Is Martha Stewart a Chef? All About Her Culinary Career: "I've Never..."
The Yes, Chef! host has learned about cooking from some of the best out there, including her mother.
Martha Stewart is one of two hosts of NBC's Yes, Chef! alongside José Andrés, but her own relationship to that word is nuanced. Is Martha Stewart, in fact, a chef?
Yes, she is, but her path to culinary success is not a typical one. The Michelin Guide describes Stewart as a "self-taught chef." From coming up with hacks to make the fluffiest pancakes to revealing the simple deliciousness of an onion sandwich, Martha Stewart has been showcasing her game-changing culinary expertise for decades.
Getting her start in modeling as a teen to her career on Wall Street and then eventually launching her own catering business, Stewart's resumé is impressive, and cooking has long been a central part of her empire that made her a self-made billionaire. In fact, whipping up a good meal extends to her day-to-day rituals at her farm and projects with her bestie, The Voice Coach, rap icon, and fellow entrepreneur Snoop Dogg.
So how exactly did Stewart get her start in the culinary world? Read on to find out.
Did Martha Stewart go to culinary school?
While she did not attend a traditional culinary school nor has she worked in a restaurant, Stewart is certainly considered a chef by many. From creating original recipes, running a successful catering business, and writing countless cookbooks, Stewart has long been revered as a culinary expert who's shared her knowledge with millions through the years.
As we noted, the Michelin Guide considers Stewart a "self-taught chef." In a 2025 interview with NBC Insider, Stewart revealed she's never taken a cooking class but has studied the subject on her own. “I’ve never taken a professional cooking class, actually, but I’ve learned," she said.
Growing up in New Jersey, Stewart's mother, who's also named Martha, taught her how to cook. Stewart has called her mother her "greatest teacher." The Yes, Chef! host also trained herself by studying Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Additionally, she's gotten to work with and learn from famous chefs including David Bouley, Daniel Boulud, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, and David Chang.
Professionally, after working as a stockbroker on Wall Street, Stewart started a catering company in the 1970s, making everything from scratch right out of her kitchen. Years later, Stewart wrote her first cookbook, Entertaining, in 1982. By the '90s, Martha Stewart Living, her magazine and television show, were in full force, and she continued to share her cooking knowledge with the world. In 1999, Stewart released her best-selling book Martha Stewart's Cooking School, which inspired her successful cooking show of the same name. Throughout her career, Stewart has written a whopping 100 books, detailing her years of experience, lessons, recipes, and more.
The lifestyle guru and multimedia mogul has since gone to open her first restaurant — The Bedford by Martha Stewart — where she serves many of her favorite recipes.
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Martha Stewart's catering business led her to her very first cookbook
During Episode 5 of Yes, Chef! on NBC, Stewart asked the aspiring chefs if they've ever experienced a bad review from a customer and shared a story from her own accomplished career. Specifically, when she tried to serve farm-raised young pigeon, a.k.a squab.
"When I was catering, I served squab," she recalled. "And a lot of people wanted to send it back."
Fortunately, Stewart's catering company led her to publisher Alan Mirken, who was so impressed by the food she served at a catering event that he asked her to write her first cookbook, Entertaining. "What really changed my life was the publication of Entertaining in 1982," she told MarthaStewart.com. "That really changed my life. I found my voice — and I think I'd found my career."
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Martha Stewart became "dear" friends with legendary chef Julia Child
Stewart's friendship with Snoop Dogg is well known, but many may not be aware of her backstory with legendary French chef, author, and TV personality Julia Child. Stewart has described Child, who passed away in 2004, as one her most "pivotal" teachers when it comes to cooking.
"The original teacher for me was Julia Child," she shared in a 2013 interview with Maclean's. "I got to meet her several times and work with her. She got me interested in haute cuisine. I cooked every single recipe in her two big volumes of Mastering the Art of French Cooking."
Child even appeared on an episode of Stewart's cooking show in the late '90s, and the duo made a croquembouche dessert together. "I have learned so much from you over the years and this has been a great treat," Stewart told Child, who made Stewart laugh when she responded, "We're wonderful people, are we not?"
Years after Child's passing, Stewart "poured one out" for her good friend during a 2017 episode of Martha & Snoop's Potluck Dinner Party. "It would be a crime to talk about French cooking without honoring the woman responsible for bringing to our kitchens the cuisine of France. She was a dear friend, she came to my house, and Julia's favorite wines were white burgundy, so I'm going to pour one out for my homie," she said, taking a swig of wine right out of the bottle and pouring the rest out. "That is a toast to Julia."
