Food Network Stars and Celebrities Share Their Favorite Ina Garten Memory
Absolutely everyone loves Ina Garten!
Photograph courtesy of Ina Garten
I've been lucky enough to meet Ina a few times and get to know the magnificent woman behind the TV show and the cookbooks. She’s one of those people who is even better, funnier, warmer than you’d hoped her to be. My most potent memories of Ina come from when I first discovered her TV show. I was in my teens, and my life revolved around touring. On my rare days off at home, I barely ever cooked because it had always felt like a chore. Watching Ina prepare a meal changed my perspective on cooking and reframed it as something relaxing. She made cooking feel like self-care. Ever since, cooking has been my escape from stress and one of the only ways I can truly calm myself on a rough day. I’ll always be grateful to her for giving me that. — Taylor Swift
Ina has a gift of always making you feel special. A wonderful storyteller and even better listener, she is always true to who she is. I feel lucky to call her a friend. — Michael Symon
Photograph courtesy of Ina Garten
I am keenly aware that I am one of the lucky ones who has the privilege of calling Ina my friend. And it’s not just because I admire her, respect her and truly enjoy her company. It’s because she is authentic and so down-to-earth that I didn’t even think twice when I invited her and Jeffrey up to our house for a Boxing Day lunch this past Christmas. But as the day approached, I began to panic. What was I thinking? It’s Ina Garten! I’m cooking an entire meal for Ina Garten, in my home!
I planned a simple menu: asparagus–goat cheese tart to start, a Little Gem salad with shallot dressing, my husband’s favorite steak that I felt was pretty foolproof, and mashed parsnips. I was up at 6 a.m., ironing napkins and setting the table, prepping the steaks with salt and pepper and fresh garlic, peeling the parsnips, making the dressing, baking the tart. My son walked into the kitchen and rolled his eyes at me, commenting that I was being "a weird fangirl." I conceded that yes, he was right!
Jeffrey and Ina arrived at noon, and we came out to greet them. As my husband led Ina into our foyer, Jeffrey took me aside and said, "Do you know how special this is for Ina? I can count on one hand how many times in 20 years any of our friends have cooked for her, they’re always too afraid. This means so much to her." We had a fantastic time together. Conversation flowed easily, laughter was ever present, commonalities were presented. Ina then took me aside and told me she knew how much work went into this wonderful meal and how much she appreciated it. I was in heaven. I had given her something she had given me for years — a warm heart, a tasty meal and good company. — Julianna Margulies
Photograph courtesy of Getty Images
Once Ina did me the colossal favor of appearing on an episode of 30 Rock as part of Liz Lemon’s perfect fantasy life. And even though our conversation was only a dream within a fiction, and it wasn’t really the Hamptons (we faked the Hamptons on City Island), I still believe we are best friends. I don’t google anything without putting the word "Ina" in front of it. "Ina chocolate cake," "Ina roast chicken," "Ina sole meunière," "Ina invite to house how get?" "Ina like me more than Jennifer Garner?" — Tina Fey
Ina is everything you hope she’s going to be, that she appears to be. She’s just lovely and kind and sweet and fun and so smart, and getting to spend an evening with her and Jeffrey is always a delight. Maybe we can get Ina to run for president. I think Ina Garten could bring this country together. — Nathan Lane
Photograph courtesy of Ina Garten
Ina is as warm and comforting as all of her recipes. How lucky are we to have 20 years of Ina? Congratulations to the Barefoot Contessa! — Katie Couric
Being invited to Ina’s house for lunch is one of my favorite memories. As you can imagine, she’s an incredibly warm host. She made the most delicious lobster Cobb salad that still inspires me to this day. — Bobby Flay
Photograph courtesy of Ina Garten
There’s not a day that I spend in the kitchen that does not involve Ina recipes. I made her roast chicken last night. I’m making her chocolate Oreo ice cream today. I’ll make her skirt steak tonight. I’m an Ina kind of cook. The first time I met her, she had asked me to be in one of her specials, and we shot it on my birthday. That night I had a party with my girlfriends, and it was my favorite kind of party, where there’s a great bartender and beautiful food but everyone is required to show up in sweatpants with no makeup. I asked if Ina and her producers wanted to come and they did, and my friends were just mind-blown. A couple of them were truly speechless. She just sat amongst everyone and chatted away.
Since then, we’ve had so many fun experiences. One night, after I watched her do a speech on a book tour, she asked if I wanted to grab dinner. I met her at In-N-Out, and when I walked in, she was scrubbing the table clean with a wet wipe. I have this amazing picture of the two of us really going for it. We did the whole thing: fries, burgers, shakes. Another time, I was in Paris with my daughter and I texted Ina to tell her we were close to her apartment. I didn’t know this at the time, but she was in the middle of testing recipes and she dropped what she was doing to tell us all the places we needed to go, like a personal tour guide.
You always hope your heroes even come close to the way that you think about them, and she’s so much more. There’s so much more depth, there’s so much more humor, wit and intelligence, and there’s such a ferocity to Ina. Look, we’ve all fallen in love with her just for what we see, but it’s so cool to meet somebody and have that all be true. — Jennifer Garner
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