Jay Z is literally the blueprint and aspiration of every hip-hop artist out today. Prior to pursuing music, Shawn Carter, better known by his stage name today, Jay Z, was a hardcore drug dealer who thought of hip-hop artists as corny being that he had already accomplished what many artists in the late '80s wanted to acquire financially. These days, Jay Z is married to the largest act in music in Beyonce, owns all of his masters and a music streaming service in Tidal, his own record label, and more.
Hov is the futuristic of the doppelganger of the gentleman on the right who probably lived during an era where people of his ethnicity had to move very carefully and probably didn't have access to ownership or a pipeline that would allow him to own as much as Jay Z does today. Now, with inspiring figures like Jay in abundance more than ever and being a reality, young black men have multiple avenues of inspiration when at one point in time, there might not have been any at all.
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.