"david beckham" news and stories

Where did footballer David Beckham (of the Los Angeles Galaxy) and his wife, Victoria, (former Spice Girl and Marc Jacobs poster girl) jet off to for the New Year's holiday?

Napa, California. Along with celebrity chef Gordon Ramsey (and his wife Tana), as well as Seal and Heidi Klum, Becks and Posh tucked in for a few nights at Auberge du Soleil, reports The Sun. The auberge, a sweet resort with Mediterranean-inspired decor, has espresso machines and toasters in each room (just in case you get that 3 a.m. craving for a bagel?), a 7,000-square-foot spa, and "tortes au chocolat" (artisan chocolates made by the executive pastry chef which guests can buy on-demand with 24-hours notice).

And, of course, this is wine country. The Beckhams aren't just visitors in the valley; they own a vineyard, a 2008 birthday gift to Victoria from David, with a promise that they would make their own wine one day (every pro athlete needs a back-up career, yes?). No news yet on the couple's grapes of choice.

Seems the Beckhams are becoming regulars near their vineyard. This past November, according to GrubStreet.com, they noshed across Napa Valley with their kiddies, stopping at Meadowood (a super-fancy resort with an equally posh eatery: Restaurant at Meadowood; the Michelin three-starred restaurant has chef Christopher Kostow at the helm) and Morimoto in Napa (think contemporary Asian: tuna pizza, oyster foie gras and roasted lobster with garam masala).

• That wonderful Italian delicacy, buffalo mozzarella, isn't living up to its name. Recently the prized culinary delicacy has skimped on its standards, according to authorities who found traces of cow milk in the cheese.
• Raise a toast to Mariah Carey, who is launching her own bubbly. She recently tweeted "ANGEL CHAMPAGNE (ROSE) by MC coming soon!"
• Eight German teenagers were hospitalized after drinking a fiery chile sauce that's more than 200 times hotter than average.
• As if he needed to make himself more swoon-worthy, David Beckham has enrolled in 120 hours of professional cooking classes in Milan to learn to make pasta. He's looking to impress pal Gordon Ramsay when he's done.

David Beckham. Photo: James Devaney, WireImage

David Beckham's fans already know he's an ace on the soccer field, eye-candy on the billboards, and that he even pays it forward with his and wife Victoria's children's charity. So could he raise the score even more? He just did -- he cooks, too.

In a recent People Magazine Q&A with David Beckham, a reader asked if he'd divulge a passion that people would find surprising.

Beckham professed he enjoyed cooking. "My signature dish for Victoria is grilled prawns or lobster and fresh vegetables," he says. "And for the children and for myself it's pasta with fresh tomatoes sauce and olives."

If that didn't make you salivate, Sunday lunch in the Beckham household will. It consists of "roast beef, roast potatoes, vegetables and gravy and Yorkshire pudding."

The chocolate fountain is now officially the totem of faux-luxe extravagance and over-the-top pop materialism. Why? David Beckham bought one for his lovely wife, Victoria (a.k.a. Posh Spice). Evidently, though, it wasn't his idea - he used a personal shopper from Harrod's.

Victoria's chocolate fountain was stocked with Belgian chocolate and delivered with fruits and assorted sweets for dipping. No word on whether those Beckham boys - Romeo, Brooklyn and Cruz - got their own miniature versions.

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