What is it with celebrities choosing names for their children that seem to be related to a profession? And why is it, given that most of them are actors, do none of them name their children 'actor' or 'performer'? Are they trying to tell us something? Fifteen-year-old Pilot Inspektor Lee is the son of eccentric actor Jason Lee and his former partner, actress Beth Riesgraf. Lee once explained the reasoning behind the spectacular name, and it's not a kind one.
The rock band 'Granddaddy' are one of Lee's favorites, with their song 'He's Simple, He's Dumb, He's the Pilot' his pick of their catalog. He liked the band so much that he took 'Pilot' for his son's name, even though the song explicitly refers to him as being 'simple and dumb.' At fifteen, Pilot has surely worked this out by now and had stern words with his father.
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.