How Joe Bastianich Achieved a Net Worth of $15 Million
When Joseph Bastianich was born in 1963 in Astoria, Queen, with two immigrants, Felice and Lidia Bastianich from Italy, who moved to the United States, it did not cross his mind that he would follow in his parent’s footsteps and become a celebrated top chef one day. When the time came to choose what to study in college, the little man decided to go a different path from his parents, who were famous for serving Italian cuisine. He applied to study Political science and Philosophy at Boston College. After graduation, he began his career as a bond trader for Wall Street’s Merrill Lynch. Soon, his calling to be a chef became strong, and he abandoned that bond career to go back and join the family restaurant business, making him famous and wealthy. This article sheds light on Joe Bastianich Net Worth, and how he attained it. Read on.
American Restaurateur
After realizing that he had a passion for food, he returned home to help in the family business. Bastianich formed a partnership with his mum and another chef called Mario Batali to establish several high-end restaurants and Eatery serving unique cuisines that many food lovers began to frequent. According to The Richest, this business started to boom, which resulted in the business expanding to cater to the high demand. They had to make it a franchise business known for serving Italian cuisine in significant towns in different countries by opening shops in those areas. Bastianich was involved in a scandal that would affect his reputation, but he survived it after making a deal with the New York Attorney who was investigating him. The first restaurant that he opened was called Becco in 1993. This was in the midtown area in Manhattan, where he began to offer Italian Eatery on the menu. The joint is still famous and has welcomed customers till now. After meeting Batali at a foundation dinner celebrating journalism awards, Batali was already an established chef and restaurant owner. These two individuals from a great friendship decided to go into business together. The first restaurant they opened was called Babbo after they sported an open space that was available for rent in Michelin. Babbo became famous and led these two friends to form a hospitality group known as Bastianich & Batali Hospitality Group, which included the favorite Del Posto joint in New York. Other high-end restaurants were open in Manhattan, Las Vegas, and other major cities across the US.
Television Personality
The success of Bastianich’s eatery businesses brought wide fame to him. This led Fox TV to contact him when they were about to start a cooking reality competition show known as “MasterChef” in 2010. According to Reuter, this show was a version of another British series that was coming to the USA. As a judge in the show, Bastianich was straight shooting to the competitors, and viewers started to say he was mean, like the American Idol judge called Simon Cowell, who was a bad guy to many. He admitted that his judgments are for the best intention of the contestant because he loves and takes cooking very seriously. In 2013, another MasterChef cooking competition for the junior’s category was created where Bastianich was again the judge. This show featured children from ages 8-to 13. In this series, Bastianich becomes equally a no-nonsense judge. In 2014, Bastianich called it a day for the seniors and juniors”MasterChef” reality shows. He wanted to focus on the upcoming show that he was about to start that would air on CNBC called “Restaurant Startup.” This show was to educate people on how to run a business setup, and the winners of the show were going to receive prize money from Bastianich to invest in their business. He became the Executive producer of this show and hired three other judges to be part of his team for the show’s success. In 2018, Bastianich returned to the “Masterchef” show after the show organizers welcomed him back. Fans of the show were delighted with the news because they loved him, and he continued from where he left on season 8. He is still part of the show ever since.
Author
In 2010, after turning 40, Joe Bastianich’s father Felice became ill and passed away that same year. Bastianich was devastated by that loss until he started writing a book to cope with whatever was going on in his life. According to Mashes, he released a book in 2012 which was a memoir “Restaurant Man “which he maintained that he was writing what was coming from his heart while paying homage to his parents, the life experience that he has faced from being an immigrant to a rich person. Many readers criticized the book because people expected something different from what it contained. But in his defense, he explained that he had no intention of writing a fluff book. He has been honest and been himself.
Musician
It appears Bastianich is a jack of all trade. He also made part of his fortune as a performing artist. He has been quoted saying that his grandmother bought him a guitar which sparked his passion for music. Furthermore, he is a songwriter who composes his songs and writes for other artists. Occasionally he goes to perform in live events in New York City. In one interview, he mentions that music helps him to showcase his emotions and express who he is as a person.
Winemaker
Bastianich also is into the prosperous business of wine creation. In 1997, he established Bastianich winery, which has 27 hectares of vineyard in Italy. He has co-founded two of the best wineries in Italy in two distinct areas known as DOC Colli Orientali del Friuli. Additionally, he co-authored a wine book that became the best-selling wine book. They supply some of the best rich wines globally and make so much from that business.
Conclusion
We can see from every business that Joe Bastianich has a venture that success can be possible. What you need to do is become a financial genius and dime out in every opportunity that presents itself to become successful.