The Short Answer: Married to Alden Lovelace
Emeril Lagasse married Alden Lovelace on May 13, 2000. The celebrity chef was 40 and Lovelace, a real estate broker, became his third wife. Twenty-six years later, they remain together — the longest and happiest of his three marriages, by all accounts.
Their relationship has been a model of stability in the volatile world of celebrity chefs. While Lagasse built a restaurant empire and became a Food Network icon with his Bam! catchphrase, Lovelace stayed largely out of the spotlight, raising their two children and managing the family's private life.
Lagasse is effusive about her publicly: birthday tributes on Instagram, anniversary posts, and constant credit for keeping him grounded. In November 2024, he posted a gushing birthday message calling her his beautiful wife — 24 years into the marriage and still going strong.
Who Is Emeril Lagasse?
Emeril John Lagasse III was born October 15, 1959, in Fall River, Massachusetts, to a Portuguese-American mother and French-Canadian father. A drummer who turned down a music scholarship to pursue cooking, he graduated from Johnson and Wales University and became executive chef of Commander's Palace in New Orleans at 23.
In 1990, at 30, he opened Emeril's in New Orleans — the flagship of an empire that would span Las Vegas, Orlando, and beyond. His Food Network shows (Emeril Live, Essence of Emeril) made him America's most famous chef in the late 1990s and early 2000s, with Bam! entering the pop-culture lexicon.
Now 66, Lagasse has handed the culinary torch to son E.J., who took over Emeril's flagship at 19 in 2023. The father watches proudly from the family's Destin, Florida home base.
Marriage Timeline
1978-1986: Elizabeth Kief. Lagasse married his first wife, Elizabeth Kief, in 1978 after meeting her at a Massachusetts restaurant. They had two daughters, Jessica and Jillian, before divorcing.
1989-1996: Tari Hohn. His second marriage, to fashion designer Tari Hohn, produced no children and ended in divorce.
May 13, 2000: Alden Lovelace. Third time proved the charm. Lagasse, 40, married Lovelace, and they had two children: son Emeril John Lagasse IV (E.J.) and daughter Meril Lovelace Lagasse.
2000-present: 26 years. The marriage has outlasted the first two combined several times over, weathering restaurant empire-building, TV fame, and the move to Destin, Florida.
Current Status: Still Together
As of 2026, Emeril Lagasse and Alden Lovelace are still married — 26 years. TV Insider confirmed in 2025 that the couple remains together, noting Lagasse's public birthday tributes and their life in Destin, Florida.
Their children are now adults: E.J., born around 2003-2004, is the chef de cuisine at Emeril's in New Orleans, carrying the family name into a third generation. Daughter Meril, the youngest of Lagasse's four, turned 21 in late 2025 — celebrated with a rare family photo Lagasse shared on Instagram.
At 66 (turning 67 in October 2026), Lagasse is in the patriarch phase: proud father, doting husband, and the man who made Bam! a household word.
About Alden Lovelace
Alden Lovelace is a real estate broker who married into culinary royalty and chose privacy over publicity. Unlike the wives of many celebrity chefs, she has no TV career, no cookbook, no brand — just a 26-year marriage and two accomplished kids.
She occasionally appears in Lagasse's social media — birthday tributes, anniversary posts, family photos — always presented with evident adoration. Friends describe her as the family's steady center.
The Lagasse-Lovelace marriage is proof that the third time can be the charm, and that marrying outside the industry works.
The First Two Marriages
Lagasse's first marriage to Elizabeth Kief (1978-1986) coincided with his rise from culinary student to Commander's Palace chef. They had daughters Jessica and Jillian. His second, to Tari Hohn (1989-1996), overlapped with the opening of Emeril's and his early TV fame.
Both ended in divorce — the casualties, perhaps, of a career that demanded everything. By the time he met Lovelace in the late 1990s, Lagasse was established enough to build a marriage on sturdier ground.
He has rarely discussed the earlier marriages in detail, preferring to focus on the present: 26 years with Alden and counting.
What Fans Also Ask
Fans asking who Emeril Lagasse is dating usually want his wife's story, his kids, and his restaurant empire. The answers below cover the most-searched questions.
Three marriages, four kids, one Bam! — and 26 years with Alden. Emeril found the recipe that works.
The Restaurant Empire
Emeril's restaurant empire peaked at over a dozen locations: Emeril's and NOLA in New Orleans, Delmonico Steakhouse and Table 10 in Las Vegas, Emeril's Orlando, and more. The flagship Emeril's — opened in 1990 in a converted New Orleans pharmacy warehouse — earned Wine Spectator Grand Awards and national acclaim.
In 2008, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia acquired his media and merchandising assets, while Lagasse retained his restaurants. The business weathered recessions, Katrina (which devastated New Orleans dining), and the pandemic.
Now son E.J. runs the flagship, and the empire is a family business in the truest sense. At 66, Emeril built something that outlasts TV fame: restaurants that feed people, run by his kid. Bam indeed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Emeril Lagasse dating?
Emeril Lagasse is married to Alden Lovelace. They wed on May 13, 2000, and have been together for 26 years.
How many times has Emeril Lagasse been married?
Emeril Lagasse has been married three times: to Elizabeth Kief (1978-1986), Tari Hohn (1989-1996), and Alden Lovelace (since 2000).
Does Emeril Lagasse have kids?
Yes, Emeril Lagasse has four children: daughters Jessica and Jillian with first wife Elizabeth Kief, and son E.J. and daughter Meril with Alden Lovelace.
How old is Emeril Lagasse?
Emeril Lagasse is 66 years old. He was born on October 15, 1959, in Fall River, Massachusetts, and turns 67 in October 2026.
Who took over Emeril's restaurant?
Emeril's son E.J. Lagasse became a chef and took over his father's flagship Emeril's restaurant in New Orleans in 2023 at age 19.
Where does Emeril Lagasse live?
Emeril Lagasse and his family live in Destin, Florida, after previously being based in New Orleans.
What is Emeril Lagasse famous for?
He is famous for his New Orleans restaurants, his Food Network shows (Emeril Live), his Bam! catchphrase, and his New New Orleans cuisine.