Mercedes Justine Kaestner-Varnado, better known by her in-ring moniker, Sasha Banks grew up as an avid fan of All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling (AJW) and anime which explains her high-energy, high-fly style of wrestling. Banks also happens to be cousins with rappers/producerfs, Snoop Dogg and Daz Dillinger, both of which helped Banks develop her in-ring persona. With risky moves like the Wheelbarrell Bulldog, the Backstabber, the Frog Splash and her patented Bank's Statement, Banks is one of the premier acts in all of pro-wrestling.
Banks began her wrestling career in Woburn, Massachusetts under the Chaotic Wrestling (CW) promotion in 2010. While wrestling for CW, Banks obtained the Chaotic Wrestling Women's Championship. Banks also collected the IWE Women's Championship and the RWC No Limitz Championship before joining the WWE in 2012. Since joinging the WWE Banks has racked up the NXT Women's Championship (1x) and a record-tying WWE Raw Women's Championship (4x). If Banks continues to stay healthy and athletic as she is, she can be looking forward to being a WWE Hall of Fame inductee.
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.