You get your hand prints on Hollywood's Walk of Fame simply by being famous. You get your footprints outside Grauman's Theater by being incredibly good at your craft. So phenomenally gifted an actress was Ali MacGraw that the theater gave her the honor after she'd appeared in only three movies. At one point, it was impossible for a film with McGraw in it to be bad. No matter how poor a script might be, she found ways to elevate it with her performance. Directors would probably still like to cast her now, but they can't - she's out of the business.
As she got older, MacGraw developed an interest in yoga to keep herself supple and stave off joint pain. The physical side of it helped her, but she developed more of an interest in the spiritual aspect than she was bargaining for. Yoga became her obsession, and she wanted to share it with others. That's why she turned her back on Hollywood and became a yoga teacher.
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.