The famous American Author Ina Rosenberg Garten is a former employee of the Office of Management and Budget and presenter of the Food Network show “Barefoot Contessa.” Her husband, Jeffery Garten is a well-recognized American author and former professor at the Yale School of Management.
Ina Garten
Born on 2nd February 1948 in Brooklyn, New York, Ina Garten (Ina Rosenberg) is a famous Jewish American TV personality and prolific cookbook author’s brand.
She had intended to enroll at Syracuse University following high school, but she put off her academic plans so she could wed Jeffrey in 1968.
The couple moved to Fort Bragg, North Carolina. While Jeffrey completed a four-year military deployment during the Vietnam War, Ina kept herself busy with cooking. Ina obtained her pilot’s license around this period.
In 1972, Garten pursued an MBA at George Washington University while working in the White House. She started off as a government assistant and worked her way up to the role of budget analyst, where she wrote the nuclear energy budget and policy documents for Presidents Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford.
Upon reading an advert for a 400-square-foot specialty food business named Barefoot Contessa in Westhampton Beach, New York, Garten quit her government position in 1978.
Her culinary business flourished swiftly and she relocated two times into a larger space. She sold the business to Amy Forst and Parker Hodges, her two staff in 1996, who carried on Garten’s practices. The collapse of the leasing negotiations in 2004 resulted in the store’s ultimate closure.
Ina took a chance at authoring a cookbook and established herself a workspace above the Barefoot Contessa shop.
She has authored several famous books since 1999, including “The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook,” “Barefoot Contessa Parties”, “Make It Ahead: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, Clarkson Potter”, and many more.
After the launch of “Barefoot Contessa Family Style” in 2002, Foot Network contacted her with a proposal to broadcast a culinary program of her own. She consented to a 13-show season, and “Barefoot Contessa” made its debut to enthusiastic reviews in 2002. Since then, the program has continued. The program gets several of the top ratings on the Food Network and Ina has received three Emmy awards for it.
Ina’s Husband, Jeffery
Jeffery Garten is a renowned American author and Dean Emeritus at the Yale School of Management. He was also the former managing director of Lehman Brothers and a veteran American soldier. He was born to Ruth Garten and Melvin Garten on 29th October 1946.
Jeffrey graduated with a BA from Dartmouth College in 1968, after which he attended the School of Advanced International Studies at John Hopkins University, where he earned a master’s degree in 1972 and a Ph.D. in 1980. he was in the American Army from 1968 until 1972.
In 1971, he enrolled as a consultant in the Royal Thai Army. He additionally commanded as a Lieutenant in the 82nd Airborne Division.
Furthermore, he worked for the Ford, Carter, and Nixon administrations in roles that dealt with foreign and economic affairs. Subsequently, after moving to Wall Street, he began operating for Lehman Brothers and the Blackstone Company.
As a professor, he teaches global economy and has authored many books including The Big Ten, A Cold Peace, From Silk to Silicon, and The CEO’s Mind.
The Gartens’ love life
Ina encountered her now hubby Jeffrey Garten for the first time at the young age of 15 when she went to see her brother at Dartmouth College. Then, Jeffrey proposed to her by sending Ina a letter with his photo in it. Shortly afterwards, they were married in 1968, when Ina was 20 and Jeffrey was 22.
Ever since they remained together for 55 years now, loving one another while each pursuing their respective career paths.
Here’s Why Ina Garten didn’t have kids.
“I shared with Louis-Dreyfus that I never had any inclination to have children,” she confided. “My own upbringing was fraught with difficulties, and the last thing I wanted was to recreate that. Reflecting on it now, observing my friends with their children, I grasp the potential joys, but back when I was 20, I steered clear of any such desires… Perhaps because in my own childhood, choices were never mine to make. Someone else dictated every aspect of my life. So, when I finally had autonomy, I embraced it fully.”
Despite her firm stance, Garten acknowledges that her husband, Jeffrey, “would have made an excellent parent.”
“He truly adores children, but he prioritized my happiness above all else, and I’m grateful for that,” she disclosed.
Jeffrey has consistently supported her in various endeavors, even playing a pivotal role in her culinary journey.
“After we got married, I suddenly realized, for the first time, that I was free from criticism and constraints. I could pursue anything I desired, and at that moment, all I wanted to do was host gatherings. Thus, I began teaching myself how to cook,” she reminisced.
Growing up, cooking wasn’t a skill she was allowed to develop, but with Jeffrey’s encouragement, she embraced it as a passion.
“In my youth, I never envisioned a specific path for myself. I was part of the generation that assumed, ‘I’ll go to college, then get married, and that’s it,'” she recalled. “It was Jeffrey who made me realize, ‘You won’t find fulfillment that way.’ It was eye-opening. I owe him a lot for that insight.”
This isn’t the first time Garten has spoken openly about her relationship or her decision to forego parenthood, and it certainly won’t be the last. Her forthcoming memoir delves into her childhood experiences, ones she was determined not to replicate with her own children.
“Looking back, I realize many of my choices were influenced by my upbringing. That was the driving force,” she shared last year, emphasizing that she and Jeffrey have always found immense joy in their life together, just the two of them.
Check your dates. Ina born in 1958 and married in 1968?don’t think so.