It's fair to say that Janet Jackson had an advantage that most people didn't when it comes to breaking into show business; she was a Jackson. She could easily have taken the same route as all her brothers; joining the family group and branching out from there, but Janet has always preferred to do things her own way. She did make a couple of appearances on the Jacksons' TV show in 1976, but was offered a part in 'Good Times' and decided to take that route instead.
For a while it looked like she'd pursue acting instead of singing, as she picked up parts in 'Diff'rent Strokes' and 'Fame,' but the family business was always bound to grab her in the end. Her first attempt didn't really work, with her debut album coming out when she was sixteen and barely troubling the charts at all. She could have gone back to acting. Instead, she fired her own father and took control of her own image and future. The result was 1986's 'Control,' which went platinum five times.
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.