Forbes Celebrity 100 Chefs 2006: Cute?

By JULIETTE ROSSANT Which metric does Forbes value more for a celebrity chef, talent or cuteness? In the 2006 Forbes Celebrity 100 ranks the higher-earning chefs Wolfgang Puck ($16 million) and Emeril Lagasse ($10 million) below Rachael Ray ($6 million): they're only "talented, confident," while she is "cute, talented." Does that make Wolf and Emeril "cuteness-challenged"? No. 81: Rachael Ray at $6M No. 89: Wolfgang Puck at $16M No. 94: Emeril Lagasse at $10M No. 97: Mario Batali at $5M Of course, there is a hidden, opposite implication: is Rachael Ray not very talented as a chef? Highly qualified chefs argued to Superchefblog that she is no chef at all. She does cook on her Food Network shows, but many chefs view her as an entertainer but not a chef, but in her defense, her bio on the Food Network website, does list some cooking experience, and lots of exposure through being a buyer. According the ePoll, Ms. Ray's "Top Attribute" is "Cute," which they found so strong in her they rated her "4" on the Celebrity 100 list. Her "Secondary Attribute" is Talent -- which, sadly and perhaps even unfairly, is not ranked. What magic recipe did Forbes concoct to let a "4" in cuteness rank her above seasoned chefs like Wolf and Emeril? Perhaps Forbes needs to make a hard(er) decision about who makes the list. It would have been one thing to have listed Julia Child as a chef on this list, but listing Rachael Ray may be stetching definitions too far. Perky and cute do not a great chef make. Beyond the cute factor, what is important about the new Forbes list is the inclusion of a woman, signaling that the earning power of women in the culinary world, or at least in culinary TV, has increased. Previous articles: Celebrity Chefs from 2005 Forbes Celebrity 100 Rocco DiSpirito: Be Warned By Me Latest Forbes Celebrity Chefs column [Chefs & Branding - complete] [Food Television - complete] Technorati Tags: superchefblog, Juliette Rossant, super chef, celebrities, chefs, food, restaurants, cooking, branding, cuisine, blogging, food blogging --> back to superchefblog