Celebrity chefs are among the biggest stars today. Names like Gordon Ramsay, Anthony Bourdain, Jamie Oliver and Andrew Zimmern are not merely known to industry folk, but to the world population at large. But who is the biggest celebrity chef? A recently compiled list by Klout named Andrew Zimmern as their No. 1.
Many of the star chefs that make it to the Klout list of the “10 Most Influential Chefs” have their own television shows. The list also features a chef who doubles up as New York Times food writer and a popular food blogger chef also makes it to the list. The “Klout” of these star tastemakers is measured by their activity on social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook. Their number of followers, posts and tweets provide the necessary parameters for compiling a list like this one.
Some of the entries on the Klout list are expected. A list of influential chefs that does not include Gordon Ramsay and Anthony Bourdain would be unthinkable. But there are some new faces in the list as well. Have a look.
1. Andrew Zimmern
Klout Score: 78
Andrew Zimmern is best known as the man who will eat anything. Zimmern’s television show “Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern” shows him eating the weirdest of foods. It takes a strong stomach to even see the man down oddities like frog sashimi, worm pretzels and more. He has even tried piranha and barnacles. Whatever it is, this chef influences 101,000 people online. With anywhere between 30 to 50 tweets a day, this tastemaker has gathered a large following online.
2. Gordon Ramsay
Klout Score: 76
This terrifying chef is known to strike fear in the hearts of his underlings. The main man of “Hell’s Kitchen” is bent on making the contestants’ lives hell. But the fans love him. And ever since he moved to Twitter, his followers have swelled to over 475,000.
3. Jamie Oliver
Klout Score: 75
In terms of his Twitter following (currently over 1,576,000), Oliver is well ahead of Ramsay. He is also an active Instagram user. His television appearances include “Food Revolution” and “The Naked Chef”.
4. Anthony Bourdain
Klout Score: 73
His show “No Reservations” has won Anthony Bourdain fans all over the world. He is very active on Twitter and constantly updates photos and videos of his travels. His sense of humor is of course a plus.
5. Giada De Laurentiis
Klout Score: 71
One of the few female chefs to make it to the Klout list, Giada De Laurentis is very active and interactive on Twitter. Show promotions combined with her personal interactions with her online fans make her an influential chef.
6. Paula Deen
Klout Score: 71
The only other woman on the list, Paula Deen is famous for her television show, “Paula’s Home Cooking” on the Food Network. With over 2,300 tweets under her belt, this silver-haired chef has amassed over 550,000 followers.
7. Mark Bittman
Klout Score: 70
One of the newcomers to this list, Mark Bittman is a cookbook author and he writes a column for The New York Times. He has been tweeting recipes and winning foodie hearts.
8. Jay Terauchi
Klout Score: 70
He is known for his sushi as well as for his social media marketing savvy. Known for his blog at Kahuna of the Kitchen, Terauchi is prolific on Twitter, with over 29,000 tweets.
9. Mario Batali
Klout Score: 70
Mario Batali is one of the hosts of “Molto Mario” on Food Network. This American-Italian food expert offers restaurant recommendations and tips on ingredient pairings.
10. Tom Colicchio
Klout Score: 69
Coming in at No. 10 is Tom Colicchilo, one of the judges from popular show “Top Chef”. This restaurateur-chef has amassed over 216,000 followers on Twitter.
