JAMIE OLIVER—EST. $315 MILLION

Jamie grew up in a small village called Clavering in Essex. His parents run a bar called The Cricketers. Because of Jamie’s dyslexia, his school life was not very smooth and he could not graduate smoothly. There are a few celebrity chefs in the world whose name can evoke earnestness as well as Jamie Oliver. This was the guy who made a whole show about his attempts to persuade schools into serving their students with healthy meals, and who cried about it when they decidedly didn’t listen.

To be sure, it was a noble idea, and Oliver can be commended for trying. But, really, he needs to have thicker skin. In any case, it’s not just his shows that have been bringing in the bucks. As it happens, he’s made some very wise investment choices and owns more than a handful of restaurants around the world that have successfully been able to bank on his celebrity chef status.