Everybody starts somewhere, and that somewhere can be dramatically different to where they end up. Looking at this picture, you could almost be forgiven if you didn't recognize the bearded chap at the bottom, looking as if he regrets his life choices - but that really is Sir Elton John, sitting in what could pass for a prison cell, as he waits to perform at Doug Weston's Troubador in Los Angeles in 1970. That cold brickwork and the peeling walls are long way from the Vegas glamour that was waiting for him just a few years down the line.
A man who's always worn his heart on his sleeve amongst many other decorations, ever since making it to the big time Elton's life has been one long procession of hats and hit and high fashion, becoming a British icon and a Knight of the Realm. We wonder if he even remembers how he felt on this night, before it all started? And if he does, can he tell us what on Earth he has in his hand?
Chefs made their way into celebrity land a while ago. But how many celebrities that weren’t trained as professional cooks are actually whizzes in the kitchen? Here are several that come to mind.
Actress Julia Roberts is confident about her cooking skills. “I’m quite a good cook,” she told E! News. “I’m like a closet home ec teacher…I can really cook anything.” Roberts has said she often cooks fish for herself and her kids. And speaking of her three children, “They think that I’m a good cook,” Roberts told People. “They actually told me that I should open a restaurant.” She also relishes cooking for the holidays, particularly shredded Brussel sprouts. Roberts hasn’t published a cookbook, but we did find recipes attributed to her for peach crisp and banana hemp muffins. Or you can make the same summer salad the actress supposedly eats.
Chrissy Teigen started off as a supermodel. Then her love of cooking filtered into her professional life too. At this point, she’s created recipes for a limited Blue Apron release and also just launched her own home and cooking line at Target named “Cravings,” after the two cookbooks she’s released. Teigen describes cooking as “a time of peace” for herself. So maybe peace out to her tuna melt sandwich or the fried chicken wings that are a favorite of her husband, John Legend.
Lady Gaga, whose real name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, comes from a cooking Italian family. Her father started his own restaurant in New York and also published a cookbook. And apparently, Lady Gaga has inherited the family’s cooking genes. Her Instagram account occasionally features photos of her culinary activities. Sure, sometimes it’s topless cooking. But other times it’s more poignant like in the post she shared about her bringing food to the family of her dear friend who passed away. Want to try a Gaga/Germanotta family favorite? Check out her recipe for whole wheat pasta with a sweet fennel sauce.