Ina Garten

Ina Rosenberg Garten (/ˈaɪnə/ EYE-nə; born February 2, 1948) is an American author and host of the Food Network program Barefoot Contessa, and a former staff member of the White House Office of Management and Budget. Garten had no formal training; she taught herself culinary techniques with the aid of French and New England cookbooks. Later, she relied on intuition and feedback from friends and customers to refine her recipes. She was mentored primarily by Eli Zabar, owner of Eli's Manhattan and Eli's Breads, and food-show host and author Martha Stewart. Among her dishes are cœur à la crème, celery root remoulade, pear clafouti, and a simplified version of beef bourguignon. Her culinary career began with her gourmet food store, Barefoot Contessa; Garten then expanded her activities to several best-selling cookbooks, magazine columns, self-branded convenience products, and a popular Food Network television show. 2Early life Born Ina Rosenberg to a Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York and raised in Stamford, Connecticut, Garten was one of two children born to Charles H. Rosenberg, a surgeon specializing in otolaryngology, and his wife, Florence. Encouraged to excel in school, she showed an aptitude for science, and has said she uses that scientific mindset while experimenting with recipes. Garten's mother, an intellectual with an interest in opera, refused her daughter's requests to assist her in the kitchen and instead directed her to concentrate on schoolwork. Garten described her father as a lively individual with many friends, and has commented that she shares more characteristics with him than with her mothe