Sunday Sitdown with Willie Geist Ina Garten on Becoming Barefoot Contessa - Part 1 (May 2025)
Feb 1, 2026
Ina Garten, New York Times bestselling author and Food Network star behind Barefoot Contessa, reflects on her memoir and how she launched her business. She recalls leaving a White House job to open a specialty shop, the surprise of her cookbook breakout, navigating fame and TV, and the role her husband Jeffrey and therapy played in sustaining their marriage.
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Build A Career Around What You Love
- Do what you love so your success is limited only by your imagination.
- If you love it, get up excited each morning and build the business around that feeling.
From A Small Ad To A Big Sandbox
- Ina found a tiny specialty food shop ad in the New York Times and bought it, launching Barefoot Contessa.
- She worked 4am to midnight, testing recipes and treating the store like a fun sandbox to grow.
Work Strain Tested Their Marriage
- Building the store strained Ina and Jeffrey's relationship, prompting therapy and distance.
- Jeffrey agreed to get help and they later adjusted by giving each other space when careers diverged.
