10. Bethenny Frankel
Bethenny has taken a path to celebrity that’s a little different than the other women on this list. No Culinary Institute graduate, nor even an executive chef, Behenny started out as a businesswoman who became somewhat of an accidental star when she was a finalist on the The Apprentice. She’s now featured on The Real Housewives of New York City and runs a bakery that delivers wheat-free, vegan baked goods to Hollywood stars. Blech — no wonder she looks so darn good!
9. Ingrid Hoffmann
Bilingual and bi-cultural, Ingrid hosts two cooking shows — Simply Delicioso in English on The Food Network and Delicioso in Spanish on Galavision. She’s also a successful restauranteur and cookbook author. Not to mention a gorgeous Latin American beauty.
8. Nigella Lawson
Why is Nigella such a huge star? She’s not THAT hot and her cooking skills are suspect next to some of the others on this list. What’s that, you say? She’s flirtatious, smart and a shrewd businesswoman. Okay, okay, you’ve convinced me!
7. Aida Mollenkamp
Aida’s a relative newbie to the Celebrity Chef scene. Sure, she’s worked as a journalist at Chow.com for a few years and in California Pizza Kitchen’s test kitchen. But surely nothing has prepared her for the overwhelming adoration she’s received since Ask Aida began airing on The Food Network earlier this year. Looks like she’s holding up just fine. Bonus points for wielding a chef’s knife while not looking.
6. Cat Cora
Nobody can question Cat Cora’s cooking credentials. Culinary Institute of America graduate, one of five Iron Chefs, and executive Chef for Bon Appetit magazine, Cat is the real deal. She’s also written two successful cookbooks and is working on a new TV series. Oh, and did I mention that she’s gorgeous?
5. Sara La Fountain
Sara is half-American, half-Finnish, and totally gorgeous. She’s a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, one of the world’s most renowned culinary schools, and has hosted two TV cooking shows — Perfect Day and Avec Sara. She’s also won the Gourmand World Cookbook Award for her first cookbook. Now if she would just teach me to speak Finnish, I’d move her to the top of this list.
4. Cindy Sargon
Many thanks to the reader who pointed me in Cindy’s direction. She’s certainly not well known in my country, but I’ll bet the Aussies would have a fit if they thought she didn’t make this list. Who am I to cause an international incident?
3. Catherine McCord
Wait a second… She was a Victoria’s Secret model and then she went to cooking school?! Well that pretty much moves her into the top five automatically.
2. Giada De Laurentiis
Like Pelé and Madonna, Giada needs no surname. Host of no fewer than five Food Network show including her signature Everyday Italian, she is fast on her way to becoming a culinary superstar. She’s studied at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris and has worked in Wolfgang Puck-run Spago in L.A, so she’s no lightweight in the kitchen. She’s also got show business in her genes and the looks to match, so don’t be surprised if Giada moves from “Celebrity Chef” to simply “Celebrity Giada”.
