We live in a world dominated by the celebrity chef. No longer are cooking chops alone enough to see you simmer to the top.
Indeed, it’s all the glossy cookbooks, TV appearances and well-stocked Instagram feeds that ensure everyone knows the names Ina Garten, Rachael Ray, Guy Fieri and Gordon Ramsay.
It’s surely why so many stars not previously known for their culinary prowess are now taking a turn in the kitchen.
Meghan Markle is the latest A-lister to thrust her fork into the proverbial fire, launching her Netflix lifestyle and cooking series ‘With Love, Meghan’ earlier this year.
But are Americans really buying what these stars are selling? Or are viewers growing weary of the constant parade of newfound ‘celebrity cooks’?
Today, DailyMail+ unveils its inaugural Power List of celebrity chefs, giving you the definitive ranking of the most influential figures in the cooking industry.
Based on exclusive polling, our Power List captures public sentiment around likeability, trustworthiness, perceived bias, and knowledge.
Essentially, it tells you who Americans like and trust… and who they don’t.
And the verdict is clear: some chefs are adored. Others are despised. And for Meghan Markle… the results are a recipe for disaster.
The first DailyMail+ Power List gives you the definitive ranking of the top celebrity chefs
Between her 13 cook books and her booming Food Network show Barefoot Contessa, Garten, 77, has long cemented herself as one of the most influential chefs in the industry.
While her skills in the kitchen certainly contributed to her success, it was her fierce determination and her warm, genuine, and approachable personality that really captured her millions of fans’ hearts.
So it comes as no surprise that she topped the inaugural DailyMail+ Power List ranking, scoring the highest possible number for likeability: a 10.
Garten started her career working as the White House budget analyst, but in 1978, she left her government job and purchased a food store in New York called Barefoot Contessa.
For more than two decades, Ina grew Barefoot Contessa into a booming business, before releasing her first cookbook in 1999.
It was a rousing success and launched her into mega stardom within the culinary world.
She then began making frequent appearances on Martha Stewart’s show before landing her own Food Network program in 2002, also called Barefoot Contessa.
Since then, Ina has released 13 cookbooks and embarked on a slew of other business endeavors; her show went on for 29 seasons before coming to an end in 2021.
On the other end of the spectrum, the Duchess of Sussex, 44, came in dead last.
See the full Power List chef rankings in our interactive tool
Markle attempted to enter the cooking world with the release of her Netflix show With Love, Meghan, earlier this year.
The series showed her and her celebrity pals ‘rolling up their sleeves in the kitchen, garden, and beyond.’
She has also dropped her own line of products including jams, cookie mixes, and honeys.
But the public seems to be unimpressed, as the Daily Mail’s inaugural Power Ranking shows she is viewed as the least credible and entertaining of all celebrity cooks, despite a second season of With Love, Meghan set to air August 26.
She may have wooed her husband Prince Harry, and entertained her Suits co-stars with her dishes, but it seems few outside her circle find her cooking appetizing.
The 44-year-old mother-of-two placed bottom in every category, ranking last in likeability and knowledgeability as well as how biased and truthful she is.
She’s the celebrity chef that 1,000 people polled for our survey would least like to spend time with, and she’s viewed as the least fun.
While the other eight chefs and TV cooks in our list are viewed fairly evenly by different demographics, Markle sparks, perhaps unsurprisingly, a strong reaction.
Women are much more likely to find her unlikable than men, and older people have the strongest distaste for her cooking.
Somewhat unsurprisingly, Republicans are dramatically more opposed to her than Democrats.
Ramsay, the Scottish culinary titan, is seen as the most knowledgeable and truthful of all nine celebrity chefs.
With 17 Michelin stars to his name and over 94 restaurants worldwide, none of the others even come close.
His abrasive on-screen persona does little to dampen his overall appeal: Ramsay is widely seen as capable and likeable.
Click below to see how celebrity chefs ranked in each category
Martha Stewart, the 83-year-old doyenne of the kitchen, comes second to Ramsay in terms of knowledgeability.
Older people put her above Ramsey, but the Kitchen Nightmares host is viewed more favorably by under 65s.
Ray who, like Garten, prides herself in her approachable, accessible meals, and it has won her fans across the board – as she came in second overall just behind Garten.
The low-key and unpretentious 56-year-old New Yorker is also seen by Americans as the cook you’d most want to spend time with.
‘I’m not a chef,’ she said, speaking to ABC News several years ago. ‘I haven’t created any new technique in the kitchen.
‘I’m not a rocket scientist. I think I’m good at writing accessible, fun, and affordable meals for the average American family. That’s what I think I’m good at.’
Meghan Markle was ranked last in the DailyMail+ Power List of celebrity chefs ahead of the release of the second season of With Love, Meghan, on Netflix
Her on-screen rival Fieri – the pair starred in three seasons of Food Network’s Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off – beats her to the top of the chart as the most fun.
His show, Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, has become an institution, and the peroxide-blonde showman with the tattoos and leather jackets knows how to work a crowd.
His on-stage cooking extravaganzas sell out venues across the country, and he’s become such a cultural icon that people dress like him for Halloween.
The self-proclaimed ‘Mayor of Flavortown’ is unapologetic.
‘I’ve never been a half-full person,’ he told a podcast in March. ‘I’m very optimistic. I like to look at the positive sides of things.
Ina Garten finished top overall in the Power List, cementing her status as one of the most influential and beloved celebrity chefs in the nation
Rachael Ray followed Garten in second place
‘When people say, ‘How do you handle criticism?’ Sometimes people’s motives to give criticism aren’t genuine, so I’d look at who’s it coming from.
‘Do I have feelings? Absolutely. Do I get my feelings hurt? Yeah, without question. Do I have trepidations? Yeah, yeah. But it doesn’t rule me. I have to be the commander of my ship.’
Bobby Flay and Wolfgang Puck made up the middle spots, while Chopped judge Scott Conant came in second to last just above Markle in every category except for neutrality.
Last month, DailyMail+ launched the Power List by revealing the best-loved (and most loathed) morning-show hosts, news media stars, and late-night hosts.
We also ranked the sports analysts who divide the opinion of millions of fans across the country and revealed the nation’s most beloved NFL quarterback.
Our standings revealed who holds the most influence in Trump’s inner circle and painted a bleak picture of the future of the Democratic Party.
In the weeks ahead, we’ll bring you our power list rankings for more figures in the world of media, US politics, fashion and sport.
