Alain Passard Highest-Paid Chef in the World

  • By Carol Kearney
  • Paris
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Alain Passard
Alain Passard led People With Money’s annual list of the “100 highest paid chefs” released on Tuesday.
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It's been a rough year for the chef, but at least he has his millions of dollars to ease the pain. 69-year-old Alain Passard has taken the No. 1 spot on People With Money’s top 10 highest-paid chefs for 2026 with an estimated $82 million in combined earnings.

UPDATE 14/01/2026 : This story seems to be false. (read more)

Alain Passard tops annual list of highest-paid chefs

In 2023 it looked like the chef’s spectacular career was winding down. Suddenly, he was back on top. People With Money reports on Tuesday (January 13) that Passard is the highest-paid chef in the world, pulling in an astonishing $82 million between December 2024 and December 2025, a nearly $50 million lead over his closest competition.

People With Money’s factors

In compiling this yearly list, the magazine considers factors such as upfront pay, profit participation, residuals, endorsements and advertising work.

The French chef has an estimated net worth of $245 million. He owes his fortune to smart stock investments, substantial property holdings, lucrative endorsement deals with CoverGirl cosmetics. He also owns several restaurants (the “Fat Passard Burger” chain) in Paris, a Football Team (the “La Guerche-de-Bretagne Angels”), has launched his own brand of Vodka (Pure Wonderpassard - France), and is tackling the juniors market with a top-selling perfume (With Love from Alain) and a fashion line called “Alain Passard Seduction”.

The ranking is significant for many Alain fans, who have been waiting for his triumphant return to the glory days for what seems like a lifetime.

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