Chefs-in-training! While most stars have their hands full with whatever movies, TV shows, music, or any other artistic projects they might be working on at a given time, a handful of celebrities have decided to brush up on their cooking skills by heading to culinary school.
For former America’s Next Top Model host Tyra Banks, who has been open about her lack of culinary expertise, the decision to improve her abilities in the kitchen was motivated by her son, York. In May 2016, just four months after York’s birth, Banks enrolled in culinary bootcamp with her little one in mind.
“I have never been one to be very excited about cooking. I put all of my energy into my work and to succeeding, so instead of cooking, I eat at restaurants all the time, order in, or defrost frozen food in my microwave. That all changed the day my son was born,” she shared via Instagram at the time. “I do not want him to grow up thinking that cooking is what happens only in fancy or fast food restaurants. I do not want the only cooking he witnesses to be when he turns on his television and sees famous chefs create masterpieces. I want to be his chef.”
The former Sports Illustrated swimsuit model, who included a photo of herself wearing a chef’s jacket along with her post, added: “I want him to go to college and miss his MOMMY’S masterpieces. I want all of his friends to be fighting to come to his house to sample his mother’s culinary creations.”
Though Banks told Harper’s Bazaar in April 2020 that ordering takeout is a common occurrence in her house, she also shared that she loves to whip up her own tasty meals and snacks. One of her favorites is candied bacon, which she coats in a sauce that includes Sriracha, maple syrup, and fresh-ground black pepper.
“It’s almost like candy,” she said of her go-to snack at the time. “It is so good.”
For Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz and Reese Witherspoon, the jaunt to cooking school was decidedly less formal. The famous trio and a group of their friends headed off to Napa, California, in March 2014 and participated in a two-day cooking class at the Culinary Institute of America that focused on authentic Italian cuisine. Over the course of the class, the ladies made spinach ricotta ravioli, salmon and fresh pasta.
Scroll down to see more stars who have gone to culinary school!
