Michael Vick single-handedly revolutionized the quarterback position. We've never witnessed a quarterback that was as agile, athletic, and able to deliver the ball through the air as precise as Michael Vick was able to do during his prime years in the NFL. If Vick were to bypass his legal hiccups, he could have been a quarterback rated considerably higher on this list. After a childhood filled with turmoil growing up in Newport News, Virginia, Vick took his talents to Virginia Tech where he would play two seasons of football from 1999-2000 after being redshirted in 1998. Vick led the NCAA in passer rating in 1999 (180.4), a record as a freshman quarterback, and led the Hokies to a victory in the 2000 Gator Bowl where he was named MVP.
In 2001, Michael Vick was picked first overall in the NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons where he would play six seasons out of his thirteen-season NFL career. In Atlanta, Vick would become known as the greatest rushing quarterback to take the field with a 40-yard dash time of just 4.33 seconds. He would lead the Falcons to two playoff berths (2002, 2004) before being suspended for the 2007 and 2008 seasons for alleged convictions of animal abuse. After returning from suspension, Vick suited up for the Philadelphia Eagles for five seasons leading them to two playoff runs (2009, 2010) before becoming an NFL journeyman, playing for both the New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers before retiring in 2016.
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.