At 6'5, 237lbs, Calvin Johnson earned his nickname 'Megatron' not only by his former teammate, Roy Williams, but for his superior route running, strength, and speed combination that has allowed him to be regarded as one of the greatest wide receivers ever. From 2004-2006, Johnson attended the Georgia Institute of Technology where he arguably became the school's greatest football player of all-time. He ranks first in the school's history for career receiving yards (2,927), touchdowns (28), and career 100-yard receiving games (13).
Calvin Johnson was drafted 2nd overall in the 2007 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions where he played all nine seasons of his NFL career. Of those nine seasons, Johnson was a 6x Pro Bowler, 3x First-Team All-Pro, and 2x NFL receiving yards leader. In 2012, Johnson broke Jerry Rice's single-season record for receiving yards with a total of 1,848 yards and tied for first with Michael Irvin for most 100-yard games in a season with 11. With all of these accolades under his belt, the Lions offered Johnson an eight-year, $132 million extension in 2012. Though he retired this year, he still was able to rake in over $113 million throughout the course of his career.
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.