From 'The Kitchen' to the Bank! Sunny Anderson's Net Worth In 2023
Sunny Anderson
Sunny Anderson's net worth in 2023 is courtesy of her cooking skills, but that isn't what she considers to be her life's work.
"I don't consider myself to be 'in food,'" she previously told Food Network. "I'm in life, and food is a major part of it. I try to do what I love, so I've always had careers surrounding that. I feel like I've already enjoyed so much leading up to this part of my life and I don't have any wants outside of what I'm presently in, which is the part of my life where I share my love of food and my recipes."
Find out how the veteran broadcaster got her big break, how much money she's made so far and how she really feels about Bobby Flay.
How did Sunny Anderson get her start?
An Oklahoma native, Anderson was an "Army brat" as a child and grew up moving and traveling frequently, which exposed her to a lot of different cultures and cuisines. She enlisted in the United States Air Force after graduating high school in 1993 and got her first taste for broadcasting on military radio while stationed in Seoul, South Korea. Upon returning to the States, Anderson became a broadcaster for the Air Force News Agency's radio and television divisions in San Antonio, Texas.
Anderson developed a love for the medium and continued her radio career when she was honorably discharged in 1997, becoming a presenter for several San Antonio stations, as well as local and regional radio stations in Fort Polk, Louisiana; Montgomery, Alabama, and Detroit. She moved to New York City in 2001, where she became a voice on iconic hip-hop station Hot 97 until 2003.
She was discovered while DJing on Hot 97.
"Someone from Food Network was a listener and knew that I cooked and that that I yap and talk like crazy, and they thought, 'Well, maybe the two together could work,'" she recalled to ABC News in 2013. "There is some innate skill in talking and chopping at the same time and looking at the camera and telling a story and not forgetting that something is burning on the burner behind you."
In 2003, Anderson got her first taste of the culinary business when she opened a catering company, Delicious Dishes, based in Jersey City, New Jersey. She made her Food Network debut on Emeril Live in October 2005, and by 2008 had her first show, How'd That Get On My Plate?.
Since then, she's become a host of Cooking for Real, the special series Gotta Get It and, of course, The Kitchen.
Related: Sunny Anderson's Best Tip for the Juiciest Steak
What is Sunny Anderson's net worth in 2023?
Sunny Anderson's net worth in 2023 is estimated at $5 million.
How much is Sunny on Food Network worth?
Anderson is a priceless treasure. In terms of financial net worth, hers is estimated to be in the $5 million range.
Was Sunny Anderson in the military?
Yes, she was! She was honorably discharged from the United States Air Force in 1997 with the rank of Senior Airman.
Related: How Sunny Anderson Copes With Ulcerative Colitis Flare-Ups
Are Bobby Flay and Sunny Anderson friends?
Anderson is indeed pals with Bobby Flay. She loves giving him a hard time on BBQ Brawl and Beat Bobby Flay, but they're close friends in real life—it's all playful ribbing between these two. That said, don't expect them to break bread at his house anytime soon: Anderson has joked that Flay hasn't invited her to dine at his home, and she jokingly gets on his case about it.
"I should never have to invite myself over. Other people will stand around me, and they will talk and brag about dinners that they had at this place," Anderson previously told Tasting Table. "I'm like, 'That's so rude, Bobby. Invite me or don't talk about it around me.'"
She added, "If I ever did go to his place for dinner, we need to make that public. It needs to be seen. People need to see me go to Bobby's place and eat in Bobby's kitchen. I told him, 'If I do this, I'm going to show up with cameras,' and he said no. I told him, I think it's because he doesn't want the 'gotcha' moment of being seen without his makeup on."
Related: Is Bobby Flay Married?
Why did Sunny leave The Kitchen?
Anderson didn't leave The Kitchen, but she missed several episodes in 2022 due to a family emergency. She previously explained in her Instagram Stories that the show films several episodes in a single day, so having to take one day off means being out of multiple appearances.
Is Sunny Anderson a trained chef?
Though she's a phenomenal cook, Anderson is not a trained chef.
How did Sunny Anderson learn how to cook?
Anderson began cooking as a child at home with her parents, having a deep and early love for being, well, in the kitchen. As an adult, she realized she had a talent for it, though she wasn't able to fit culinary school in with her radio schedule.
"As soon as I left home, I realized how much I loved to cook, but I knew it was something I wanted to do for a living when I started cooking for my friends," she previously told Parade. "I was a radio DJ at Hot 97 in New York, and people would ask me, 'Can you cook something for this studio session or press day?' At the heart of anyone who likes to cook is the need to share it, and the idea that people were willing to pay me for it really blew my mind. I was just trying to make my friends happy without going into debt, so I opened a catering company."
Where is Sunny Anderson's home?
Online sources, including the Food Network site, say that Anderson lives in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, but based on her Instagram posts she moved from the city to Pennsylvania a few years ago. "When I moved from Brooklyn to Rescue Mountain in 2016, I was looking for plenty of space for fetch and privacy," she said in an Instagram post in June 2022, while taking her followers on a tour of the new spots opening up near her home.
Anderson does frequent "pre-show shows" on Instagram Live, where she walks around her property and chats before episodes of The Kitchen air on Food Network. Anderson is very private about her home and her specific location, but does share some of her outdoor space and garden shenanigans on a separate Instagram page called Rescue Mountain Momma.
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