It takes a special talent to be spotted by a legend like Sammy Davis Jr. It takes an incredibly confident woman to walk away from Sammy Davis Jr because she felt it was the best thing for the advancement of her own career. For that, we salute the bravery of Lola Falana.
Falana kicked off the 70s is controversial and headline-grabbing style when she posed for 'Playboy' magazine in 1970s. Some felt it would be the end of her career, but it turned out to be the exact opposite. Regular appearances on 'The Streets of San Francisco' and 'The New Bill Cosby' show made her a household name. Building on her success and focusing on acting as well as singing and dancing, she was nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance in 'The Liberation of L.B. Jones' and courted further controversy when she appeared in 1974's 'The Klansman.'
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.