Tom Holland may be a superhero on screen, but at home, he’s also taken on the role of chef, especially when his fiancée Zendaya is busy filming. And when he finds himself on dinner duty, his younger brother Sam Holland, a professional chef, is there to guide him with plant-based recipes fit for the 'Euphoria' star’s vegetarian diet.
“I’m especially proud of the veggie section,” Sam told The Times while promoting his cookbook Kitchen Kickstart. “Zendaya has a plant-based diet, and I sent those recipes Tom’s way as he was on dinner duty while she was making a movie in Boston. He went through them one by one and really enjoyed them.”
© Sam Holland/YoutubeSam, who often helms the family’s Christmas dinners, insists that his recipes are approachable for any level of cook, even for his famous brother. “They are all probably a bit worse than beginner cooks,” he joked of Tom, twin brother Harry, and their youngest sibling, Paddy.
Tom, however, pushes back on that claim. “I’m a fine cook,” he said on the 'Dish From Waitrose' podcast last December. The 29-year-old actor explained that he enjoys experimenting in the kitchen, particularly with vegetarian meals.
© Andrew Redington“I’m starting to like, venture into a lot of vegetarian cooking. My girlfriend’s vegetarian,” he shared, adding that he’d been “doing a lot of the dinners” while Zendaya was working in Boston. Still, he admitted with a laugh that not every dish was a win. “They haven’t been great. There’s been a few like, ‘Let’s just order-ins.’”
One dish Tom does praise is Zendaya’s signature spicy vodka fusilli. “I actually love Zendaya’s spicy vodka fusilli thingamajiggy that she does,” he recalled. “It’s delicious.”
© Backgrid/The Grosby GroupThe Spider-Man star, who proposed to Zendaya during the 2024 holiday season, often credits his brother Sam for elevating the Holland family’s culinary traditions. “My brother Sam is a chef, and each Christmas dinner is getting better and better and better. It’s something that I always look forward to,” Tom previously said. “Bless him, it’s a big undertaking … but he’s getting great at it.”
How Tom Holland's diet has changed over the years:
Behind the scenes, Tom continues to balance blockbuster roles with personal routines that keep him grounded. In an interview with Men’s Health, he revealed the diet shifts he’s endured over the years for roles, from restricting meals to a single chili con carne per day while filming 'The Crowded Room' to bulking up with intense HIIT workouts ahead of 'No Way Home.' “Breakfast, lunch, and dinner to me is an extortionate amount of food,” he admitted of his current muscle-building goals.
© GettyZendaya has long been one of his biggest cheerleaders, even if she teases him about pushing his limits. Tom recalled a recent family trip to Cornwall where his young cousin asked him to prove he could still do a backflip. “Z was there, and she was like, ‘Are you sure you can still do this?’” he said. While he landed it, he confessed, “I pulled every muscle in my stomach.”
© Backgrid/The Grosby GroupDespite his superhero physique and fame, Holland prefers to keep the spotlight off himself at public outings, particularly when supporting Zendaya. “It’s not my moment, it’s her moment,” he told the publication, explaining why he rarely walks carpets with her.
While the couple’s wedding plans remain on pause, stylist Law Roach told E! News in July that “the process hasn’t even started yet” due to their packed filming schedule.
