Editing Ina Garten (section)

==Career==
On December 22, 1968, Jeffrey and Ina were married in Stamford and soon relocated to [[Fort Bragg, North Carolina]]. She began to dabble in cooking and entertaining in an effort to occupy her time; Jeffrey served a four-year military tour during the [[Vietnam War]]. She also acquired her [[pilot certification in the United States|pilot's certificate]].<ref>{{cite news |first = Susan |last = Houston |title = How Ina Garten Grows |work = [[Raleigh News & Observer]] |date = November 22, 2006 |page = E-1 }}</ref> After her husband had completed his military service, the couple went on a four-month camping vacation in Europe including time in France which sparked her love for [[French cuisine]]. During this trip, she was introduced to open-air markets, produce stands, and fresh cooking ingredients.<ref name="paris">{{cite book |last = Garten |first = Ina |year = 2004 |title = Barefoot in Paris |publisher = Clarkson Potter |isbn = 1-4000-4935-0 }}</ref> Upon returning to the U.S., she began to cultivate her culinary abilities by studying the volumes of [[Simone Beck]], [[Louisette Bertholle]] and [[Julia Child]]'s influential cookbook, ''[[Mastering the Art of French Cooking]]''.<ref name="paris"/>  During this time, weekly dinner parties turned to tradition, and she refined her home entertaining skills when she and her husband moved to [[Washington, D.C.]], in 1972.

In Washington, Garten worked in the [[White House]]; Jeffrey worked in the [[United States Department of State|State Department]] earning his PhD at Johns Hopkins [[Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies|School for Advanced International Studies]].<ref name="JHU Magazine">{{cite journal |last1=Rienzi |first1=Greg |title=The Count |journal=Johns Hopkins Magazine |date=Spring 2016 |volume=68 |issue=1 |url=http://hub.jhu.edu/magazine/2016/spring/jeffrey-garten-the-count/}}</ref> Garten was originally employed by the Federal Power Commission and later at the White House [[Office of Management and Budget]]. Eventually she was assigned the position of budget analyst, which entailed writing the [[Nuclear power|nuclear energy]] budget and policy papers on nuclear centrifuge plants for presidents [[Gerald Ford]] and [[Jimmy Carter]].<ref name="barefoot">{{cite news |last = Seymour |first = Liz |year = 2004 |title = Entertaining Barefoot |newspaper = The Washington Post }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last = Smith |first = Christopher Monte |year = 2001 |url = http://www.indiebound.org/author-interviews/gartenina |title = Ina Garten. |work = Indiebound.com |publisher = [[American Booksellers Association]] |access-date = September 11, 2015 |archive-date = April 17, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150417045553/http://www.indiebound.org/author-interviews/gartenina |url-status = live }}</ref>

While she worked at OMB, Garten also taught herself to cook and entertain while buying and renovating old houses in the [[Dupont Circle]] and [[Kalorama Heights|Kalorama]] neighborhoods.<ref name="barefoot"/> She used the profits from these sales to make her next purchase, the Barefoot Contessa specialty food store.

=== Barefoot Contessa store ===
Garten left her government job in 1978 after spotting an ad for a {{convert|400|sqft|m2|adj=on}} specialty food store called Barefoot Contessa in [[Westhampton Beach, New York]].<ref name = Fischer/> "My job in Washington was intellectually exciting and stimulating but it wasn't me at all," she explained four years later.<ref name=nytimes-enid/> She also found it better for her marriage for her and her husband to lead more independent lives, as a more traditionalist configuration earlier on, in which Jeffrey was the head of household, became stifling and led them to briefly separate.<ref name = Fischer/>

After traveling to visit the store, she purchased it and moved to New York. She often worked 12 hour days at the business. The store had been named by its original owner in tribute to the [[The Barefoot Contessa|1954 film]] which starred [[Ava Gardner]]. Garten kept the name; it meshed well with her idea of an "elegant but earthy" lifestyle.<ref>{{cite web |last = Garten |first = Ina |year = 2006 |url = http://www.barefootcontessa.com/qna.html#about |title = Q & A. |work = Barefoot Contessa Online |access-date = 2006-04-06 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060330204458/http://www.barefootcontessa.com/qna.html |archive-date = March 30, 2006 }}</ref> Incidentally, as of 2006 she had not seen the film.<ref>{{cite news |first = Bill |last = Ward |title = At Home with the Cookbook Contessa |work = [[Minneapolis Star Tribune]] |date = November 30, 2006 |page = 1T }}</ref> 

Three years later, Garten had moved Barefoot Contessa across Main Street to a larger property, and in 1985, she opened a second location at the newly vacated premises of gourmet shop [[Dean & DeLuca]] in the [[Long Island]] village of [[East Hampton (village), New York|East Hampton]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Garten |first=Ina |title=Be Ready When The Luck Happens: A Memoir |date=October 1, 2024 |publisher=Crown |isbn=978-0-593-79989-5 |edition=First |location=New York}}</ref> In contrast to [[Westhampton Beach, New York|Westhampton]]'s seasonal beach atmosphere, East Hampton houses a year-round community, providing a larger customer base. In East Hampton, Garten expanded the store over seven times its original size, from its original {{convert|400|sqft|m2}} to more than {{convert|3000|sqft|m2}}. In this new, larger space, the store specialized in delicacies such as lobster [[Cobb salad]], [[caviar]], imported cheeses, and locally grown produce.<ref name=Katz>{{cite news |last = Katz |first = Carissa |year = 2003 |title = Something Was Filmed in the Hamptons |newspaper = East Hampton Star }}</ref>

As the business grew Garten employed local chefs and bakers including [[Anna Pump]] (who later bought Loaves & Fishes Specialty Food Store and the Bridgehampton Inn). Celebrity clientele such as [[Steven Spielberg]] praised the shop in the press.<ref>{{Cite web |url = http://marthamoments.blogspot.com/2008/10/ina-garten-better-known-perhaps-as.html |title = MARTHA MOMENTS: Ina Garten: Back to Basics |date = October 15, 2008 }}</ref>

In 1996, after two decades of operating Barefoot Contessa, Garten again found herself seeking a change; she sold the store to two employees, Amy Forst and Parker Hodges.<ref name = Fischer/> She retained ownership of the building itself. Unsure of what career step to take after selling the store, she took a one year [[sabbatical]] from the culinary scene and built an office for herself above the store. There, she studied the [[stock market]] and attempted to sketch out plans for potential business ventures. At the time, her website, Barefoot Contessa, became a high-profile business as she began offering her coffees and a few other items for purchase online.

By 2003, Barefoot Contessa had become a landmark gathering place for East Hampton; director [[Nancy Meyers]] chose the store as one of the sets for the [[Jack Nicholson]]-[[Diane Keaton]] film ''[[Something's Gotta Give (film)|Something's Gotta Give]]''.<ref name=Katz/> The store was permanently closed in 2003 when the property lease expired and negotiations failed between Garten (still the owner of the building) and the new owners.<ref>{{cite news |last = Rosenbaum |first = Susan |year = 2003 |title = Barefoot Contessa Store Is No More |newspaper = East Hampton Star }}</ref>  Garten did not reopen the shop but kept the property for potential new tenants. {{As of|2024}}, it houses a [[Rag & Bone]] location.<ref name = Fischer/>

=== Barefoot Contessa cookbooks ===
[[File:InaGartenSign.jpg|thumb|upright|Garten at a book signing]]
In 1999, Garten reemerged with her attention turned to publishing. She carried on the Barefoot Contessa name in her 1999 [[Sleeper hit|sleeper]] bestseller, ''The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook''. The book far exceeded both Garten's and publisher Clarkson Potter's expectations, containing the recipes that made her store successful.<ref name = Fischer/> Garten eventually sold over 100,000 copies in the first year,<ref>{{cite news |year = 2000 |title = Chefs Shake Up Cookbook Market |work = Publishing Trends }}</ref> immediately requiring second and third print runs after the initial printing of 25,000 cookbooks were sold. In 2001, she released ''Barefoot Contessa Parties!'', which also garnered praise and generated high sales; ''Barefoot Contessa Family Style'' followed in 2002. ''The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook'' and ''Parties!'' were nominated for 2000 and 2002 [[James Beard Foundation|James Beard]] Awards in the Entertaining & Special Occasion Cookbooks category. ''Parties!'' was a surprise entry—Garten was perceived as too inexperienced to compete with nominees such as French chef [[Jacques Pépin]] and international wine expert Brian St. Pierre.

Her cookbooks have many color photographs,<ref name = Fischer/> including a full-page picture facing each recipe. Some critics{{who|date = August 2024}} argue that this style of publishing sacrifices space which could be used for recipes. Regardless, her cookbooks have received positive reviews; in 2005, fellow chef [[Giada De Laurentiis]] named Garten as one of her favorite authors.<ref>{{cite news |last = Sagon |first = Candy |date = April 20, 2005 |url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/04/19/AR2005041903200.html |title = The Food Network's Latest It Girl |newspaper = [[The Washington Post]] |archive-date = September 19, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150919005930/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/04/19/AR2005041903200.html |url-status = live }}</ref> {{As of|2023}}, Garten has published thirteen cookbooks with more than 14 million copies in print.

The richness of Garten's recipes has long been noted, with ''[[The New Yorker]]'' calling her "America's reigning queen of tastefully-deployed butterfat".<ref name = Fischer/> In 2010, the [[Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine]] criticized her cookbook ''Barefoot Contessa: How Easy Is That?'' for its use of high-fat, high-calorie, and high-cholesterol meat and dairy ingredients, naming it one of "The Five Worst Cookbooks" of the year from a nutritional standpoint.<ref>{{cite news |title = Health Concerns: The War Against Ina Garten |url = http://www.grubstreet.com/2010/12/the_war_against_ina_garten.html |first = Alan |last = Sytsma |work = [[New York (magazine)|New York]] |date = December 31, 2010 |access-date = September 2, 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.pcrm.org/health/reports/five_worst_cookbooks_2010.html |title = The Five Worst Cookbooks of 2010 |publisher = [[Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine]] |date = December 2010 |access-date = September 11, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101224081511/http://www.pcrm.org/health/reports/five_worst_cookbooks_2010.html |archive-date = December 24, 2010 }}</ref> In response, Eric Felten of ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'' called the report "an assault on cookbooks that dare to venture beyond lentils."<ref>{{cite news |last = Felten |first = Eric |title = A War on Good Taste |newspaper = [[The Wall Street Journal]] |date = December 31, 2010 |url = https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703909904576051780951418022 |access-date = September 12, 2015 }}</ref> 

=== ''Barefoot Contessa'' on Food Network ===
{{See also|Barefoot Contessa}}
Garten established herself with her cookbooks and appearances on [[Martha Stewart]]'s show, and then moved into the forefront in 2002 with the debut of her Food Network program.<ref name="Katz"/> After the success of ''The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook'' and ''Barefoot Contessa Parties!'', Garten was approached by [[Food Network]] with an offer to host her own television [[cooking show]]. An early effort with Stewart's production company in 2000 proved unsuccessful, as Garten struggled to adjust to the large television crew and highly structured environment.<ref name = Fischer/> However, when Pacific, the London-based production company responsible for ''[[Nigella Lawson|Nigella Bites]]'', proposed a show with a smaller crew and a more casual setup, she agreed to film a 13-episode season, and ''Barefoot Contessa'' premiered in 2002 to a positive reception.<ref name = Fischer/><ref>{{cite web |title = Barefoot Contessa |url = http://www.foodnetwork.com/barefoot-contessa/index.html |publisher = [[Food Network]] |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150831230948/http://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/barefoot-contessa.html |archive-date = August 31, 2015 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last = Greenberg |first = Doni |date = January 10, 2006 |url = http://www.redding.com/news/2006/jan/10/dishing-it-out/ |title = Dishing It Out. |work = [[Redding Record Searchlight]] |location = Redding, California |access-date = 2011-10-03 |archive-date = September 11, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150911025846/http://www.redding.com/lifestyle/dishing-it-out |url-status = dead }}</ref>

Her show features her husband and their friends and generally only hosts celebrities who are her friends.<ref>{{cite journal |journal = [[W (magazine)|W]] |title = Jennifer Garner |quote = But eventually she just said, 'I'm sorry, I only use my real friends on the show.' |first = Jenny |last = Comita |date = January 2010 |url = http://www.wmagazine.com/celebrities/2010/01/jennifer_garner |archive-date = September 11, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150911030052/http://www.wmagazine.com/people/celebrities/2010/01/jennifer_garner |url-status = dead }}</ref> ''Barefoot Contessa'' has approximately one million viewers tuned in per episode and has posted some of Food Network's highest ratings.<ref name="dream"/><ref>{{cite web |last = Network |first = Food |year = 2006 |url = http://foodnetworkadsales.com/programming/programming_show.asp?id=73 |title = Barefoot Contessa. |work = Food Network Ad Sales Programming |publisher = Scripps Network, Inc |access-date = 2006-03-30 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060513200630/http://foodnetworkadsales.com/programming/programming_show.asp?id=73 |archive-date = May 13, 2006 }}</ref>

In 2005, the show was nominated for a [[Daytime Emmy Award]] in the category of Best Service Show.<ref>{{cite web |last = Hall |first = Sarah |year = 2005 |url = http://uk.eonline.com/news/marthas_jailtime_emmy_noms/49349 |archive-url = https://archive.today/20120718012604/http://uk.eonline.com/news/marthas_jailtime_emmy_noms/49349 |url-status = dead |archive-date = 2012-07-18 |title = Martha's Jailtime Emmy Noms. |work = E! Online News |publisher = E! Entertainment Television, Inc |access-date = 2006-03-28 }}</ref> In 2009, the show and Garten were once again nominated for Daytime Emmy Awards in the categories of Best Culinary Program and Best Culinary Host, and Garten won her first Emmy in the latter category.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.emmyonline.org/mediacenter/daytime_36th_creative_winners_fp.html |title = List of 36th Creative Arts Daytime Emmy Awards winners |publisher = [[Emmys]] |access-date = 21 September 2009 |archive-date = March 3, 2016 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160303165345/http://www.emmyonline.org/mediacenter/daytime_36th_creative_winners_fp.html |url-status = dead }}</ref>

In the same year, Garten announced that she had signed a three-year contract with Food Network to continue her cooking show, and will release two more cookbooks following ''Barefoot Contessa at Home''. Garten was reportedly awarded the most lucrative contract for a culinary author to date, signing a multimillion-dollar deal for multiple books.<ref>{{cite magazine |last = Danford |first = Natalie |year = 2005 |title = Video Made the Cookbook Star |magazine = Publishers Weekly }}</ref> She has also been approached several times to develop her own magazine, line of furniture, set of cookware, and chain of boutiques (reminiscent of Stewart's [[Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia|Omnimedia]]), but has declined these offers saying she has no interest in further complicating her life. In 2023, Barefoot Contessa, Go-To Dinners sold more than 800,000 copies and rose to number one on the [[New York Times bestseller list]].<ref>{{cite magazine |last = Maryles |first = Daisy |year = 2005 |title = No Room at the Top |magazine = Publishers Weekly }}</ref>

In 2022, Garten launched ''Be My Guest'' on [[Discovery+]] and the [[Food Network]]. In this show, she hosts celebrities for visits.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/ina-garten-be-my-guest-renewed-discovery-plus-1235184213/ | title=Ina Garten's 'Be My Guest' Gets Early, Multi-Season Renewal at Discovery Plus (EXCLUSIVE) | date=February 17, 2022 }}</ref>

=== Barefoot Contessa Pantry ===
In 2006, Garten with her business partner Frank Newbold, launched her own line of packaged cake mixes, [[marinade]]s, sauces, and preserves branded as Barefoot Contessa Pantry.<ref name="nytimes1">{{cite news |url = https://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/01/nyregion/for-ina-garten-the-barefoot-contessa-oatmeal-and-a-massage-on-sundays.html |work = The New York Times |first = Robin |last = Finn |title = For Ina Garten, the 'Barefoot Contessa,' Oatmeal and a Massage on Sundays |date = June 29, 2012 }}</ref> This was done in conjunction with [[Stonewall Kitchen]].<ref name=":0" /> The convenience foods were based on her most popular from-scratch recipes including coconut [[cupcake]]s, maple oatmeal [[Scone (bread)|scones]], mango [[chutney]], and [[lemon curd]]. The pricing for the items was comparatively expensive (for example the suggested retail price for a single box of [[Chocolate brownie|brownie]] mix is ten dollars). They were only sold through upscale cookware and gourmet shops such as [[Crate & Barrel]], [[Sur La Table]], and Chicago's Fox & Obel Market Cafe.

=== Other Barefoot Contessa publications ===
After critical acclaim and high sales of her first three cookbooks, she went on to write ''Barefoot in Paris'' and several columns for ''[[O, The Oprah Magazine]]''. She also serves as the entertaining, cooking, and party planning consultant for the magazine. ''[[House Beautiful]]'', a [[shelter magazine]], featured a monthly Garten column entitled "Ask the Barefoot Contessa" until 2011. In this column, she gave cooking, entertaining, and lifestyle tips in response to letters from her readers.<ref>{{cite magazine |last = Garten |first = Ina |year = 2006 |url = http://magazines.ivillage.com/housebeautiful/entertain/hbent/articles/0,,284685_689816,00.html |title = Ask the Barefoot Contessa. |magazine = House Beautiful |access-date = 2006-03-28 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060324065416/http://magazines.ivillage.com/housebeautiful/entertain/hbent/articles/0%2C%2C284685_689816%2C00.html |archive-date = March 24, 2006 |url-status = dead }}</ref> She launched a small line of note cards and journals to complement her books, and wrote the forewords for Kathleen King's ''Tate's Bake Shop Cookbook'' and Rori Trovato's ''Dishing With Style''. One of her recipes, 'lemon roast chicken with croutons', was featured in ''The Best American Recipes 2005–2006''. Another of Garten's dishes was selected for ''Today's Kitchen Cookbook'', a compilation of the most popular recipes featured on the daily news program ''[[Today (NBC program)|The Today Show]]''. For Thanksgiving 2010, her recipes were featured by Google on their homepage.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.google.com/ |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161111080956/https://www.google.com/ |archive-date = November 11, 2016 |date = November 23, 2010 |title = Thanksgiving 2010 by Ina Garten, part 1 |access-date = November 11, 2016 |url-status = bot: unknown }}</ref> In June 2012, she started a [https://www.facebook.com/InaGarten Facebook blog] and three weeks later had over 100,000 followers.<ref name="nytimes1"/> In 2019, she lent friend and author Sheryl Haft her recipe for potato latkes for the children's book, ''Goodnight Bubbala.''