We've seen many superstar names on this list - names who have sold tens of millions of records, been inducted into various Halls of Fame, and taken home awards and trophies by the handful. Only one of them has a whole theme park named in their honor, and that's Tennessee's Dolly Parton. Such is her fame and her influence on country music that she's the first name many people come up with when the genre is mentioned - especially in Europe, where country is far less popular than it is in the USA.
As with many of the stars of country music, Parton grew up poor, and started off her career singing in church. 'Jolene' will always be the song most closely associated with her, but her career got a second lease of life after Whitney Houston covered her song 'I Will Always Love You,' for the soundtrack of the 1990s movie 'The Bodyguard.' More recently, she starred in the coveted 'Legends Slot' at Glastonbury Festival 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.