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
#BarefootContessa #InaGarten | ina garten | TikTok. But you know what I always say? You can be miserable before you eat a cookie, and you can be miserable afterwards. But never while you're eating a cookie.
How do I ask Ina Garten a question? ›
Please see our Ask Ina section or email info@barefootcontessa.com. answer questions specific to Ina's recipes and television show.
Did Ina Garten ever want children? ›
Ina Garten is opening up about her decision not to have kids. During a recent appearance on Julia Louis-Dreyfus' podcast "Wiser Than Me," the Food Network star got candid about having "no interest in having children" and how her husband Jeffrey Garten has been supportive of her choice.
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.
Is Ina Garten Religious? ›
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.
Why does Ina Garten always wear the same clothes? ›
Garten likes to avoid messy clean-up
According to CheatSheet, Garten said, "I don't like wearing an apron when I'm working, so I find a denim shirt or a corduroy shirt and I buy 25 of them. It's like a uniform and I don't have to worry about it. They can all just go into the washing machine.
Is Ina Garten a chef or a cook? ›
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.
What food scale does Ina Garten use? ›
Oxo Good Grips Food Scale
Ina uses this Oxo food scale to keep everything precise — and delicious.
Why is Ina Garten so famous? ›
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. Here's her incredible life story.
Did Ina and Jeffrey get divorced? ›
The Food Network star and her husband have been married for over 50 years. Ina Garten, 76, has called her husband Jeffrey Garten the "love of my life" — and he seems to feel the exact same way.
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.
Who taught Ina Garten to cook? ›
Without a formal culinary education, she says, "Julia Child was my cooking school."
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.
Did Ina Garten finish college? ›
Ina, already a graduate of Syracuse University, attended George Washington University while working at the White House, and got her MBA. Jeffrey got his MA and Ph. D. from Johns Hopkins University, in addition to his BA from Dartmouth where he met Ina 53 years ago.
How tall is Ina Garten and what does she weigh? ›
Biography and Personal Life
She was born and raised in New York, and she attended Syracuse University for college. Garten is of Jewish descent and is currently 75 years old. She has a height of 160 cm (5'2″) and weighs approximately 70 kg (154 lbs).
What is Ina Garten best known for? ›
She is host of the Food Network program Barefoot Contessa, and was a former staff member of the Office of Management and Budget. Among her dishes are Perfect Roast Chicken, Weeknight Bolognese, French Apple Tart, and a simplified version of beef bourguignon.
Who said "store bought is fine"? ›
A Thanksgiving reminder from Ina Garten: store-bought is fine – Chicago Tribune.
Does Ina Garten have a husband? ›
Ina Garten, 76, has called her husband Jeffrey Garten the "love of my life" — and he seems to feel the exact same way. Jeffrey Garten seems just as smitten as he was when he first spotted the then-15-year-old Ina Rosenberg on the campus of Dartmouth College 60 years ago.
