Mark Peel Net Worth – $10 million
What was Mark Peel’s net worth at the time of his death? Who was Mark Peel married to?
Introduction
Award-winning chef, restauranteur, and the pioneer of farm-to-table cuisine, Mark Peel left behind a legacy that has shaped the cuisine of Southern California.
Let’s explore everything we know about the renowned chef Mark Peel.
The Origin Story
Mark Peel was born in Los Angeles on November 19, 1954.
His parents, Fred and Cheryl were both schoolteachers who met at University and eventually got married.
When Peel was in the fifth grade, however, his parents decided to get divorced.
Peel and his siblings grew up with their mother.
Since she wasn’t a good cook, he found himself spending a lot of time in the kitchen.
While going to school, Peel worked as a dishwasher and fried cook to support himself.
He attended a few different universities and took courses in medicine, history, and agricultural economics.
Peel transferred to Cal Poly Pomona and studied hotel and restaurant management.
With only a few credits left before graduation, Peel dropped out of school and decided to work in restaurants full-time instead.
In 2010, the university granted him a degree.
Work as a Chef
@Getty
Mark Peel’s first job in the culinary world was an apprenticeship under Wolfgang Puck at Ma Maison in October 1975.
In 1978, he spent some time in France at Moulin de Mougins, Potel et Chabot, and La Tour d’Argent.
In 1979, when Michael’s was launched in Santa Monica, he became the sous chef there.
Then, in 1980, he became the pastry chef at Chez Panisse, and in 1981 he moved on to become the chef de cuisine at Spago.
Restaurants
Peel co-founded a La Brea Bakery in 1989 with Nancy Silverton.
Five months later, they co-founded a restaurant, Los Angeles’ Campanile restaurant.
The restaurant used high-quality farmers’ market ingredients and was wildly popular.
Peel worked as the Executive Chef at the restaurant for nearly two decades.
In 2001, La Brea Bakery was sold and became an international company.
Campanile closed in 2012, along with two more of Peel’s businesses.
Wives & Children
Mark Peel’s first wife was Reine River.
The pair were married from 1979 to 1982.
He then met and married Nancy Silverton in 1984.
Mark Peel and Nancy Silverton – @Getty
They had three children together and entered into many business ventures together.
They divorced in 2004.
Peel then went on to marry a comedian named Daphne Brogdon in 2005.
Chef Mark Peel and Daphne Brogdon – @Getty
The couple had two children together, however, in 2018, they separated. She then filed for divorce in January 2019.
Philanthropic Endeavors
Mark organized several Food and Wine Festival fundraisers.
“St Vincent’s Meals on Wheels delivers to homebound people every day, and it enables people to stay in their homes to extend their lives to have contact with other people,” Mark said in an interview with KCAL News.
“It’s a wonderful organization. We were just talking earlier, right before we started here. It’s so important to have that even just the human interaction with a lot of these people who are homebound.”
Peel also actively participated in fundraising activities for culinary scholarships for schools in Los Angeles as well as sponsoring various campaigns.
During the 2007-2008 Writer’s Strike, Peel created the ”Writer’s Soup Kitchen” at the Campanile restaurant.
Awards
Between 1990 and 2012, Peel received eight different awards for his culinary skills and the Campanile restaurant.
These awards included, Food & Wine Magazine Best New Chefs in 1990, The James Beard Foundation Outstanding Restaurant Award in 2001, and the California Restaurant Association Chef of the Year Award in 2005.
Authorship
Peel authored three cookbooks.
The cookbook he wrote with Martha Rose Shulman, New Classic Family Dinners, was one of the Top Ten Cookbooks of 2009 on Amazon.
Food and Wine also selected this book as one of the Top Twenty-Five Cookbooks of 2009.
Television Appearances
Suzanne Tracht, executive chef, Jar and Mark Peel – @Getty
He was featured on Kitchen Nightmares, Knife Fight, and Hell’s Kitchen.
Peel was also a contestant on Top Chef Masters twice in his lifetime and served as a judge on Top Chef in 2009 and 2010.
Peel appeared on the Food Network, Hallmark Channel, and others to demonstrate different cooking techniques.
How did Peel die?
In June 2021, Mark Peel was admitted to the hospital with complaints of suffering from unusual pains.
Nine days later, he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of germ cell cancer.
Mark Peel died on June 20, 2021, in Los Angeles, at the age of 66.
READ MORE: Rachel Campos-Duffy Net Worth
Mark Peel – Net Worth
So, how much was Mark Peel worth?
Peel accrued most of his wealth from selling copies of his books, working as the Executive Chef at Campanile for over 20 years, working as head chef of Spago, as well as managing his other businesses, especially La Brea Bakery.
In March 2009, Peel sold his house in Windsor Square for $3.25 million. Mark bought the house in 2008 for $3.1 million.
Therefore, at the time of his death, Mark Peel had an estimated net worth of $10 million.
READ THIS NEXT: What is Lior Bitton’s net worth?
As the owner of FamousPeopleToday.com and managing editor, Bulgarea Candin Stefan leads the way in creating informative and insightful content on celebrity net worths. His professional, authoritative voice shines through every article, providing readers with valuable, unique information.