There's only ever been one significant Spanish drag artist, and that was Miss Shangay Lily, born as Enrique Hinojosa Vazquez in 1963. Despite being born male, Lily considered herself to be a radical feminist, and worked tirelessly to advance female and gay causes in Spain. She created and published the first ever free gay newspaper in Spain, which went by the name of 'Shangay Express,' containing satire and comedy mixed with genuine gay community news.
Lily was the face of a major gay rights movement in Spain during the 1990s, pushing back against the traditions of the country and raising the profile of gay performers through her own multiple appearances. Appearing in a movie with Javier Bardem in 1995 legitimized both herself and her movement. She started out as the first gay personality ever to appear on Spanish television, and ended up as a one-queen revolution. Sadly, she's no longer with us to enjoy the freedoms she helped to create; she died after suffering pancreatic cancer in 2014.
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.