With one of the most recognizable faces in show business, it would be easy to focus on the many acting accolades that Angelina Jolie has racked up over the years. Instead, it's important to shed light on her efforts outside of her acting career. While filming "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider" in Cambodia in 2001, Jolie had her eyes opened to the lives of millions upon millions of human beings that live in war-torn and impoverished countries. As a result of this experience, she contacted the United Nations and began visiting refugee camps the world over.
Jolie has since gone on dozens of field missions in over 30 countries. When asked why she spends much of her time outside of acting in the service of refugees, she's been quoted as saying she hopes to bring "awareness to the plight of these people..." Jolie has even gone so far as to obtain her private pilot license and owns two private airplanes to assist in her efforts to fly aid workers and food supplies to hot spots in need of support. Say what you will, but Angelina Jolie is so much more than just a pretty face!
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.