Ina Garten Popular Books

Ina Garten Biography & Facts

Ina Rosenberg Garten ( EYE-nə; born February 2, 1948) is an American television cook and author. She is host of the Food Network program Barefoot Contessa, and was a former staff member of the Office of Management and Budget. Among her dishes are Perfect Roast Chicken, Weeknight Bolognese, French Apple Tart, and a simplified version of beef bourguignon. Her culinary career began with her gourmet food store, Barefoot Contessa; Garten then expanded her activities to many best-selling cookbooks, magazine columns, and a popular Food Network television show. Early life Born Ina Rosenberg to a Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York City and grew up in Stamford, Connecticut, Garten was one of two children born to Charles H. Rosenberg, a surgeon specializing in otolaryngology, and his wife, Florence (née Rich), a dietitian. Encouraged to excel in school, she showed an aptitude for science and has said she uses her scientific mindset while experimenting with recipes. 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. Her cousin is musician David Torn. At 15, she met her future husband Jeffrey Garten, on a trip to visit her brother at Dartmouth College. After high school, she attended Syracuse University majoring in economics, and later went to George Washington University School of Business. 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's certificate. 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. 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. 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 State Department earning his PhD at Johns Hopkins School for Advanced International Studies. 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 energy budget and policy papers on nuclear centrifuge plants for presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter.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 neighborhoods. 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 400-square-foot (37 m2) specialty food store called Barefoot Contessa in Westhampton Beach, New York. "My job in Washington was intellectually exciting and stimulating but it wasn't me at all," she explained four years later.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 1954 film which starred Ava Gardner. Garten kept the name; it meshed well with her idea of an "elegant but earthy" lifestyle. Ironically, as of 2006 she had not seen the film.Three years later, Garten had moved Barefoot Contessa across Main Street to a larger property, and in 1985, she relocated the store to the newly vacated premises of gourmet shop Dean & DeLuca in the Long Island village of East Hampton. In contrast to 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 400 square feet (37 m2) to more than 3,000 square feet (280 m2). In this new, larger space, the store specialized in delicacies such as lobster Cobb salad, caviar, imported cheeses, and locally grown produce.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.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. 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. 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. Garten did not reopen the shop but kept the property for potential new tenants. Barefoot Contessa cookbooks In 1999, Garten reemerged with her attention turned to publishing. She carried on the Barefoot Contessa name in her 1999 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. Garten eventually sold over 100,000 copies in the first year, immediately requiring second and third print runs after the initial printing of 25,000 cookbooks were sold. In 2001, she released Barefoot Contessa Parties!, Parties! also produced praise and high sales; Barefoot Contessa Family Style followed in 2002. The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook and Parties! were nominated for 2000 and 2002 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 including a full-page pict.... Discover the Ina Garten popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Ina Garten books.

Best Seller Ina Garten Books of 2024

  • Barefoot Contessa at Home synopsis, comments

    Barefoot Contessa at Home

    Ina Garten

    #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERThroughout the years that she has lived and worked in East Hampton, Ina Garten has catered and attended countless parties and dinners. She will be the ...

  • Cooking in Real Life synopsis, comments

    Cooking in Real Life

    Lidey Heuck

    “Lidey subscribes to the same theory of home cooking that I do. We all want recipes that have ingredients you can buy in almost any grocery store, recipes that are easy enough to m...

  • The Modern Proper synopsis, comments

    The Modern Proper

    Holly Erickson & Natalie Mortimer

    NATIONAL BESTSELLER“Simple and elegant is the name of the game here. Holly Erickson and Natalie Mortimer have created the ultimate useeveryday cookbook…If the veggieforward, ‘beaut...

  • The Extraordinary Cases of Sherlock Holmes synopsis, comments

    The Extraordinary Cases of Sherlock Holmes

    Arthur Conan Doyle

    Through the foggy streets of Victorian London to the deepest countryside, Sherlock Holmes uses his unique powers of deduction in eight thrilling investigations, including the myste...

  • Family Meal synopsis, comments

    Family Meal

    Penguin Random House

    Restaurants nourish us. While they're closed, we need to nourish them.WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER Beyond the basics of providing food and drink, restaurants fulfill a human nee...

  • The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook synopsis, comments

    The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

    Ina Garten

    Ina Garten and The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook provide the perfect recipe for hosting parties that are easy and fun for everyoneincluding the cook.For more than twenty years Ina Gar...

  • The Little Book of Brunch synopsis, comments

    The Little Book of Brunch

    Sophie Missing & Caroline Craig

    Eggs, avocado, bacon, bagels the rollcall of delicious ingredients shows why brunch is by far the best meal of the day.Discover 100 delicious recipes for the best meal of the day....

  • Nantucket Open-House Cookbook synopsis, comments

    Nantucket Open-House Cookbook

    Sarah Leah Chase

    Sarah Leah Chase, coauthor of The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook, knows that summer means long, lazy days of fun and getting together, of throwing the doors open and inviting ov...

  • Make Every Dish Delicious synopsis, comments

    Make Every Dish Delicious

    Lesley Chesterman

    Shortlisted for the 2023 Taste Canada AwardsRecipes, perfected. A repertoire of reliable, classic recipes and fundamental techniques that deliver gorgeous results, every time, for ...

  • Barefoot in Paris synopsis, comments

    Barefoot in Paris

    Ina Garten & Quentin Bacon

    Hearty boeuf Bourguignon served in deep bowls over a garlicrubbed slice of baguette toast; decadently rich croque monsieur, eggy and oozing with cheese; gossamer crème brulee, its ...

  • The Dinner Lady synopsis, comments

    The Dinner Lady

    Jeanette Orrey

    As a highly experienced dinner lady, Jeanette has long been at the heart of Jamie Oliver's revolution to change the bad eating habits of our children both in and outside school. A...

  • Baking with the Bread Lady synopsis, comments

    Baking with the Bread Lady

    Sarah Gonzalez

    This isn't your ordinary bread book. From artisan bread making, to savory breakfasts and brunch (hello, ultimate cinnamon roll!), to decadent but simple desserts, Baking ...

  • Cook Like a Pro synopsis, comments

    Cook Like a Pro

    Ina Garten

    #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER  Cook with confidence no matter how much experience you have in the kitchen with the help of the beloved Food Network star “Garten ...

  • Even More Basics to Brilliance synopsis, comments

    Even More Basics to Brilliance

    Donna Hay

    Donna Hay, Australia's most trusted and bestselling cookbook author, returns with a follow up to her muchloved bestselling classic, Basics to Brilliance.When Donna Hay first launch...

  • The Pollan Family Table synopsis, comments

    The Pollan Family Table

    Corky Pollan

    A BookPage Best Cookbook of 2015 Winner of the Gourmand International Cookbook Award 2015, Best in the World, Best First CookbookA gorgeous, fully illustrated collection of recipes...

  • Barefoot Contessa Family Style synopsis, comments

    Barefoot Contessa Family Style

    Ina Garten

    Ina Garten, who shared her gift for casual entertaining in the bestselling Barefoot Contessa Cookbook and Barefoot Contessa Parties!, is back with her most enticing recipes yeta co...

  • Make It Ahead synopsis, comments

    Make It Ahead

    Ina Garten

    #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERFor the first time, trusted and beloved cookbook author Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa, answers the number one question she receives from cooks:...

  • Go-To Dinners synopsis, comments

    Go-To Dinners

    Ina Garten

    #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER America’s favorite home cook presents delicious, crowdpleasing, goto recipes that you’ll want to make over and over again!Even Ina Garten, America's m...

  • Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics synopsis, comments

    Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics

    Ina Garten

    #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The essential Ina Garten cookbook, focusing on the techniques behind her elegant food and easy entertaining style, and offering nearly a hundred bra...

  • Three Days at Camp David synopsis, comments

    Three Days at Camp David

    Jeffrey E. Garten

    The former dean of the Yale School of Management and Undersecretary of Commerce in the Clinton administration chronicles the 1971 August meeting at Camp David, where President Nixo...

  • Modern Comfort Food synopsis, comments

    Modern Comfort Food

    Ina Garten

    #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A collection of allnew soulsatisfying dishes from America’s favorite home cook!ONE OF THE BEST COOKBOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, ...

  • Cooking for Jeffrey synopsis, comments

    Cooking for Jeffrey

    Ina Garten

    For America’s bestselling cookbook author Ina Garten there is no greater pleasure than cooking for the people she lovesand particularly for her husband, Jeffrey. She has been cooki...

  • Summer on a Plate synopsis, comments

    Summer on a Plate

    Anna Pump

    From acclaimed cookbook author, successful store proprietor, and regular guest on the Food Network's Barefoot Contessa, comes Summer on a Plate, a cookbook filled with simple but e...

  • One-Hour Comfort synopsis, comments

    One-Hour Comfort

    America's Test Kitchen

    Find easy satisfaction in these globally inspired recipes for crispy, cheesy, meaty, carby, and sweet comfort foodsWhether your goto comfort food is brothyslurpy ramen, ultramelty ...

  • Little House Living synopsis, comments

    Little House Living

    Merissa A. Alink

    The immensely popular blogger behind Little House Living provides a timeless and “heartwarming guide to modern homesteading” (BookPage) that will inspire you to live your life simp...

  • Barefoot Contessa Foolproof synopsis, comments

    Barefoot Contessa Foolproof

    Ina Garten

    #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER  The Food Network star and beloved home cook shares her secrets for pulling off deeply satisfying meals that have the “wow!” factor we all craveSt...