America's Most Successful Chefs Slideshow

He's not a household name, but with help from investor Oliver Grace, Palmer has slowly but surely built an empire with an annual revenue estimated at more than $30 million. After a stint at the River Café in Brooklyn, Palmer gained fame as chef-proprietor of the original Aureole in Manhattan (once given four stars by The New York Times). Aureole still exists in another New York location (there is also one in Las Vegas), but today Palmer's holdings also include nine other restaurants (three of them dubbed Charlie Palmer Steak), the home goods store Lime Stone, and the Hotel Healdsburg in Sonoma County; he also designs menus for Seabourn Cruises. 

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