Klout, the social-media analytics firm, has ranked the top 10 most influential chefs using social media, with television chefs getting the highest scores.
Andrew Zimmern, the host of television’s “Bizarre Foods” on the Travel Channel, was named the most influential in the Klout Top 10 chef rankings, which were released this week. Klout first began tracking chefs in March, when the ranking firm debuted its first top 10 list.
Zimmern was followed by chefs Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Oliver, Anthony Bourdain and television personality Giada De Laurentiis. Klout ranks social-media users on a scale of 1 to 100, measuring influence across Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+ and YouTube.
“As tastemakers within the food industry, these chefs influence everyone from expert restaurateurs to the casual cook at home,” San Francisco-based Klout said on its blog.
Three newcomers arrived on Klout’s Top 10 list: Mark Bittman (@Bittman) at No. 7, “who often tweets his favorite recipes”; Jay Terauchi (@Chef_Jay) at No. 8, “who blogs about his food adventures”; and chef Mario Batali (@MarioBatali) at No. 9 for his prowess at responding “directly to his fans’ questions on how to pair ingredients or what restaurant to try.”
Falling out of the Top 10 since the March listing were: Bethenny Frankel (@Bethenny) of Skinny cocktails fame and notoriety on “The Real Housewives of New York City” reality television show; Cleveland-based “Iron Chef” Michael Symon (@ChefSymon); and Nadia “Nadia G.” Giosia (@BitchinKitchen), the host of the “Bitchin’ Kitchen” Canadian TV cooking show, chef and comedienne.
See the top 10 on the following page and click through for a closer look at the top 5.
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The top 10:
1. Andrew Zimmern
@AndrewZimmern
Chef, writer and host of Bizarre Food on the Travel Channel
Tweets: More than 6,202
Followers: Over 260,000
2. Gordon Ramsay
@GordonRamsay01
Global restaurant owner and chef, and host of Hell's Kitchen and Kitchen Nightmares, among other TV programs
Tweets: More than 2,160
Followers: Over 465,500
3. Jamie Oliver
@JamieOliver
Restaurant owner, chef, and creator and host of TV program Jamie's Food Revolution
Tweets: 6,940
Followers: Nearly 1.6 million
4. Anthony Bourdain
@NoReservations
Chef, author and host of No Reservations on the Travel Channel
Tweets: More than 4,090
Followers: Nearly 580,000
5. Giada De Laurentiis
@GDeLaurentiis
Chef and host of Everyday Italian and Giada at Home on the Food Network
Tweets: More than 3,500
Followers: Nearly 418,000
6. Paula Deen
@Paula_Deen
Chef and host of Paula's Home Cooking on the Food Network
Tweets: More than 2,300
Followers: Nearly 544,000
7. Mark Bittman
@Bittman
Cookbook author and columnist for The New York Times
Tweets: More than 3,130
Followers: Nearly 189,000
8. Jay Terauchi
@Chef_Jay
Chef and culinary social-media expert
Tweets: Nearly 29,000
Followers: 9,630
9. Mario Batali
@Mariobatali
Restaurant owner, chef and host of Molto Mario on the Food Network
Tweets: Nearly 2,600
Followers: Nearly 171,000
10. Tom Colicchio
@tomcolicchio
Restaurant owner, chef and host of Top Chef on Bravo
Tweets: Nearly 3,850
Followers: More than 216,000
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A closer look at the Top 5:
No. 1
Andrew Zimmern
@AndrewZimmern
Klout Score: 78
Klout Style: Celebrity
Twitter bio: “Chef, Writer, Traveler & TV Host of Bizarre Food. ***Catch New Episodes of Bizarre Foods Tuesday Nights @ 9pm E/P on Travel Channel!***”
Andrew Zimmern, host of “Bizarre Food” on the Travel Channel, is highly engaged with his Twitter followers, directly replying with many. He also posts personal pictures and shares glimpses of his daily life, such as the private jet he’s taking to a Toyota advertising shoot.
His Klout score is based on: Twitter, Facebook and Klout
Twitter followers as of Oct. 14: 261,076.
Sample Tweet:
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No. 2
GordonRamsay
@GordonRamsay01
Klout Score: 76
Klout Style: Thought Leader
Twitter bio: “Somewhere always near food.”
As the host of “Hell’s Kitchen” and a global restaurateur, Gordon Ramsay engages his followers with comments and personalized replies while subtly linking to his own recipes. He also provides a glimpse at his personal life with photos and observations.
His Klout score is based on: Twitter
Twitter followers as of Oct. 14: 465,293
Sample Tweet:
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No. 3
Jamie Oliver
@JamieOliver
Klout Score: 75
Klout Style: Thought Leader
Twitter bio: “The Official Jamie Oliver twitter page”
As the host of television’s “Food Revolution” and veteran of British cooking shows such as “The Naked Chef,” Jamie Oliver mixes direct conversations with his Twitter followers with links to information, a few promotions of his cookbooks and shows and observations of his world. He’s also a user of Instagram, the social-media iPhone app for photographs.
His Klout score is based on: Twitter
Twitter followers as of Oct. 14: 1,559,187
Sample Tweet:
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No. 4
Anthony Bourdain
@NoReservations
Klout Score: 73
Klout Style: Thought Leader
Twitter Bio: “Enthusiast”
As author and host of “No Reservations” on the Travel Channel, Bourdain posts photos and videos of his life and travels, lifting the kilt on many of his travels and projects. He has a way of playing a little blue that titillates as much as his on-screen persona.
His Klout score is based on: Twitter
Twitter followers as of Oct. 14: 579,668
Sample Tweet:
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No. 5
Giada De Laurentiis
@GDeLaurentiis
Klout Score: 71
Klout Style: Pundit
Twitter Bio: “Food Network Chef, Author, Mother and Paddle Surfer!”
Giada De Laurentiis, as the host of “Giada at Home” on the Food Network and “Everyday Italian” on the Cooking Channel, interacts with her followers personally and promotes her appearances and shows.
Her Klout score is based on: Twitter
Twitter followers as of Oct. 14: 417,624
Sample Tweet:
Contact Ron Ruggless at [email protected].
Follow him on Twitter: @RonRuggless