The problem with figure skating and ice dancing is that it doesn't really pay the bills unless you're exceptionally good at it, and even then, only at major competitions. Ryan O'Meara was exceptionally good at it, but even the major competitions and the Olympics weren't providing him with a sustainable income. He ultimately turned his hand to interior decorating and turned out to be very good at that too, so made a career out of it.
Openly-gay O'Meara competed at the Winter Olympics in 2016 with dancing partner Jamie Silverstein. The duo didn't take home a medal but did finish in 3rd place at the US Championships in 2005 and the same position at the Four Continents Championships the same year. In 2006 they announced their partnership was on hold as O'Meara took some time off; he ultimately decided not to return, focusing on his design company instead. He's named his business 'Palavela' after the arena which he danced at in the Olympics.
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.