It's hard to say what Simon Cowell's biggest crime against decency and taste is; his high-waisted trousers, or 'America's Got Talent.' As the owner of Syco Entertainment, Cowell is responsible for releasing some of the most bland, insipid and manufactured music of the past thirty years. He's also created and produced TV talent shows for much of that time, which have attracted criticism both for their cruelty to untalented performers and their negative effect on the music industry as a whole. Cowell himself is frequently rude to the people who appear on his shows, earning him the nickname 'Mr. Nasty.'
Even Mr. Nasty has a softer side, as his extensive philanthropic work demonstrates. He sometimes uses his musical power and connections for good, too. When London's Grenfell Tower was blighted by fire in 2017, Cowell quickly assembled an all-elite team of singers to record a charity single, raising money for affected families.
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.