Celebrity Chefs Who Totally Changed Their Look

If variety is the spice of life, these celebrity chefs are zesting it up in and out of the kitchen. At the end of the day, celebrity chefs are brand ambassadors unto themselves, and staying relevant means being recognizable. For many famous chefs (especially those who do a lot of T.V.), being memorable in the media involves specializing in a specific cuisine, maybe having a catchphrase or two, and embracing a sense of personal style. In the case of these celebrity chefs, that personal style is something that has been subject to change.

To the culinary mavens who stick to chef whites and keep it au naturel so the focus stays on the food, we salute you — but that's not what we're here to discuss. We are delving into the celebrity chefs who took a bolder route and totally changed up their look. We're also exploring why these chefs made the decision to switch things up — because there's always a reason.

Did they get bit by the fashion bug? Opt for a post-fame makeover? Change their lifestyle? Some of these chefs changed their look gradually over time, while others took a more drastic or immediate approach. Are some of your favorite celebrity chefs on the list? Keep reading to find out.

In case you haven't noticed, "Top Chef" alum and television host Richard Blais had a major glow-up. When he first appeared on "Top Chef", Blais was an even-tempered — dare we say demure — chef who loved molecular gastronomy and had a faux hawk. And hey, it was the mid-2000s, so Blais and anyone else who favored a crispy-gelled faux hawk back then gets a pass. In modern times, Blais' hair has traveled to pretty fantastic heights.

Blais showed off an aggressively coiffed pompadour as a guest judge on the "Top Chef" Season 18 premiere, which got a chuckle from Padma Lakshmi and inspired comparisons to Johnny Bravo and "Rock-A-Doodle" on Reddit. His post-COVID hairstyle is still tall, but is styled a little more conventionally and usually paired with a short-trimmed beard. Blais also makes frequent public appearances wearing glasses, and doesn't shy away from sporting colorful plastic frames.

One of the most notable aspects of Blais' changed look is his trim physique, something he said was years in the making. As an up-and-coming chef in the early 2000s, long work hours and late nights saw Blais put on some extra weight. When he met his now-wife Jazmin in 2004, he learned that she had been a personal trainer. This helped Blais stay motivated with working out and he was able to shed 60 pounds. Nowadays, the chef keeps fit by piling on the veggies and long-distance running.

Sweet Southern grandma was Paula Deen's image when she catapulted to fame on Food Network with her 2002 show "Paula's Home Cooking". She was known for her unapologetic love of Southern-style comfort foods that were high in fat. At times, Deen's decadent recipes were a little over-the-top, but she came across as being comfortable with her fuller figure.

After being diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes in 2009, Deen cut back her calorie intake and went on medication. She shed around 40 pounds prior to stepping away from the spotlight in the wake of her infamous racial discrimination scandal in 2013. In recent years, as Deen has worked to rebuild her reputation, she became noticeably thinner and switched up her style. Deen regularly posts cooking videos on her social media accounts, and the comments about her change in appearance is decidedly mixed.

Deen is typically made up in her social media posts, prompting commenters to compliment her youthful glow. She often pulls her hair back and wears oversized glasses — a departure from her yesteryear TV chef look. In 2024, Deen posted a cooking demo on TikTok that showed her less made up and more casually dressed than usual ... and the comments section came for her. Numerous users barbed at how poorly she is aging, while others came to her defense, pointing out that Deen is 77 years old.

Chef Kwame Onwuachi is bringing fashion to the table, and as the kids say, he eats. The talented chef has brought a vibrant punch-up of individuality to his wardrobe, and approaches cooking with the same vivacity. Onwuachi's entrance into the TV realm was as a competitor on "Top Chef" Season 13. That was in 2015, when 26-year-old Onwuachi was more clean cut and still had a bit of a baby face.

After a solid run in his season, Onwuachi started making moves in the professional world. He opened his own restaurants, wrote his memoir, and won a James Beard Award (he's also hosted the awards ceremony twice). When Onwuachi appeared as a recurring guest judge on Season 18 of "Top Chef" in 2020, his ensembles were noticeably edgier — in a good way.

Coordinating separates in abstract prints, stylish thin-framed glasses, mutton chop-esque facial hair, and black nail polish were Onwuachi's go-to fashion choices on the judging panel. When asked about how his look had evolved, Onwuachi explained that being confined to a chef's uniform for so long made him want to embrace his flashier side. One new admirer of Onwuachi's elevated style was nail polish company Orly, who tapped the chef to design a limited-edition collection of nail polishes for its Breathable formula in 2022.

Food Network star Anne Burrell wouldn't part with her blonde spiky hair for anything, but that doesn't mean the chef hasn't modified her signature look over the years. Burrell has been rocking some incarnation of cropped, messy, blonde locks for decades. And just for the record, if her platinum shock of hair reminds you of another well-known celeb chef who also happens to be on Food Network, Burrell has made it known that she had the style before Guy Fieri.

As a self-proclaimed child of the '80s, she's more inclined to go for the unkempt look rather than a more soccer mom, smoothed out take on an above-the-chin cut. As her star rose on Food Network, the channel's producers let her Burrell herself. She may not deviate from her chef's coat and patterned skirt getup, yet Burrell's short hair journey has had its share of phases since becoming a TV regular. We've seen Burrell with a wild shag, a pink-tipped hawklet, and a platinum swoop, but it's not the only way the chef has changed her look.

Around 2017, Burrell showed off a slimmer figure. When asked to spill some details on her weight loss secrets, Burrell's strategies were pretty basic. She stays active, has berries and yogurt in the morning, healthy snacks for on the go, and makes healthy meals at home with plenty of seasoning.

Cooking competition judge and acclaimed chef Graham Elliot transformed more than just his look — he changed his whole lifestyle. Elliot says that his weight has been a lifelong struggle and caused him health problems like high blood pressure and sleep apnea. In 2013, Elliot weighed almost 400 pounds and decided to have gastric sleeve surgery to facilitate weight loss. In less than a year, Elliot dropped 150 pounds. 

Elliot showed up to judge Season 5 of "MasterChef" looking almost unrecognizable — except for his trusty white-framed glasses of course. Elliot said that losing the weight made it easier to play with his kids, and he no longer had to rely on a sleep apnea mask for a good night's rest. To keep the weight off, Elliot swapped his favorite junk foods like cookies and candy with more health-minded snack foods like nuts, dried fruit, and seaweed. Anyone who has battled a weight problem knows that there is no quick fix, it's a change that comes from reevaluating one's psychological relationship with food. Elliot's weight has fluctuated in the decade-plus since his weight loss surgery, but he continues to do the work to maintain a healthier weight.

Back when Gordon Ramsay was hunkered down in the kitchen chasing Michelin Stars, he didn't have time for a spa treatment — and would probably have been offended by the mere suggestion of it. A few decades and 17 Michelin stars later, Ramsay walks into the medical spa without qualms, or at least that's what the softened lines on his face seem to indicate.

We give the chef credit, not a lot of celebrities — let alone those with a rough and tumble persona like Ramsay's — can even admit they've had a little work done. Ramsay does. In 2009, he opened up about having a cosmetic procedure done to correct what he called "smile lines" on either side of his chin. He said the lines appeared less noticeable after some gel was put under the skin with a needle. He added that it was pal Simon Cowell who persuaded him to go through with the beauty treatment.

Any further maintenance of injectables, laser treatments, and the like has been tasteful. The 57-year-old didn't eliminate every scar or wrinkle from his face, so he still looks like himself. It has been speculated that Ramsay also had his teeth fixed and got a hair transplant, about which Ramsay made no comment — his transparency has limits.

Back in the "Bizarre Foods" days, Andrew Zimmern's actions may have said "adventure man" but his look was more "literature professor". Zimmern totally owned the full-figured bald dude with tiny circular spectacles vibe, and we were totally on board. Yet, when he changed his look circa the COVID-19 era, we got to see some funkier sartorial choices from the former Travel Channel host.

Any guy who flirted with the idea of growing a beard but never pulled the trigger got the instinctual push when COVID-19 hit, and perhaps Zimmern was among this group. His bushy beard and larger, oft tinted glasses lean more into Zimmern's classic rock-era upbringing than the more buttoned-up look he donned on TV, yet it works. The food documentarian brings an ease to the colorful outfits and versatile headwear that mark his style switch. It does not appear that Zimmern is dressing for anyone else's enjoyment but his own.

Zimmern also appears to have lost a few pounds. He hasn't been publicly touting any diet tricks, yet Zimmern, as always, has been transparent about the connection between people and food. In 2022, he became an advisor to Next Gen Foods' chicken substitute brand Tindle, and has spoken about the personal and ecological benefits to a plant-based diet.

One's outside appearance can often be a telltale sign of what's happening inward, and this is likely true of Australian chef Pete Evans and his scraggly hawklet hairdo. After embarking on a tireless anti-vax crusade that got him banned from various social media platforms for spreading COVID-19 misinformation and tanked his television career, Evans' looks have changed a lot.

He was once a familiar face on Australian TV as the co-host of "My Kitchen Rules" in 2010. The show was a huge hit and Evans became known as a well-dressed, pretty boy type of chef. His co-hosting duties on Emmy-nominated "Moveable Feast with Fine Cooking", on PBS introduced him to American audiences and showed more of his rugged side, but this was nothing compared for what was to come.

As Evans' penchant toward conspiracy theories and other fringe beliefs took over his life, he became an unkempt shadow of his former self. Until September 2023, the controversial chef was running a health retreat in the Australian foothills, where his scruffy, wild appearance seemed (almost) appropriate.

First things first, Lazarus Lynch has always been fabulous. He came on the scene in the late 2010s, as a fresh-faced competitor on Food Network's "Chopped" (which he won twice). Lynch was just out of college when he competed on "Chopped", and it led to several more Food Network appearances. When he began hosting the network's digital series "Comfort Nation" a couple of years later, his updated style choices were more expressive, fun, and stylish.

Bright color, statement accessories, the chicest threads, and a cool makeup look are all part of Lynch's dress code these days (his 2021 Met Gala look was a feast for the eyes). The multi-hyphenate (recording artist and social worker are on his résumé), released his first cookbook in 2019, "Son of a Southern Chef: Cook with Soul". The book brims with Lynch's splashy, fashion-forward photos, affirmations of self-love, and many of his late father's classic soul food recipes. Like his killer style, "Son of a Southern Chef" is unique, full of life, and unequivocally Lynch.

Aarón Sánchez has been a force in the celebrity chef arena for over 20 years, and in that time his style has changed. The guy loves tattoos. In the 21st century, chefs and tattoos go together like peanut butter and chocolate, but Sánchez's ink goes beyond the usual "sleeves and a neck tat" look that's common in the industry today. Sánchez's tattoo sleeves extend to his fingers, his entire torso is inked up, and so are his legs. Every tattoo Sánchez gets holds a cultural tie to his heritage or signifies a personal meaning to his life.

Although Sánchez appeared more clean cut and conservative years ago, he's been into tattoos the whole time. Sánchez owns a tattoo shop in N.Y.C. with the person who gave him his first tattoo in 1995. "When I started cooking, like tattooing it was considered an anti-establishment way of life," Sánchez told the Napa Valley Register in 2015 (he was even getting a tattoo during the interview). As his culinary fame expanded, so did his literal body of work.

Sánchez's goatee and ink collection might give off a tough guy vibe (especially when he crosses his arms), but he's a happy-go-lucky, family-man type. For Sánchez, life is about celebrating your roots, connecting with people, and finding happiness through that. In this way, his love for tattoos and food share a common bond.

If accessorizing with abandon is the mark of a powerful female chef cementing her legacy, play on Nancy Silverton, play on. Few celebrity chefs on this list have been around half as long as Silverton. In the 1980s, the native Californian put her classically trained sensibilities to good use, working as the pastry chef at Wolfgang Puck's legendary Spago, then opening restaurants and bakeries of her own. When Silverton began featuring more on food television, her flair for bold fashion was impossible to ignore.

Silverton's '90s look consisted of pulling her curls into a high ponytail and sporting an apron with plain clothing. As time went on, she tired of the mundane aesthetic. Like the true artisan she is, Silverton decided to totally morph her style. As she told The Cut, "I have developed a deep desire to wear stylish clothes. My first restaurant job, I wore Levis and a T-shirt. With my age and financial situation, I have been fortunate to be able to afford the clothes I love. I can put on a Marni or even a Gucci outfit, go to work, and put on my White Bark apron over it." And that curly hair of hers? It's twisted into a bun with a dozen hair clips. We wouldn't have her any other way.

When Chef Michael O'Hare appeared on BBC Two's "Great British Menu" in 2015, he didn't look or cook like anyone else who had been on the show. As the owner of The Man Behind The Curtain, an avant-garde, Michelin star restaurant in Leeds, O'Hare seemed on track to usher in a new era of the U.K. rebel chef — glam rock edition. A lot has changed for O'Hare since 2015, his look included.

His jet black, shaggy mullet got a good amount of screen time, but not everything fun can last. The chef grew his tresses into a wavy blonde mane. The look is a full departure from his T.V. debut, and was years in the making. O'Hare favored a bleached version of the shag-mullet for a while, cut it short, then grew it out again.

O'Hare was looking like a fit surfer when The Man Behind The Curtain closed in late 2023. It was a loss, but not enough to cramp this chef's style. The restaurant was rebranded as Psycho Sandbar in 2024 and as far as we know, the food and O'Hare's locks are still flowing.

Salt Bae is the ultimate enigma. Does he speak? He seems super rich. Wait, who is this man? He is Nusr-Et Gökçe and he hails from Turkey. He did get super rich after a clip of him campily salting steak became so popular online that it sent his luxury steakhouse business into overdrive. He assumed the persona of Salt Bae and speaks very little. He has little round glasses and a little mustache. Before his life of luxury, Gökçe was a different person.

He was born in a stone shack in the Turkish village of Pasali. At 12, he left school and became a butcher's apprentice to help the family finances. Gökçe said he grew up wearing clothes that were two sizes too big, which made him uncomfortable. Now, he prefers Italian suits. The boyish physique and unibrow Gökçe had in the old days have vanished. His facial hair is manicured, his bod totally ripped. The cap he wore as a young butcher was traded in for a sleek man bun.

The circumstances by which Gökçe came to butchering were rough, but he took it seriously. In 2010, he opened his first restaurant. Before his viral moment, Gökçe was known to wear a deep v-neck t-shirt and dark slacks at work. He still dons this uniform when performing his come-hither way of salting steak (called a Salt Bae) during dinner service at his steakhouses.