Trust AAE Speakers Bureau for Booking Top Professional Speakers. Find a Keynote Speaker Today.
Trust AAE Speakers Bureau for Booking Top Professional Speakers. Find a Keynote Speaker Today.
Rick Bayless

Rick Bayless

Keynote Speaker: Award-Winning Chef, Cookbook Author, & TV Personality Known for His Authentic Mexican Cuisine

Rick Bayless Biography

Most people know Rick Bayless from winning the title of Bravo’s Top Chef Masters, beating out the French and Italian with his authentic Mexican cuisine. His highly rated Public Television series, "Mexico–One Plate at a Time," is broadcast coast to coast and has earned him multiple Daytime Emmy nominations for Best Culinary Host.

Bayless has nine cookbooks. His second book, "Mexican Kitchen," won the Julia Child IACP cookbook of the year award in 1996, and his fourth book, "Mexico–One Plate at a Time" won James Beard Best International Cookbook of the Year award in 2001.

His side by side award-winning restaurants are in Chicago. The casual "Frontera Grill" was founded in 1987 and received the James Beard Foundation’s highest award, Outstanding Restaurant, in 2007. The 4-star "Toplobampo," which served its first meals in 1991, earned the Beard Foundation’s award for Outstanding Restaurant in 2017 — an unprecedented feat for side-by-side restaurants. The wildly popular, LEED GOLD-certified, fast-casual "Xoco" has been around since 2009, serving wood-oven tortas, steaming caldos, golden churros and bean-to-cup Mexican hot chocolate. In 2018, Bayless and his daughter Lanie opened "Bar Sótano," a speakeasy-style mezcal bar with modern Mexican bar food. In 2016, he opened two new restaurants in Chicago’s bustling West Loop neighborhood — the Baja-inspired, wood-fired "Leña Brava" and the adjacent "Cervecería Cruz Blanca," a craft brewery and Oaxacan-style taquería.

Rick and his staff established the Frontera Farmer Foundation in 2003 to support small Midwestern farms. Each year, grants are awarded to farmers for capital improvements to their family farms, encouraging greater production and profitability. To date, the Foundation has awarded nearly 200 grants totaling nearly $2 million. In 2007, Bayless and his team launched the Frontera Scholarship, a full-tuition scholarship that sends a Mexican-American Chicago Public School student to Kendall College to study culinary arts. In 2007 Rick was awarded the Humanitarian of the Year by the International Association of Culinary Professionals for his many philanthropic endeavors.

Rick has received a great number of James Beard Award nominations in many categories, and he has won seven: Midwest Chef of the Year, National Chef of the Year, Humanitarian of the Year, Who’s Who of American Food and Drink, Best Podcast, plus two for his cookbooks. The Government of Mexico has bestowed on Bayless the Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle–the highest decoration bestowed on foreigners whose work has benefitted Mexico and its people. In 2016, he earned the Julia Child Foundation Award, a prestigious honor given to “an individual who has made a profound and significant impact on the way America cooks, eats and drinks.”

Contact a speaker booking agent to check availability on Rick Bayless and other top speakers and celebrities.

Rick Bayless Videos

Rick Bayless Staff Trip: Oaxaca 2019!
Rick Bayless Speech: Growth With Integrity
Food Tank Chicago Summit - Keynote Address Rick Bayless

How do I book Rick Bayless to speak at my event?

Our experienced booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure speakers like Rick Bayless for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment since 2002. Click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page to check availability for Rick Bayless, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get speaking fee information and check availability for Rick Bayless or any other speaker of your choice.

How much does it cost to book Rick Bayless for a speaking engagement?

Speaking fees for Rick Bayless, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fees to book Rick Bayless are $50,000 - $100,000 for live events and $10,000 - $20,000 for virtual events. For the most current speaking fee to hire Rick Bayless, click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent.

What topics does Rick Bayless speak about?

Rick Bayless is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as Entertainers, Celebrity Chef, Television & Film, Food & Beverage, Nutrition, Authors, Hosts & Emcees, Celebrity, Health and Lifestyle.

Where does Rick Bayless travel from?

Rick Bayless generally travels from Chicago, IL, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances.

Who is the agent for Rick Bayless?

AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully secured keynote speakers like Rick Bayless for clients worldwide since 2002. As a full-service speaker booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Please click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page including the details of your event, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Rick Bayless for your next private or corporate function.

What is a full-service speaker booking agency?

AAE Speakers Bureau is a full-service speaker booking agency, meaning we can completely manage the speaker’s or celebrity’s engagement with your organization from the time of booking your speaker through the event’s completion. We provide all of the services you need to host Rick Bayless or any other speaker of your choice, including offer negotiation, contractual assistance, accounting and billing, and event speaker travel and logistics services. When you book a speaker with us, we manage the process of hosting a speaker for you as an extension of your team. Our goal is to give our clients peace of mind and a best-in-class service experience when booking a speaker with us.

Why is AAE Speakers Bureau different from other booking agencies?

If you’re looking for the best speaker recommendations, paired with a top-notch customer service experience, you’re in the right place. At AAE Speakers Bureau, we exclusively represent the interests of our clients - professional organizations, companies, universities, and associations. We intentionally do not represent the speakers we feature or book. That is so we can present our clients with the broadest and best performing set of speaker options in the market today, and we can make these recommendations without any obligation to promote a specific speaker over another. This is why when our agents suggest a speaker for your event, you can be assured that they are of the highest quality with a history of proven success with our other clients.


Rick Bayless is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics including Entertainers, Celebrity Chef and Television & Film. The estimated speaking fee range to book Rick Bayless for live events is $50,000 - $100,000, and for virtual events $10,000 - $20,000. Rick Bayless generally travels from Chicago, IL, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Art Smith, Stephanie Izard and Carla Hall. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Rick Bayless for an upcoming event.

Rick Bayless Videos

Rick Bayless Staff Trip: Oaxaca 2019!
Rick Bayless Speech: Growth With Integrity
Food Tank Chicago Summit - Keynote Address Rick Bayless

Rick Bayless News

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All American Entertainment (AAE) exclusively represents the interests of talent buyers, and does not claim to be the agency or management for any speaker or artist on this site. AAE is a talent booking agency for paid events only. We do not handle requests for donation of time or media requests for interviews, and cannot provide celebrity contact information.