Microsoft founder Bill Gates has a reputation for being the nicest and most ethical multi-billionaire in the world. He's given away at least half of his wealth, and donates all the profits he makes each year to charity, having long ago decided that he already had all the money he's ever going to need, and doesn't want to swallow up any more. Even a man as generous as that is entitled to a few little perks though, and so we don't begrudge him his island.
Gates settled on the Belize area for his island, buying a piece of land known as the Grand Bugue, which is the largest of the options which were available to him at the time, and attracted a cost of $15m. That's a very high price-per-acre given that it's only 325 acres in total, but as Gates earns $250 every second of every day, he doesn't really have to worry about that now - or ever. True to form, Gates hasn't turned the island into a resort or vacation destination - it's just a private place to relax for himself and his family.
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.