Richard Blais Net Worth

What is Richard Blais's Net Worth?

Richard Blais is an American chef, restaurateur, television personality, and cookbook author who has a net worth of $5 million. Richard Blais is best known for competing in the fourth and eighth seasons of the Bravo reality competition series "Top Chef," coming in second place in the former and winning the latter. As a restaurateur, his restaurants include Juniper and Ivy in San Diego, Ember & Rye in Carlsbad, and Four Flamingos in Orlando.

Early Life and Education

Richard Blais was born on February 19, 1972 in Uniondale, New York. When he was in the second grade, he was adopted by his stepfather. Blais got his first professional taste of cooking when he worked at a McDonald's on Long Island. He was educated at the Culinary Institute of America, from which he earned a two-year associate's degree in the culinary arts. Blais went on to study under renowned chefs at such prestigious restaurants as the French Laundry and Chez Panisse.

Television Appearances

Blais rose to prominence in 2008 when he competed in the fourth season of the Bravo reality competition series "Top Chef," dubbed "Top Chef: Chicago." He ended up coming in second place behind the winner, Stephanie Izard. Blais returned to "Top Chef" in 2010 to compete in the eighth season, "Top Chef: All-Stars," and this time won the competition. He later served as a judge in the 12th, 13th, and 18th seasons of "Top Chef." Blais has appeared on several other reality competition shows over the years. On the Food Network, he hosted the shows "Hungry Games" and "Halloween Baking Championship," was a judge and contestant on "Guy's Grocery Games," and competed on "Tournament of Champions" and "Cutthroat Kitchen." Blais became a recurring judge on "Cutthroat Kitchen" after competing on the show. Elsewhere, on Fox, he served as a recurring judge on "MasterChef" and "MasterChef Junior" and was a judge on "Next Level Chef." Blais's other television appearances have included hosting gigs on HLN's "Cook Your Ass Off" and the FYI Network's "Man v. Master." He has also appeared on numerous talk shows, including "The Today Show," "The Chew," and "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon."

Restaurants

Blais began running his first major restaurant, Fishbone, in Atlanta in 2000. Later in the decade, also in Atlanta, he collaborated with Barry Mills on the menu for the upscale FLIP burger boutique and served as the head chef of the restaurant. Blais founded his flagship restaurant, Juniper and Ivy, in San Diego in 2014. It was a partnership with Michael Rosen. The next year, Blais partnered with Rosen and Jon Sloan to found the Crack Shack, his second San Diego restaurant. Focused on dishes made with chicken and eggs, it later opened two more locations. Just north of San Diego, in Carlsbad, Blais opened Ember & Rye at the Park Hyatt Aviara Resort. In late 2021, he expanded to the East Coast to open Four Flamingos at Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress in Orlando, Florida. Back in California, Blais opened Kestrel at the Indian Wells Golf Resort in 2024. At the end of that year, he opened two restaurants at the Grand Hyatt Scottsdale Resort in Arizona: the Japanese and Spanish tapas-style restaurant Tiki Taka and the Italian-American eatery La Zozzona.

Getty Images

Cookbooks

After signing a cookbook deal with Random House's Clarkson Potter in 2011, Blais published his debut cookbook, "Try This at Home: Recipes from My Head to Your Plate," in early 2012. It went on to receive a James Beard Foundation Award nomination. Blais's second cookbook, "So Good: 100 Recipes from My Kitchen to Yours," was released in 2017. That was followed by "Plant Forward: 100 Bold Recipes for a Mostly Healthy Lifestyle," a plant-based diet cookbook published in 2023 that Blais co-authored with his wife Jazmin.

Podcasts

In 2017, Blais started hosting a weekly podcast about the culinary industry entitled "Starving for Attention." A few years later, he partnered with iHeartRadio to launch the game show podcast "Food Court with Richard Blais," which features celebrity chefs, actors, comedians, and various other figures engaging in classic food-themed arguments.

Marathons

In late 2011, Blais ran the ING New York City Marathon to support Alliance for a Healthier Generation. His first marathon, he completed it with a time of 4:31:54. Blais has since run multiple other marathons in New York.

Personal Life

With his wife Jazmin, Blais has two daughters named Riley and Embry. He and his wife run the culinary consulting group Trail Blais, which designs, advises, and opens eateries around the United States.

Who's Richer?

Richard
Blais

Compare!

Tom
Colicchio