Oprah Winfrey has her own television network, so of course she has her own private land as well! In her case, it's a big slice of Orcas Island within Washington state, where Winfrey paid just over $8m for 43 acres of land. The island is still technically public, but so much of it belongs to Winfrey that there isn't much point in anyone else visiting it. Her home is palatial, but the 3,000 feet of pure sand and beach might be the best feature here.
Winfrey had the mansion on her island purpose built for her in 2007, but deliberately had it made in an old-style. All the materials are reclaimed or hand-forged, and she even had hardwood floor brought in from the old Sears' Chicago building. Somewhere within its walls is a full-sized library and reading room of the kind that millionaires always have on television, and a bathtub which is molded to the shape of her own body. Now that's luxury!
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.