Ken Patera is another chiseled physical specimen that was freakish during his wrestling era in the 1970s and '80s. Originally, Patera competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany as a powerlifter. For the next half decade, Patera competed in lifting competitions and transitioned into the wrestling realm. Patera quickly became a hated heel for his cockiness and brute strength that utilized to perform his bearhug finisher.
Towards the beginning of his mainstream wrestling career, he challenged WWF Champions Bruno Sammartino and Bob Backland which was unheard of at the time. However, Ken Patera was the first-ever wrestler to hold two title belts in two different promotions companies. Patera held the WWF Intercontinental Championship and the NWA Missouri Heavyweight Championship simultaneously. Patera's physique and strength allowed him to have some notable battles with the likes of Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant. To this very day, the Portland, Oregon-bred wrestler is alive and kickin' at the age of 76-years-old.
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.