Television has been bringing us great cooking since the culinary styling of Julia Child, and as programming has evolved to include a handful of competitive cooking series and an entire Food network, so too have the chefs of our time. Many of the country’s greatest chefs would probably not be as widely known outside the foodie community today, were it not for television bringing them and their culinary expertise right into the comfort of our living rooms. Sharing their techniques and their recipes has changed the way many of us approach cooking, encouraging a large number of viewers to try new things.

10. Rocco DiSpirito

Not only is Rocco one of the hottest chefs on television, he’s changed the way people think about food time and time again.

Before his television series, Rocco Gets Real, he hosted a radio talk show on WOR. Throughout the course of his career, he’s appeared as a guest judge on Bravo’s Top Chef and as a dancer on Dancing with the Stars.

9. Eric Ripert

One of the most exciting things about French chef Eric Ripert is his evident love for food. Watching him prepare a dish makes me wish I had the kind of finesse and expertise he obviously possesses.  Along with appearing in numerous television series as a guest chef, he recently kicked off a PBS broadcast companion show to coincide with his web series Avec Eric.

8. Anthony Bourdain

Every time I see Anthony Bourdain, whether it’s on his regular series, No Reservations, or as a guest on series like Bravo’s Top Chef, I get excited. His adventurous love affair with food has made him not only a valuable critic, but a well-versed expert when it comes to flavor and style. I will probably never reach the level of adventurousness Bourdain has, but I definitely respect and admire him as a chef.

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7. Emeril Lagasse

A top television chef list wouldn’t be complete without Emeril Lagasse. Known for his dramatic, in-your-face approach to cooking, Lagasse has not only hosted a variety of television series, he’s also appeared as a guest on shows like Jon and Kate Plus 8, Top Chef and Iron Chef America.

6. Cristeta Comerford

As the first woman to hold the position of White House Chef, Comerford is also the first person of ethnic minority to take on the role of providing meals for first family. Though she has not made too many television appearances, she did team up with Bobby Flay against Mario Batali and Emeril Lagasse in a tag team cook-off on Iron Chef America.

5. Bobby Flay

As host to eight Food Network television series, Bobby Flay is one of the most prolific television chefs on the tube. He is also one of the most popular choices for contestants to face-off against on Iron Chef America. Flay has also hosted numerous series outside of Food Network, including a 1990s show on Lifetime Network. Currently he hosts a twice-monthly segment on CBS’s The Morning Show, and is set to take on an NBC reality show called America’s Next Great Restaurant.

4. Rachael Ray

Author and television personality, Rachael Ray, climbed to fame after signing a contract with King World Productions and Oprah Winfrey. Ray had appeared on The Oprah Winfrey show, and after gathering a following for her thirty-minute meals concept, won the opportunity to host her own series. To date she’s appeared on numerous television series as a guest and has written seventeen cookbooks.

3. Alton Brown

Creator of Food Network shows like Good Eats and Feasting on Asphalt, Alton Brown is a regular contributor to Bon Appetit Magazine and the commentator on Iron Chef America. Brown has also appeared in a variety of television commercials for companies like GE, Welch’s Grape Juice and Dannon Yogurt, and 2008 made a special voice appearance in popular cartoon, Spongebob Squarepants.

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2. Martin Yan

When I worked in the food industry, we used to have a lot of fun chopping veggies and quoting Martin Yan, from Yan Can Cook. “Cut it up, cut it up, cut it up!” All throughout the 1980s, Yan was one of the most well-known chefs on American and Canadian television, teaching the everyday cook how to prepare simple, but delicious Asian cuisine. Since his Yan Can Cook days, Yan has appeared as a guest on several shows, and even provided a voice on the cartoon Space Ghost Coast to Coast.

1. Julia Child

Long before the popular book and film, Julie and Julia, Julia Child was a major icon in the culinary world. From the early 1960s on through the 1990s, Child entered into the kitchens and living rooms of aspiring cooks all over the globe, teaching us how to prepare French cuisine in a unique voice that convinced us all that cooking was only as difficult as we made it.

There are so many talented chefs that I wanted to add to this list, but with only ten slots to fill, I feel I did a great disservice to Gordon Ramsay, Tom Colicchio and several others. No matter who your favorite television chefs, the constant wave of talented cooks continues growing leaps and bounds, and as a foodie who loves to eat, I welcome each new recipe and chef with open arms.