Entertainment
15 Most Followed Chefs on Twitter
Our beloved and favorite celebrity chefs have not only made a splash on our television screens or our bookshelves, they have also recently been making marks on social media! Speaking of social media, one of the most popular, lively, and thriving social media sites is Twitter. It’s a favorite among many of the hilarious memes and jokes delivered in 140 characters or less (though that limit is now 280 characters). A lot of people make Twitter threads (a series of tweets by the same user) on topics ranging from skin care and social justice to food! And what better way for celeb chefs to talk about something as awesome and visual as food than on Twitter?
Going on Twitter to connect with fans is something a lot of celebs have been doing lately. And more so celebrity chefs! It’s a way for them to share recipes, insights, and even comment on food prepared by fans! You will discover later that this is quite the trademark of sharp-tongued chef Gordon Ramsay. It’s also a way for fans to keep up with their idols’ creations. So while there are many celebrity chefs out there, there is only a handful who have solid, huge fanbases. In some cases, their number of followers is largely disproportionate to their number of tweets! Below we’ve compiled a list of the 15 most followed chefs on Twitter.
15. Anthony Bourdain
Anthony Bourdain really is the man of the hour…at any hour! The No Reservations and Parts Unknown star, author, and of course, chef, is one of the most popular figures in the culinary industry. This chef has been around for a long time and he has traveled extensively. From America to Europe, to Asia, Bourdain goes where most people don’t immerse himself in the local cuisine and culture along the way.
He is also one guy who seems to have no problem picking fights with other chefs. He’s known to criticize Rachael Ray and Guy Fieri, just to name a couple. Indeed, he is a man of no reservations in every sense of the phrase. So it is no wonder he has a whopping 7.03 million followers on Twitter, despite only having about 13k tweets to his name, as well as only 700 or so people that he follows.
14. Alton Brown
Who could forget the colorful and lively Alton Brown? With his wispy golden hair, those signature glasses, and his distinct hosting style, Alton Brown is the everyman we love to see on our TV screens when we put on the Food Network. Besides being an actor and a musician, he is definitely most known for hosting shows on the Food Network, as well as the creation of many bestselling cookbooks. He even flies his own plane!
He is the creator and host of the well-loved show Good Eats which ran for several years. More recently, he announced that there would be a “sequel” to the show. This turned out to be Cutthroat Kitchen, an evil cooking competition where chefs sabotage each other in the pursuit of culinary glory. On Twitter, his popularity is booming. Brown is just slightly behind Bourdain’s count, with around 4.4 million Twitter followers.
13. Jamie Oliver
Jamie Oliver is not only a chef, he is a cultural. We have been seeing him on our television screens for the past ten years or so. With that accent, those spiky golden locks, and those surfer beads! Besides his impressive recipes we see on his cooking show, we know he is an adamant advocate of healthy eating and organic food as well. This makes him even more of an icon in our eyes.
You can’t say Jamie Oliver without bringing up that video of him exposing to children what fast food chicken nuggets are made of. In an age where a lot of people are going alternative and organic, it’s no wonder that Jamie has a huge following on Twitter. He sure knows how to capitalize on his passion. He has about 7 million followers just like Anthony Bourdain!
12. Guy Fieri
Guy Fieri may not be the most loved man in the food industry. After all, a lot of people, both his fellow chefs and regular customers, don’t hold back on their criticisms of his hair, his restaurants, and his food! Anthony Bourdain, in particular, talked about how “it hurts [him]” to have a Guy Fieri restaurant in Times Square! Ouch!
But hated does not mean forgotten because this guy is definitely bringing in the big bucks. Even though a lot of people are annoyed with him, another segment of the population really adores him. His restaurants and his Twitter following speak for themselves! Though he doesn’t have as many followers and Anthony Bourdain, who so far has the most followers of the chefs on this list, Guy is still raking up the big numbers with 3.23 million followers.
11. Paula Deen
Paula Deen is best known for her Southern home cooking and her love of butter. Some people even dubbed her the Martha Stewart of The South! Deen is not exactly the most well-loved figure in the industry at the moment. Remember that time she admitted to and refused to apologize for, employing racist language? One thing is for sure: she remains quite the popular figure in the industry.
Though not nearly as popular as Bourdain, Oliver, or Fieri on Twitter, she’s not exactly falling far behind. With a huge following of 1 million Twitter followers, she’s really doing something right considering she has only tweeted 7k times. On her twitter description, she states that “cooking and family are the greatest gifts.” Those who follow her are often blessed with recipes for her homemade pies and other dishes on their Twitter feeds.
10. Tyler Florence
The handsome Tyler Florence hails from South Carolina and has impressed many with his numerous shows including Globe Trekker, Food 911, and Tyler’s Ultimate, to name a few. Indeed, this South Carolina man incorporated his roots into his cooking. When you Google him, the next few words that come out in the predictive are “fried chicken” and “mashed potatoes.” He definitely stays true to his upbringing.
But one need not look further for culinary inspiration than his Twitter account. There, we can find a lot of updates, recipes, and other foodie-related things on Tyler’s Twitter account. Did we also tell you that he founded the app Yumavore? That’s just another thing to add to his list of achievements. Tyler Florence currently has more than 700,000 Twitter followers.
9. Gordon Ramsay
Is it even a surprise that Gordon Ramsay appears on this list? Gordon Ramsay most certainly appears on almost all the lists related to anything chef, foodie, or culinary. After all, he has an exquisite cooking style, scrumptious recipes, and a very sharp tongue. He’s mostly known for the latter, especially on his show Hell’s Kitchen, where he’s clearly the devil.
But Gordon doesn’t need to be on camera to show how spiky he can be. His Twitter is so popular precisely because he sends out barbs to people who tag him in their food pics. It has become a sort of game. So while some will follow him for his cooking, a lot more follow him because of how hilarious his insults are! No wonder he has 6.55 million Twitter followers.
8. Giada de Laurentiis
Giada De Laurentiis is just a treat to watch on television. With that sparkling smile, her beautiful features, as well as her equally brilliant Italian dishes! It is no wonder the cameras love her. Though many make fun of her over-pronunciation of certain Italian words (we’re not that stupid, Giada ha-ha), she’s still one of the most well-known celebrity chefs on television.
In the age of the internet and social media, we don’t need to wait for her shows anymore. We can now just pick up our phones and go online to see more of the #kittymom and #chef! And it seems a lot of people do just that because she currently has 1.84 million Twitter followers! This is huge considering she follows just 171 people and has less than 15k tweets.
7. Bobby Flay
Bobby Flay is a celebrity chef veteran. Just like his fellow chefs Jamie Oliver, Giada de Laurentiis, and Tyler Florence, he’s been around for a while. He’s hosted a lot of Food Network shows. He’s been on Iron Chef America, been featured on Great Chefs, and has hosted his own show, Throwdown! With Bobby Flay.
He mingles with other chefs and Hollywood stars, like Scarlett Johansson, so his popularity is certainly not in question. It’s no surprise then that his fan base has followed him to Twitter. He currently has 2.67 million followers! He may not have as much as Gordon Ramsay or Anthony Bourdain, but he’s up there. On his Twitter feed we can find pictures of his cats, his restaurants and shows, and even articles on how he lost weight without giving up the burgers or brownies!
6. Andrew Zimmern
Anthony Bourdain is not the only food personality with an impressive travel log. Andrew Zimmern also has made a name for himself on the international culinary scene. And just like Bourdain, he likes to experience different cultures and lovely cuisines from all over the world. It is no wonder people love to watch his shows! He’s hosted Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern, Andrew Zimmern’s Bizarre World, and Dining With Death.
So while Andrew Zimmern specializes in strange, exotic, and delicious delicacies, his audience is definitely captivated. So if you can’t get enough of Andrew on The Travel Channel, just go on Twitter and follow him! A lot of people already have – he currently has 1.24 million followers! So if you want a bit of the bizarre, Andrew is the guy to have on your timeline.
5. Emeril Lagasse
Emeril Lagasse is a giant in the food industry. Did you know that his “Turkey and Hot Sausage Chili” recipe won an award in 2003? Or that his restaurants garner about $150M in revenues annually? What about that he is a James Beard Award winner? Those are just some of his impressive achievements. Another one is the fact that he’s one of the most followed personalities on twitter – with 1.02 million followers!
Emeril Lagasse is so popular that people just refer to him as Emeril. His shows Essence of Emeril and Emeril Live are highly applauded and well-loved. And who can forget his quirky catchphrases “Kick it up a notch!” and the most popular of all, “BAM!” deployed when seasoning his delicacies? Now we need not turn on our tellies to catch this formidable figure. Just go on Twitter!
4. Rick Bayless
Rick Bayless kind of looks like the chef world version of Hollywood star Gary Oldman. And while he may not be renowned in the larger part of Hollywood like Mr Oldman, he’s still pretty well-known. After all, he has his own show on PBS Mexico: One Plate at a Time. He has also won multiple awards like Humanitarian of the Year (2007), the James Beard award, and the Insignia of the Order of the Aztec Eagle. He’s very, very impressive indeed.
This chef specializes in Mexican cuisine – mixing up the traditional recipes with modern twists. He also has ten restaurants under his belt. So if you are looking for another amazing chef to follow on Twitter (who isn’t Ramsay or Bourdain), follow Rick Bayless! A lot of people already have: he currently has 1.02 million followers!
3. Nigella Lawson
If you want to know more about British cuisine, go look for Nigella Lawson. After all, she is part of a culinary empire! Her family owns J. Lyons and Co., a British “restaurant chain, food manufacturing, and hotel conglomerate.” Just like her father, who is a politician and journalist, Nigella has made a name for herself in the British culinary industry.
She’s a bestselling author and prominent figure on UK’s tellies. Her first ever cookbook How to Eat sold 300,000 copies when it was released in 1998. She has gone on to write and publish many more books, as well as a star on shows like Nigella Bites and Nigella Feasts. She also has a range of cookware. On Twitter, she currently has 2.58 million followers!
2. Martha Stewart
Is it any wonder that Martha Stewart is on this list? Not at all! After all, the businesswoman, chef, and accomplished TV personality has built an empire for herself! Despite the controversy that surrounded her after she was convicted of felony charges in the early 2000’s, she bounced back!
She has a company Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (which was acquired by Sequential Brands), numerous cookbooks, and television shows like Martha Stewart Living. Martha Stewart is a formidable icon in the culinary industry. And now? Well, she hosts a show with her best friend Snoop Dogg! How trippy is that? We are certain to see more from Martha in the future, so keep up with her on Twitter. She does have 4 million followers, after all.
1. Rachael Ray
Rachael Ray brought simple and the quick meals to the world’s attention. Her focus has always been on creating delicious and healthy meals without the hassle of spending half a day on them. That’s why her shows 30 Minute Meals, Tasty Travels, and $40 a Day are so popular! Of course, her popularity didn’t come from just her cooking – it’s her personality too!
She’s bubbly, she’s engaging, and she’s just herself – which a lot of people love, because who wouldn’t want an authentic and relatable celebrity? Now we can relate to her even more since she’s on Twitter. A lot of people already follow her – she currently has 4.44 million followers! On Twitter, we can stay updated on her life and her cooking! What are you waiting for? Go follow her!