There have been many winners of 'Drag Race' over the years, but only one queen who can claim to have been the very first. That's BeBe Zahara Benet, known to her Cameroonian-American parents as Nea Marshall Kudi Ngwa. It's been ten years now since her triumph in the debut series, but she shocked both the audience and contestants by finally returning to the show in 2018 to compete in the third 'All Star' series, ultimately sharing third place with Shangela.
Benet got into drag by accident; she was working at a fashion show in Paris when a female model didn't turn up, and Benet ended up putting a dress on and walking the catwalk as a panic replacement. A year later the character had been born, and she was working as a drag act with Cyndi Lauper in Minneapolis. She released several songs between 2010 and 2014, but has since returned to television with her show 'Drag Me Down the Aisle,' which premiered in early 2019.
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.