Being abruptly pulled out of your school and sent to a different one is a common cause of displeasure and trauma among children. For Kristen Bell, it was her way into a career she'd never previously considered. Born in Huntington Woods, Michigan, Bell was something of a tomboy as a child. She hated her first name, and she'd rather be out on the streets playing sports than doing anything that involved the arts. She once broke both of her wrists while playing street hockey!
Just before she was due to begin freshmen year, her parents pulled her out of her school, and sent her to a Catholic school instead. Her new school offered a drama and music club, and Bell signed up. By the time she graduated, she'd starred in five different school productions and fallen in love with the stage. She was offered a place at the Tisch School of The Arts at New York University, and she took it, but she never graduated. Broadway came calling before she got the chance.
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.