Mount Vernon's Denzel Washington ins a bonafide legend of Hollywood. Acting was the furthest thing from his mind during his early life, though - his father was a Pentecostal minister, and when he was 14, he was sent to a military school to work on his discipline. He would later say that his mother's decision to send him there probably saved his life - he'd got in with 'the wrong' crowd during his early teens, and many of his peers are now either dead or in jail.
With his new-found discipline, Washington dedicated himself to the arts and has been handsomely rewarded. In the trophy cabinet which we presume he has at home, he has a Tony Award, two Golden Globes, and two Oscars, one of which is the 'Best Actor' award for 2001's 'Training Day.' He's shown a particular flair for playing real-life figures in biopic movies, including Malcolm X, Frank Lucas, Steve Biko, and Rubin Carter.
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.