A chef, restaurant owner, TV host and cookbook author, Emerald John Lagasse was born on October 15, 1959, in Fall River, MA, and found his love a cooking in a Portuguese bakery where he worked as a teenager. Musically inclined, he won a scholarship to The New England Conservatory of Music for his talent on the drums, but he turned it down to go to Johnson and Wales University and pursue his dream of becoming a chef.
After graduating in 1978, Emeril Lagasse was hired as the executive chef at Dunfey’s Hyannis Resort in 1979. In 1983, at the same restaurant, he was nominated for chef of the year. Soon after, Lagasse moved to New Orleans and started working as the executive chef at the Commander’s Palace in 1985. Under his leadership, the Commander’s Palace gained a reputation as one of the best restaurants in New Orleans. In 1990, Lagasse opened his own restaurant, Emeril’s, and it was named Restaurant of the Year by Esquire Magazine the same year it opened.
Emeril Lagasse has hosted several TV cooking shows. The first was Emeril Live in 1997. From 2013-2016, Emeril’s Florida aired, and currently he is hosting Eat the World with Emeril Lagasse streaming on Amazon. Lagasse owns thirteen restaurants located in New Orleans, Las Vegas, Orlando and Bethlehem, PA. He has a line of spices, called Emeril’s, two lines of knives under the manufacturer, Wüsthof and a line of cookware with All Clad. Emeril Lagasse is very active in children’s charities, especially teaching children how to eat healthy. He is married with 4 children. Lagasse’s net worth is estimated at $70 million
