Ina Garten is a Jewish American author and host of the Food Network program Barefoot Contessa. She is known for designing her recipes with an emphasis on fresh ingredients and time-saving tips.
Ina Rosenberg was born February 2, 1948, in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in Stamford, Connecticut by her parents Charles H. and Florence Rosenberg. She attended Syracuse University, but postponed her studies to marry her husband, Jeffrey Garten, on December 22, 1968, and relocate to Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Garten began to dabble in cooking and entertaining to occupy her time while her husband served his four-year military tour during the Vietnam War. After her husband completed his military service, the couple journeyed to Paris, France, where Garten experienced open-air markets, produce stands and fresh cooking ingredients for the first time and discovered her love for French cuisine. When she returned to the United States, she began cultivating her culinary abilities by studying the volumes of Julia Child's seminal cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking.
In 1972, Garten and her husband moved to Washington, D.C., where she worked in the White House and took business courses at George Washington University, eventually earning her MBA. Originally employed as a low-level government aide, she climbed the political ladder to the Office of Management and Budget and was assigned the position of budget analyst, which entailed writing the nuclear energy budget and policy papers on nuclear centrifuge plants for Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter.
Strained by the pressures of her work and the serious, high-power setting of Washington, Garten once again turned to cooking and entertaining in her free time, constantly arranging dinner parties and soirées at her home on the weekends. Meanwhile, she worked on flipping homes in the Dupont Circle and Kalorama neighborhoods and used the profits to buy the Barefoot Contessa specialty food store.
Garten has no formal culinary training and she taught herself with the aid of French and New England cookbooks. Later, she relied on intuition and feedback from customers and friends to refine her recipes. She was mentored chiefly by Eli Zabar, owner of Eli's Manhattan and Eli's Breads, and food-show host and author Martha Stewart. Her culinary career began with her gourmet food store, Barefoot Contessa, then Garten expanded her activities to several best-selling cookbooks, magazine columns, self-branded convenience products and a popular Food Network television show.
Garten is Jewish by birth and heritage, as is her husband, but rarely refers to her religion and ethnicity, though they are showcased through the inclusion of classic Jewish cooking in her television show and cookbooks, when she makes such dishes as rugelach, challah, and brisket.
Her husband, Jeffrey, went on to become the Undersecretary of Commerce for International Trade and dean of the Yale School of Management. He is now the Juan Trippe Professor in the Practice of International Trade, Finance, and Business at Yale. He can also frequently be spotted on her cooking show, assisting his wife with menial tasks or sampling the dishes she has created. They divide their time between Manhattan, East Hampton, and Paris.
Sources: Wikipedia; Photo: This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Author: Therealbs2002
FAQs
Ina Garten never wanted children — and her husband Jeffrey Garten supported that decision. During a new episode of Julia Louis-Dreyfus' podcast, Wiser Than Me from Lemonada Media, the Barefoot Contessa star spoke about their relationship. “I think Jeffrey would have been a great parent.
How rich is Ina Garten? ›
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Ina Garten's net worth in 2024 is estimated at $60 million. When combined with that of her husband Jeffrey, that amount is estimated at a whopping $120 million.
Why is she called Barefoot Contessa? ›
East Hampton, New York, U.S. The show's title, which comes from the Italian word for countess, was originally used by Garten in her best-selling cookbook, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook (1999). The cookbook was in turn named after Garten's specialty food store, which she bought already named in 1978.
What does Barefoot Contessa say? ›
Ina Garten Quotes
You can be miserable before you have a cookie and you can be miserable after you eat a cookie but you can't be miserable while you are eating a cookie. Food is about nurturing: not only physical but also emotional nurturing.
Is Ina Garten separated from her husband? ›
Ina and Jeffrey Garten have been married for over 50 years, having tied the knot in 1968.
Did Ina Garten have an unhappy childhood? ›
"I had a terrible childhood, and it was nothing I wanted to recreate. I think now looking back, I see my friends with their children and I understand what it could be, but when I was 20, I didn't want anything to do with it ... Maybe because when I was a kid, I didn't have any choices.
How much is Ina Garten's husband worth? ›
Ina husband, Jeffrey, is also a financial powerhouse. According to Celebritynetworth.com, Jeffrey is worth $100 million, mostly thanks to his former jobs as managing director of Lehman Brothers and Blackstone Group.
Who is the richest chef in the world? ›
Alan Wong takes the top spot as the world's wealthiest chef by a long shot, with a jaw-dropping estimated net worth of $1.1 billion (£870m).
Does Ina Garten have a college degree? ›
Ina Garten once worked in the White House and worked her way up, which eventually put her in charge of writing the nuclear budget for the United States. She also managed to earn her MBA from George Washington University at the same time. Despite her success, she decided she wanted a different life.
Why was the Barefoot Contessa killed? ›
Vincenzo is impotent due to a war wound. In a bid to produce an heir for his linage, Maria sleeps with their chauffeur. Consumed with jealously upon discovering the affair, Vincenzo kills her and her lover without ever knowing she was pregnant.
The one meal Ina simply couldn't live without is roast chicken. She even cites it as one of the reasons her husband, Jeffrey, proposed marriage in 1968.
Why did Ina Garten refuse to make a wish? ›
The child's wish was to meet Garten because he would watch her show from his sickbed. Various blogs, articles and other media state Garten rejected the request because of scheduling conflicts.
What religion is Barefoot Contessa? ›
Born Ina Rosenberg to a Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York City and grew up in Stamford, Connecticut, Garten was one of two children born to Charles H. Rosenberg, a surgeon specializing in otolaryngology, and his wife, Florence (née Rich), a dietitian.
Does Ina Garten own any restaurants? ›
Her fame may be relatively quiet — she doesn't have a line of cookware, there isn't a namesake restaurant — but make no mistake: Ina Garten is a powerhouse celeb chef. Fans know her story well: From a White House budget analyst to specialty food-store owner, her path to stardom has been slow and steady.
Does Barefoot Contessa wear shoes? ›
Garten confessed that she doesn't even go barefoot in the kitchen. For the record, she wears Merrills at the stove. "When you're on your feet for a long time," she said, "you want to wear something comfortable and supportive."
Did Ina Garten turn down a Make a Wish Kid? ›
Ina Garten, chef and host of the Food Network show “Barefoot Contessa,” has been taking heat for twice rejecting a child's Make-a-Wish request. The child's wish was to meet Garten because he would watch her show from his sickbed.
What did Ina Garten do before she was a chef? ›
For over 20 years, Ina Garten has shared her comforting and foolproof recipes with the world through her beloved cookbooks and "Barefoot Contessa" show. But before becoming a Food Network star, Garten wrote budgets at the White House and ran a Hamptons grocery store.
Does Ina Garten still own Barefoot Contessa? ›
Garten. Barefoot Contessa, her famous store, was located where Rag & Bone now operates. Barefoot Contessa closed permanently in 2004, but Ms. Garten still owns the building.
