Last Updated on May 5, 2026 by Author
Profile
Ara Zada Biography
Ara Zada is an Armenian-American chef, content creator, and reality TV personality competing in Chopped: Castaways. Chopped: Castaways premieres on May 12, 2026, at 9|8c on Food Network. He has starred in PBS’s No Passport Required and Magnolia Network’s Recipe Lost and Found.
Ara Zada Height
Zada stands at a rough height of 5 feet and 7 inches.
Ara Zada Age
Zada was born on July 1st in the Los Angeles region, but keeps his year of birth away from the limelight; thus, his exact age is unknown. He annually celebrates his birthday on July 1st, as revealed by his Instagram post on July 1, 2024, captioned, “I made it another 365 days around the sun! Living every day to its fullest potential because you never know what tomorrow will have in store for you. I want to thank all of you for all your support!”
Personal Life
Ara Zada Family and Relatives
Zada was raised in the Los Angeles region, where he spent most of his younger years skateboarding and snowboarding. Regardless, he keeps more information regarding his family and relatives away from the public eye. However, we will update this information once it’s available to the public.
Ara Zada Spouse and Children
Zada tied the knot with Diana in April 2025 at the top of Mammoth Mountain after having been together for several years. On April 12, 2026, he shared their wedding ceremony on his Instagram account, captioning, “1 official year of marriage to my person. On our anniversary, I share with you all a snippet of our day. We took our friends…” He has four children, including Tessa Kenarique, Olivia Hunter, Zachary, and Alexander Kerian.
Alexander was born on January 26, 2010, and is 16 years old. On January 26, 2026, Diana posted a video of her and Alexander on her Instagram account, captioning, “16 years of memories flash in front of my eyes every time I look at you…We have done so much together in just 16 years, and the accomplishments you have achieved…Happiest birthday buddy!! I love you so much!!!”
Olivia was born on August 25, 2015, and is 10 years old. On August 25, 2025, Diana posted Olivia on her Instagram account, captioning, “10 years of loving you.. learning and growing with you.. a lifetime of memories we are so appreciative of…Happiest birthday…”
Zachary was born on March 6, 2015, and is 11 years old. On March 4, 2025, Diana posted a video of the family on her Instagram account, captioning, “My sweet boy…turned 11 today and I just can’t believe it! Join me in wishing this incredible young boy a happy birthday!!”
Tessa was born on November 10, 2016, and is 9 years old. On November 10, 2025, he posted Tessa on his Facebook account, captioning, “Our youngest daughter, who is now 9 years old today, has grown up so quickly! It’s incredible how time flies…Happy Birthday…” Tessa is a dancer at GottaDance Simi Valley. According to her Instagram bio, Tessa’s Instagram account is managed by her mother, Karen Zada. Beyond the kitchen, he is a bow hunter and triathlete who uses his free time training parkour.
Ara Zada Education
Zada received his high school diploma before enrolling at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts-Pasadena in 2009. In 2011, he graduated with an Associate of Arts degree in Culinary Arts/Chef Training.
Professional Life
Ara Zada Net Worth
Zada has garnered a net worth ranging from $100 000 to $2 million during his successful career as a chef, content creator, and reality TV personality.
Ara Zada Career
Zada co-authored Lavash-The bread that launched a 1,000 meals plus salads, stews, and other recipes from Armenia with Kate Leahy and John Lee. They toured Armenia and collected recipes from village to village, putting the recipes in the book to highlight the beauty of Armenian cuisine. He has made appearances on Fox Good Day LA, PBS’s No Passport Required, and Magnolia Network’s Recipe Lost and Found. Moreover, he competed on the Food Network series, 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing Season 3.
Since June 2011, he has worked as an executive chef and chef consultant at Fresh Gourmet Cuisine in Northridge, California. He was a field staff writer and recipe developer at Harvesting Nature in Los Angeles. Also, he worked as a freelance live TV and photo food stylist for CBS, NBC, ABC, TNT, Food Network, and Sony. He worked as a test kitchen chef at Breville USA in Torrance, California, between February 2012 and May 2015. Before that, he was a chef instructor at Jamie Oliver Food Foundation in Los Angeles.
Ara Zada Chopped: Castaways
Zada competes in Chopped: Castaways. Chopped: Castaways premieres on May 12, 2026, at 9|8c on Food Network. Hosted by Ted Allen, the show follows 12 chefs, including Barry, on a remote island as they finish physical challenges to earn basket ingredients and cook on an open flame, all with a $100,000 grand prize on the line. It features the judges Marcus Samuelsson, Gabe Bertaccini, and Maneet Chauhan. Similar to Survivor, chefs work in teams to build kitchens and cook, with underachievers facing a “Gauntlet” head-to-head battle. Zada competes alongside other chefs, including
- Aidan Barry Owens
- Carrie Baird
- Cate Meade
- Dwight Hudgins
- Hannah Flora
- James Peck
- Jean-Paul Bourgeois
- Logan Sandoval
- Paulette Tejada
- Stephen Kina
- Sunny Moody
Ara Zada Social Media
Zada has active social media platforms, i.e., Facebook and Instagram. He has a following of over 20K on Facebook and a following of over 140K on Instagram.
