Celebrity Chefs Who Don't Get Along
These celebrity chefs once stirred the pot in culinary clashes so spicy that they put the most seasoned entertainment industry feuds to shame.
Since the introduction of television, viewers from around the world have immersed themselves in the delicious and nurturing content of on-air cooking shows. From "The French Chef" and "Chopped" to "Emeril Live" and "30 Minute Meals," there have been an endless number of shows that have touched on a variety of topics, making the art of cooking truly universal. "When you're looking at categories of programming that people respond to globally, food and cooking shows are on the top of that list," Brandon Riegg, Netflix VP of nonfiction series and comedy specials, told The Hollywood Reporter about food shows popularity.
In addition to yummy recipes and neat cooking tips, fans have also gravitated toward food-based programs for their talented and unique celebrity chef hosts. "You want someone you can connect with and get inspiration from. That's why there are different personalities, because you won't like all of them," MasterChef Pinoy Edition star JP Anglo explained to F&B Report. However, with a large pool of talents in the TV kitchen, it doesn't take too long for drama amongst the collective to reach a boiling point. Over the years, some of the food genre's biggest names have duked it out, ranging from personal digs to belittling one another's cooking knowledge. We've crafted a list of some of the biggest celebrity chef feuds that left a mark among food enthusiasts.
Martha Stewart and Rachael Ray are far from friends
Acknowledging the rift between Martha Stewart and Rachael Ray is a must when discussing the long list of celebrity chef feuds. The beef between the "Martha Cooks" host and "30 Minute Meals" host began in 2009 when the former critiqued the latter's skills and cookbook. "Well, to me, she professed that she could — cannot bake," she said during an interview on Nightline. "She... just did a new cookbook, which is just a re-edit of a lot of her old recipes, and that's not good enough for me." Stewart also claimed that Ray wasn't a teacher but more of an entertainer. "She does it very differently than I do. She's a totally different kind of cook than I am," she added.
While Stewart held nothing back in her interview, Ray chose to take the high road when ABC News asked her about the former's comments. "Why would it make me mad? Her skill set is far beyond mine," she explained. "That's simply the reality of it. That doesn't mean what I do isn't important, too." Even though it seemed Stewart was sparking a one-sided feud, the TV host later clarified her comments. "I just want to take this opportunity just to address some comments that are circulating on the Internet regarding me and Rachael Ray," she told the audience, according to E! News. "And just for the record, there are no bad feelings between us, nor have there ever been."
Gordon Ramsey had a years long beef with Jamie Oliver
While Gordon Ramsay's unfiltered personality is a hit with TV viewers, it hasn't always fared well with his TV chef peers like Jamie Oliver. In 2009, they clashed for the first time when the owner of Jamie's Italian addressed the "Next Level Chef" judge's distasteful comments about Australian journalist Tracy Grimshaw. "Aussies aren't forgiving. Once you're gone, you're gone," the Naked Chef said (via The Mirror). "It's never good to criticize a woman, especially when they're loved by their country."
Oliver's comments hit a nerve with Ramsay, resulting in the latter describing the former as a "one-pot wonder" — ouch! While the two feuded sporadically over the years, things took an unexpected turn in 2017, ironically when Oliver tried to end their beef. "He's got four kids, and I've got five kids, and I don't want to be slagging off some kid's dad on telly. It's not nice," he told The Sun. It didn't take long for Ramsay to take offense to his words. He told Radio Times that the former was insensitive for bringing up kids due to his wife losing their fifth child after a miscarriage. "Boys will always fight and butt heads, but Tana was mortified," he added. Fortunately, the two made up in 2019 after Ramsay sent Oliver an olive branch when his restaurant chain closed. "Bottom line is, he's a great guy and a great chef, and it was sad to see him disappear overnight," he explained on "The Jonathan Ross Show."
Giada De Laurentiis cut Bobby Flay off for eight months
The next celebrity chef feud is unique as it deals with Giada De Laurentiis and Bobby Flay. Fans of the TV personalities are well-versed in the pair's longstanding friendship, which started two decades ago. However, like every platonic relationship, the two have butt heads, with one fight resulting in De Laurentiis not speaking to Flay for eight months. While appearing on the "Beyond the Plate" podcast, the "Everyday Italian" host opened up about their rift, which spawned after their joint stint on "Iron Chef America" in 2006. "We lost, and he thought it was funny," she explained. "He didn't think it was any big deal that we lost," she explained. "I did not talk to him for eight months. Eight months! I did not. Nothing. Silence."
Toward the end of De Laurentiis' statement, she dished out how Flay's nonchalant attitude toward losing really rubbed her the wrong way. "He didn't say, 'Hey, I'm sorry that we lost,' or 'Hey, you know we'll do it again.' Nothing," she added. "He just walked away, and I thought, you're a jerk, and I'm never, I never want to be around you again." Fortunately, De Laurentiis and Flay were able to move past their rift, with the two collaborating again on Food Network's 'Bobby and Giada In Italy.'" When discussing their series, the "Beat Bobby Flay" star told People, "We're friends, we obviously both love Italy, and we're both on the same network, so it made perfect sense."
Anthony Bourdain had choice words for Paula Deen
When it comes to fiery pan-seared celebrity beef, the war of words between the late Anthony Bourdain and Paula Deen certainly takes the cake as the spiciest feud. It all started in 2011 when Bourdain described the "Paula's Best Dishes" star as the most dangerous person in America due to her recipes. "She revels in unholy connections with evil corporations, and she's proud of the fact that her food is f**king bad for you," he told TV Guide at the time. "If I were on at seven at night and loved by millions of people at every age, I would think twice before telling an already obese nation that it's ok to eat food that is killing us. Plus, her food sucks."
Deen didn't take Bourdain's shade lightly, rebuffing the "No Reservations" host's comments in a statement to Page Six. "Anthony Bourdain needs to get a life. You don't have to like my food, or Rachael's, Sandra's and Guy's. But it's another thing to attack our character," she said. "It's not all about the cooking but the fact that I can contribute by using my influence to help people all over the country." A year later, Bourdain came for Deen again after the former revealed her Type 2 diabetes diagnosis and partnership with a related medication. "Thinking of getting into the leg-breaking business so I can profitably sell crutches later," he wrote in a deleted tweet on X, formerly known as Twitter (via CBS News).
Andrew Zimmern and Tyler Florence butted heads on the internet
The last celebrity chef feud on our list is between "Bizarre Foods America" host Andrew Zimmern and "Food 911" star Tyler Florence, which first sparked in 2009. After the "Tyler's Ultimate" host's appearance on the short-lived reality TV show "Momma's Boys," Zimmern held nothing back about the former's cooking advice. "Monday's episode [of Momma's Boy's] featured the world's least talented TV chef, Tyler Florence, once again churning out the questionable cooking advice and leading the ladies through a menu of the mom's fave recipes," he wrote in a deleted blog post, per E! News. Towards the end of his statement, Zimmern added that it was comedic to see Florence eat food while ogling the female contestants.
Florence didn't take the criticism lying down, taking to Facebook with his own scathing post. "This guy Andrew Zimmern, the guy who eats dried camel c**k for a living has decided to dis my life's work because I did, my personal friend, Ryan Seacrest, a favor and helped him out with his first big television production, Momma's Boys," he wrote, per Grub Street. "I guess it's hard to have a sense of humor when you're on your 10th take of eating Yak testicles, smiling to the camera, wondering where your life went wrong."