Alicia Keys has one of the most mesmerizing voices of this generation and she has the platinum plaques and record sales to prove it. Alicia Keys was raised by her mother in New York and grew up without the presence of her father. By the age of 12-years-old, Keys was writing and composing her own music and now she sits on top of six solo studio albums, fifteen Grammys, seventeen NAACP Awards, nine Billboard Awards, and seven BET Awards. Not to mention, Ms. Keys is doing a lot of philanthropic work as the co-founder of the HIV/AIDS non-profit organization entitled, Keep a Child Alive.
It just so happens that Alicia Keys looks a lot like another singer by the name of Lena Horne who not only was an artist in the entertainment industry but fought for causes herself and was a participating civil rights activist. Despite having so much success, Horne found herself blackballed from the industry due to her political activism but will forever be remembered for both her artistry, beauty, and activism a la Alicia Keys.
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.