team's standards and you'll find success.
Emeril Lagasse - be ready to make sacrifices
Emeril Lagasse became a celebrity thanks to tv shows like Essence of Emeril and Emeril Live. He always loved cooking, and his first job was in a Portuguese bakery in his hometown. He studied at Johnson and Wales University and also traveled to France to study gastronomy.
When Lagasse became a chef, he was aware of who had to make some sacrifices. The most difficult of them was to be busy on special dates and holidays since it that's when the restaurant is the most active. That means that he doesn't have the chance to spend New Year's Eve or Mother's Day day away from work.
Bobby Flay - Stay passionate
Bobby Flay became a household name thanks to his multiple shows on the Food Network. Flay is a TV personality, but he is also an entrepreneur and has many restaurants in the US. His latest endeavor is a seafood restaurant at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. He doesn't seem to have plans to slow down, and the secret for his success is the passion he feels for what he does.
During an interview with Good Morning America, Flay said that his plans are what makes him excited about waking up in the morning. He loves the idea of starting a new restaurant from scratch, thinking about the concept, creating dishes and training the staff.
Julia Child - It's never too late to start something new
Julia Child is one of the most iconic TV chefs of all time. Her career also shows that you can start a new career at any point in your life. Child started cooking when she was 36, and she published her first book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, when she was 49. The book was a turning point in her life, and her career took off.
Child became a TV star when she was 50 years old, and she was on TV for nearly three decades. It's proof that it's never too late to start something new.