Where Your Favorite Celebrity Chefs Live
A celebrity chef is someone employed by celebrities who cooks for them. In popular culture, these chefs are commonly culinary experts who create unique brands and become celebrities in their own right. Some of these chefs have television shows, books, and franchised restaurants on a global scale attached to their brands.
The power of celebrity chefs can be a bit of a mystery. Many people visit and eat at celebrity chef restaurants. However, the actual celebrity culinary expert they have grown to love and adore is not the one in the kitchen executing their meals (via Hospitality Insights). People continue to patronize these hotspots because the brand is synonymous with the chef. Behind the glitz and the glam, restaurants, TV shows, and brand endorsements, have you ever wondered where your favorite culinary superstars live? If the answer is yes, keep reading for a peek at these fabulous celebrity homes.
Gino D'Acampo lives in a Hertfordshire mansion
Gino D'Acampo is an Italian celebrity chef who did not have the best start in the entertainment world. According to Metro, D'Acampo was an ambitious youth who moved from Naples, Italy, to the UK in 1995. Just three years after setting foot into the country, he served two years in prison for breaking into Paul Young's home. D'Acampo regretted this mistake for the rest of his life and said, "I didn't use my best judgment and made a serious mistake."
D'Acampo stayed true to his word and forged a life for himself in the entertainment world, blending his wit and charm with a knack for making spectacular Italian dishes. The chef has enjoyed a long career on television with cooking appearances on prime-time TV shows, his own cooking shows, a string of restaurants in the UK, brand ambassadorship with leading UK grocery retailer Asda, and more (via Gino D'Acampo).
Chef D'Acampo lives in Hertfordshire in a mansion with his three children and his wife (via The Sun). The $1.57 million home is as quirky as his character, with a room dedicated to his Marvel characters and a fireplace where he can get cozy with a bottle of vino. The Georgian townhouse has seven rooms with four stories (via Daily Mail). The kitchen features beautiful marble counters and table tops, which is no surprise as the celebrity chef films a lot of content here (via Instagram).
Nigella Lawson has a secret backyard garden
The queen of British culinary TV is Nigella Lawson, hands down. Mirror reports that the celebrity chef has a reputation for whipping up delicious dishes in a saucy and seductive manner. She has a primetime TV show eponymously titled "Simply Nigella" in addition to a string of other shows such as "Nigella's Cook, Eat, Repeat," "Nigella Bites," and "At My Table" (via TV Guide).
Lawson has two children, Cosima and Bruna, who live with her in a massive countryside estate that used to be stables for horses (via Hello!). After her divorce from businessman and gallery owner Charles Saatchi in 2013, she moved into her new home (via Woman & Home).
Ms. Lawson's mews home, worth over $5 million, features pink exteriors, a front yard, and a secret garden retreat (via Scene Therapy). It is in the affluent area of central London, and one prime spot to note is Lawson's kitchen. Like every celebrity chef, the design suits her personality and love for cooking, with pots, pans, and utensils taking center stage as they hang from a rod over her peppermint green cupboards. Lawson's home also boasts high ceilings and a massive library where she can stock her numerous cooking books (via Instagram).
Mary Berry lives in one of the United Kingdom's wealthiest neighborhoods
If Nigella Lawson is the queen of sultry cooking, Mary Berry is, without a doubt, the queen of baking. According to Express, Berry even has an official royal title given to her by the Queen of England's son, Prince Charles, for her laudable efforts in the culinary sector! Berry started in the '60s with a passion for cooking and journalism. She is yet another celebrity chef who snagged accreditation from the acclaimed Le Cordon Bleu culinary institute in Paris. For six decades, Dame Berry has wowed British and global audiences on baking shows as a judge (best known recently for "The Great British Bake Off"), in addition to the numerous books she has written (via Mary Berry).
If homes could speak, Dame Berry's palatial living space would confirm that all her hard work paid off. She currently lives in Henley, Oxfordshire, one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the United Kingdom (via Forbes). She moved into this four-bedroom home in 2018. We can only imagine that Berry and her husband, Paul, are enjoying amenities like the stunning kitchen where she films TV shows (via Oxfordshire Live). The $3.3 million home also boasts a notable dressing room in the primary bedroom, an indoor swimming pool, a tennis court, a gym, and a spacious cottage separate from the main house (via Hello!).
Rachael Ray's former home burned down
The most talked about home on this list of celebrity chef homes may be Rachael Ray's upstate New York mansion. According to USA Today, the house suffered a gruesome fire and burnt to smithereens on August 9th, 2020. It's believed the fire started in the chimney (via Ulster Sullivan Daily Voice). Thankfully, Ray, her husband, her mother, and her dog were able to evacuate without any harm.
Ray found a way to get past the horror of the fire and the losses she endured from a home she had lived in for 16 years. By the looks of things, she came back with chic interior design. From a home tour video, we can see a stunningly designed home that Ray claims she tried to keep similar to her old home (via YouTube). One notable change is the reinforced tin roof, which features a sturdy material to mitigate another fire tragedy. Her home boasts a ten-seater cozy dining table set, an iconic glass chandelier in one of the many living rooms, and an expansive kitchen. Of course, there's a beloved pizza oven where she whips up her signature thin and crispy pizza with soppressata for viewers of her show (via YouTube).
Levi Roots lives in a modest two-bedroom home
Levi Roots is a British Jamaican celebrity chef born in Jamaica. According to Headspace Group, Roots moved to Brixton, UK at a young age and forged a promising reggae career, performing for big names like Nelson Mandela. However, he spent time in prison for dabbling with drugs and weapons. When he came out, he vowed to turn his life around and start a legitimate business.
He competed on the UK TV show "Dragon's Den," where he scored big with his guitar, a chant about embracing Caribbean sauce, and his infectious charisma. Levi garnered investments and now has a multimillion-dollar business to his name. However, his neighbors are not too pleased with him. Despite his success, he refused to move out of his two-bedroom housing for families in a low-income bracket (via Express). The home is in Brixton, South London, and he pays rent at a discounted rate of about $560 per month.
The home's interior has a white and orange color palette (via The Guardian). The living room features white sofas placed side by side next to his famous guitar and a carpeted floor. There is also a large black vase next to a console with mementos and pictures. The father of seven makes plenty of home-cooked meals, sometimes with his youngest son as his sous chef (via Instagram). His kitchen features a marble countertop, white cabinets, a white tiled backsplash, and a yellow-green accent wall where he hangs posters of Nelson Mandela.
Giada De Laurentiis can see her pool from the basement
Giada De Laurentiis is famous for cooking shows and hosting competitions, but many do not know she is Hollywood royalty. According to Insider, many years before she graced our screens as a prolific Food Network personality, her grandfather was famous for producing Italian movies and screenplays in Hollywood. Meanwhile, her mother and father also acted in a few projects. De Laurentiis was always close to her Italian culinary roots. She became certified by attending the world-renowned Le Cordon Bleu, where she perfected her pastry and cuisine skills (via Delish).
De Laurentiis bought a Pacific Palisades home in 2016 for $6.9 million (via Mansion Global). However, she ended up selling it three years later for $7 million. The home features scenic views, wooden floors, a white color palette, a floor-to-ceiling wine fridge, and an open floor plan (via Architectural Digest). A marble block separates the living room from a contemporary dining area, while another living room faces the swimming pool. The swimming pool design is at the back of the house. It matches the depth of the basement. If De Laurentiis plays ping pong in the basement with her daughter, she can look through the windows and see the pool.
Guy Fieri lives in a ranch-style estate
If you are a fan of the Food Network, you are probably familiar with the one and only Guy Fieri. The blonde spiky-haired, fun-loving, and boisterous man has spent years driving his vehicle (top down) from city to city to discover the top food spots on his television show Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, as per IMDb. Guy Fieri, who now has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, did not immediately find himself in the culinary world (via Insider). While he sold pretzels as a kid and pursued culinary training in France, he was also a full-fledged staff member at Flowmaster, a car parts and mufflers stockist. In 2006, he showcased his passion for food in a competition for the Food Network, known as "Next Food Network Star," and emerged the winner. This win kickstarted his string of shows, including "Guy's Big Bite," "Guy's Grocery Games," and "Guy's Ranch Kitchen" (via Guy Fieri).
Fieri owns a massive ranch-style estate in Santa Rosa, California, with tons of acres (via Closer Weekly). He lives in the four-bedroom, three-bathroom home with his wife and kids. True to his food-loving nature, Guy spared no expense with his 1,000-square-foot kitchen. The room is the heart of the home with a wooden kitchen island and lots of space for family gatherings. Fieri said that when he first purchased the house, it was in bad shape, but now there are amenities like a swimming pool and a trampoline (via Desert News).
Ina Garten calls East Hampton, New York home
The award for the sweetest and most heart-warming chef in the United States goes to Ina Garten. The Barefoot Contessa, as she's referred to in her Food Network show, is an ex-White House Office of Management and Budget official who wanted some excitement in her life, as per Food & Wine. She resigned from her job and opened up a food store called The Barefoot Contessa, which was the start of her success in the celebrity culinary sector, as per Barefoot Contessa.
Garten and her beloved husband, Jeffery, reside in East Hampton, New York (via Closer). Their residence can also be considered a home office as this is where she films her television show. Ina moved into this home in the '90s and, despite her celebrity status, maintained a private life on the 37,026-square-foot lot. Garten's kitchen boasts white cupboards, stainless steel appliances, and a large island. From her social media posts, we can tell that she favors floral prints. Her home features large vases and colorful bouquets, which she may or may not have gathered from her blossoming garden. A highlight of the home is the 2,000-square-foot barn, which Garten constructed a stone's throw away from the main house to keep the peace in her marriage (via Oprah Daily).
Maneet Chauhan resides in Nashville
Maneet Chaunan is an Indian-born celebrity chef that has been a familiar face for years on culinary shows such as "Chopped," as per The Tennessean. She decided to make a career in the culinary world and completed a bachelor's degree in hotel management in India (via The Culinary Institute of America). Chaunan also pursued a baking and pastry arts associate degree at the Culinary Institute of America and graduated with top honors.
In 2015 when she was pregnant with baby number two, she chose Nashville as the perfect spot for her first restaurant. Chaunan maintains that she planned to keep commuting between NYC and Nashville. However, she told Southern Living, "As luck would have it, the day we opened the restaurant, our son decided to be born. He was three months premature... We said that if he was so adamant on being a Nashvillian, who were we to stop it?" Now the family lives in an all-white home in Williamson, and her impeccable interior decor nods to her roots. The living room boasts floor-to-ceiling windows, an all-white aesthetic with a massive gleaming bust of Buddha next to the staircase. There is also a cabinet with a collection of miniatures. Her powder blue dining room, with textured upholstery, looks like it popped out of a magazine. She also has an outdoor lounge area with orange and blue furniture (via Food Network).
Nobuyuki Matsuhisa lives in a stylish Bel Air home
Nobuyuki Matsuhisa is a Japanese chef who moved to America in the 1970s. According to Eater, he is the co-owner of one of the most loved celebrity restaurants of all time — Nobu. He co-owns a group of global restaurants alongside actor Robert De Niro. Chef Nobu picked himself up and persevered through challenging life situations and has now amassed a fortune with over 31 restaurants worldwide (via Nobu).
From 1994 to 2013, he lived in a Beverly Hills mansion. Afterward, he snagged an even more luxurious estate in Bel Air, built for the former owners of Architectural Digest (via HuffPost). Inside the 13,000-square-foot home, which cost him $15.6 million, there are floor-to-ceiling windows, a lush caramel-toned library with a marble fireplace, glass corridors, and floral prints in almost every room. Stone-carved benches and Grecian decor overlook the pool. The two-story mansion includes a primary bedroom with dual bathrooms and rooms for domestic staff (via Dirt).
Gordon Ramsay's home has a gourmet kitchen
Gordon Ramsay got a head start in the behind-the-scenes process of winning Michelin stars and becoming a celebrity chef as a student under Marco Pierre White's tutelage, as per Marco Pierre White. Gordon Ramsey followed in his mentor's footsteps, perfected his cooking skills, and then created a brand with numerous restaurants and a string of cooking shows (via IMDb). The "Hell's Kitchen" host has been happily married to his wife Tana since 1996, a marriage which produced five children (via Parade).
Chef Ramsay owns a 7,400-square-foot home in the gated community of Bel Air Crest, California, close to Kanye West and Kim Kardashian's former property (via Velvet Ropes). Ramsay purchased the $6.75 million house in 2011. It boasts five bedrooms, ocean views, a two-story guest house, and an impeccable gourmet kitchen fit for a culinary legend with a wine fridge and marble countertops (via ITV).
You can rent Bobby Flay's Chelsea apartment
If we are speaking about Giada's culinary success and her TV shows, we must not leave out her co-host, Bobby Flay. According to Eater, the dashing culinary legend has appeared in Hollywood blockbuster shows, including a pot-stirring cameo in "Entourage." He has enjoyed a string of successful culinary shows for over a quarter of a decade, including "Grillin' and Chillin'" and "Bobby and Giada In Italy" (via Deadline).
Mr. Flay is a New Yorker through and through. He recently placed his Chelsea apartment for sale in 2015 for $8 million, after which he reduced the selling price to $6.5 million in 2017, but there have been no takers (via Curbed NY). The home is now a rental, so if you have $22,500 to spare and are a hard-core fan, you can enjoy the decor of Flay's three-bedroom, three-bathroom pad. You could display your Flay book collection on the wooden floor-to-ceiling shelves or whip up a few Flay-inspired dishes in the impressive kitchen. A leather sectional in the living room overlooks a marble home bar and a wooden dining table with three pendant ceiling lights.
Jamie Oliver lives in a 16th-century estate
Jamie Oliver has been passionate about the culinary arts from a young age. He worked with the cooks at his parent's Essex-based pub from the tender age of eight and then pursued a cooking academy course. After working in his early twenties at the renowned River Cafe, his appearance in the cafe's eponymous documentary impressed the producers to such a degree that Jamie was offered a stand-alone culinary series called "The Naked Chef," as per IMDb.
Jamie Oliver lives in a 16th-century estate called Spains Hall in Essex, his hometown. The $11 million farmhouse sits on over 70 acres (via Standard). Oliver's guests can spend the night at the three-bedroom lodge next to the main house. The manor residence dates back to 1570, and boasts six bedrooms, a bright kitchen, a cart shed, and converted stables (via Essex Live). An aristocratic family owned and maintained the property since the 1700s.
Mama Joyce's home is in the heart of Atlanta
Mama Joyce is part of the group known as the Old Lady Gang. She and fellow members Aunt Nora and Aunt Bertha are unconventional celebrity cooks who found fame when they first appeared on Bravo's "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" franchise, as per Bravo. Mama Joyce is the mom of housewife and Grammy award-winning musician Kandi Burruss. After Kandi joined the cast and opened her doors to the cameras, her mother became a hit for her sassy comments and custom-made delicacies, like her famous pound cake (via Reality Tit Bit). After Mama Joyce and her sisters opened two restaurants, their celebrity levels knew no bounds.
Kandi purchased a seven-bedroom mansion for Mama Joyce in the heart of Atlanta. The Cascade Heights home features well-manicured gardens, a dining area that doubles as an indoor gym, and an outdoor swimming pool where she performs aquatic exercises to keep looking fabulous at age 72 (via La Late News). The two outdoor dining areas are perfect for lounging with family and friends (via Peacock TV).