5 Celebrity And Chef Friendships Slideshow

Gwyneth Paltrow and Mario Batali

These two met in the late 90's when Paltrow often dined at Batali's restaurant Babbo and have been close friends ever since. Paltrow, a self-proclaimed food lover and cookbook author herself, found a kindred spirit in the acclaimed chef Batali who is known for his Mediterranean-inspired cuisine. The two both starred in the PBS series Spain...On the Road Again in which they dined and traveled their way through the country and co-authored the cookbook Spain...A Culinary Roadtrip about their travels. Batali and Paltrow are close family friends, as well, and he has been featured on her online lifestyle magazine, GOOP

Eva Longoria and Todd English

The Desperate Housewives star and the frequent Iron Chef guest met through mutual friends and bonded over their shared love of food. The two opened a restaurant in Los Angeles called Beso in 2008 and have since opened a second location in Las Vegas. Inspired by English's work with Mediterranean food and Longoria's Texas roots, the restaurant is a fusion of the two and showcases two of Longoria's own recipes—her guacamole and her tortilla soup.

Robert De Niro and Nobu Matsuhisa

The longtime friends met through Matsuhisa's original restaurant in Los Angeles in the late 80's and in 1994 co-founded the opening of Nobu in New York City and, as they say, the rest is history. The two have opened a staggering 26 restaurants in a myriad of places around the world together and their most recent project is the Nobu Hotel in Las Vegas that opened this year. Blending Japanese and Peruvian influences, the Nobu restaurants have become a staple in the food world and have cemented De Niro and Matsuhisa's status as one of the most dynamic celebrity-chef friendships around. 

Brad Pitt and Jamie Oliver

The chef and celebrity duo have been friends for years, and Oliver, best known for his television show The Naked Chef and his quest to get schoolchildren to eat more healthily, is cited as having given Pitt cooking lessons so he can feed his large brood. Although the two originally met through Pitt's ex-wife, Jennifer Aniston, it is reported that Oliver gets along well with Angelina Jolie and often visits with the two when they are in England. Apparently, they like his cooking so much that they had him cook their family Christmas dinner this past holiday season. 

Jennifer Lopez and Rolando Gonzalez

The chef has been a longtime close friend of the Lopez family and in 2000 he opened the restaurant Madre's with Jennifer Lopez in Pasadena, California. Known for its Cuban-inspired fare, the restaurant closed its doors in 2008 but was frequented by celebrity patrons throughout its run. Gonzalez cooked all the food for Lopez's wedding to singer Marc Anthony and the two cooked together on television shows such as The Ellen DeGeneres Show