Generally if they've held a good position in a great/respected restaurant they are (Michael Chiarello, Rick Bayless, Batali) and then there are people like the Neelys, who run a great BBQ joint in Memphis but aren't really chefs and have a dumb show. Or Alton Brown, who isn't respected as a chef but runs a respectable show. read more
Though their resume may lack culinary school, celebrity chefs who aren't actually chefs have taken the industry by storm. read more