The immense wealth of billionaires is usually what surprises us mere mortals the most, but with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, it is his cooking skills that come as an unexpected revelation. While his Sunday pancake ritual is well documented and publicized, even a novice home cook knows that making pancakes is nowhere near the same culinary territory as mastering the traditional Spanish dish paella. The world’s second-richest man, currently worth $364 billion, apparently makes a good paella according to chef José Andrés. In an interview with Hola at the Airbnb.org gala in Los Angeles on October 28, 2026, the Spanish-born chef and restaurateur shared that people would be very surprised to know what an excellent cook Bezos actually is. Praising the tech tycoon’s paella really means something when it comes from the man who helped popularize tapas in the United States through Jaleo and whose Washington, D.C., restaurant minibar holds two Michelin stars.
For him to hold this 62-year-old billionaire’s cooking in such high regard is certainly more than merely returning a compliment. Back at the press conference following his first Blue Origin spaceflight on July 20, 2021, Bezos publicly introduced Andrés by noting that the chef makes a hell of a paella too. Maybe the billionaire does not always find the time to stir the pot in the kitchen, but it is safe to say that when he does, he executes it with extreme precision, meticulous attention to detail, and a strict adherence to the book. The proof lies in what his wife Lauren Sánchez shared in her January 2023 interview with The Wall Street Journal, where she described Bezos making pancakes every Sunday morning and pulling out the Betty Crocker cookbook every single time.
Despite being well-versed in the process, the perfectionist repeatedly consults a recipe he presumably knows by heart. This methodical approach to a familiar breakfast makes the claims about his delicious paella highly convincing. In addition to savory paellas and sweet pancakes, the Amazon billionaire also prides himself on making stellar craft cocktails. During a 2017 Summit conversation with his brother Mark, Bezos discussed a fantasy of becoming a bartender. He said, ‘I pride myself on my craft cocktails.’ If only the cocktails generated as many billions as his e-commerce empire, there is little doubt he would have already turned that hobby into a global enterprise by now.
The restaurateur also shared that the first lady of the $500 million megayacht Koru, Lauren, cooks and thoroughly enjoys spending time in the kitchen. She leaves the pancakes to Mr. Bezos, while her own breakfast specialty features fried eggs on flour tortillas with New Mexican green chile, a beloved recipe learned from her grandmother. There is clearly something special about preparing a meal from scratch. Although they can afford the world’s best personal chefs, Jeff and Lauren maintain intimate kitchen rituals that prove the way to the heart is indeed through the stomach.
Note – At the time of writing this article, according to Forbes, Jeff Bezos, who is worth $361 billion, is the second-richest person on earth.
