We've stayed with musicians and actors on our list so far, but when you come across a sporting legend as significant as LeBron James, it's impossible not to include him. Drew Carey, Steven Spielberg, Dave Grohl, and Sarah Jessica Parker are all native Ohioans as well, but even they would have to admit that they can't compete with James in the stardom stakes.
The shortlist of James' achievements on the basketball court read like this: three-time NBA champion, four-time NBA MVP, three-time MVP in the NBA finals, and two gold medals with the USA team at the Olympics. Only a fool would say that he wasn't one of the greatest ever to take to a basketball court, and in the eyes of some, he's second only to Michael Jordan on the all-time list. That's why he's representing Ohio on our list, just as he represented his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio so many times on the court.
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.