Ina Garten And Jeffrey Just Revealed The Secret To Their 55-Year Marriage (2024)

FAQs

Why did Ina and Jeffrey Garten not have children? ›

As a working woman in the '70s, Ina's choice to not have kids “wasn't a struggle at all,” she said. “I had no interest in having children. None. I just had a terrible childhood, and it was nothing I wanted to recreate,” she added.

The Food Network star, then known as Ina Rosenberg, met Jeffrey Garten when she was 15 on a visit to see her older brother at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. Jeffrey Garten, who was also a Dartmouth student, spotted the future TV personality from the library window.

Ina and Jeffrey Garten have been married for over 50 years, having tied the knot in 1968.

Early life

Garten's mother (an intellectual with an interest in opera) discouraged Ina from helping in the kitchen, instead directing her towards schoolwork. Garten described her father as a socializer, and admits she shares more characteristics with him than her mother.

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.

In 1996, I decided that it was time for a new challenge so I sold the store to the manager and the chef. At that point, with nothing to do, I built myself an office over the store and tried my hand at writing a cookbook.

In 1978, shortly after she turned 30, Garten gave up her DC life and decided to buy a small specialty food shop called Barefoot Contessa.

After serving under the Ford and Carter administrations, Garten felt an urge to do “something else,” she shared in an interview with Katie Couric. A drive out east to the Hamptons with her husband Jeffrey unfolded into more than a quiet beach getaway.

In 1996, she finally decided it was time to move on and relinquished control of the business to a pair of employees. Although Garten stepped back from her store, she retained ownership of the property and built herself an office right above the old shop.

Instead of a chicken pot pie, Ina Garten likes to make a chicken stew and top it with flaky biscuits. She names it as one of her all-time favorite comfort foods, and we can easily see why. We think she would approve of this soup version on a cold night.

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.

“So many people ask, 'What does Barefoot Contessa mean?' ” Garten wrote on her blog back in 2018. “It was the original name of my specialty food store after a movie with Ava Gardner and Humphrey Bogart. But for me, it means being both elegant and earthy…”

Ina Garten Says Her 'Terrible Childhood' Is Why She Never Wanted Kids, Says Jeffrey Would Have Made A 'Great Parent'

It's difficult to find any cooking enthusiast who doesn't love Ina Garten. Her authentic, down-to-earth style has endeared her to millions of foodies and television viewers, evidenced by the success of her cookbooks, which have become New York Times bestsellers (via The New York Times).

However, Garten recently announced that she's working on new episodes for the cooking network. Garten fans, rejoice: Ina Garten is officially returning to Food Network with new...

Garten isn't a culinary school grad or even a restaurateur, and in fact, her entry into the workforce had nothing to do with food at all. At one point early in her professional years, Garten was an employee of the U.S. government.

Ina Garten announced that her latest book, “Be Ready When the Luck Happens,” won't be filled with recipes, but rather her life story. The decision to write a memoir didn't come naturally to Garten, who called the process “a long journey” that's been four years in the making.