Ina Garten has never had children and doesn't plan to. "We decided not to have children. I really appreciate that other people do and we will always have friends that have children that we are close to..." Garten explained. "I really felt, I feel, that I would have never been able to have the life I've had.

75 years (February 2, 1948)Ina Garten / Age

Ina Garten's Best Recipes

• Ina Garten's Skillet-Roasted Lemon Chicken.
• Ina Garten's Parmesan-Roasted Broccoli.
• Ina Garten's Lemon Capellini.
• Ina Garten's Devil's Food Cake.
• Ina Garten's Pasta alla Vecchia Bettola.
• Ina Garten's Outrageous Brownies.
• Ina Garten's Mac & Cheese.
• Ina Garten's Cauliflower Toasts.

"I've had the same thing for breakfast every single day for ten years: coffee and McCann's quick-cooking Irish oatmeal," Garten told Bon Appétit in a 2017 article. And her love of the stuff is well-documented.

After Jeffrey completed his tour of duty, the couple spent four months camping through France, where Ina (again, like Julia) discovered her passion for French cuisine. Jeffrey found work in Washington, D.C. and Ina went back to school, earning her MBA from George Washington University.

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.

Barefoot Contessa hasn't produced new episodes since 2021, and anyone who still has cable knows that Food Network doesn't show Garten's TV shows as often as we'd like. However, Garten recently announced that she's working on new episodes for the cooking network.

The one meal Ina simply couldn't live without is roast chicken. She even cites it as one of the reasons her husband, Jeffrey, proposed marriage in 1968.

Bestsellers

• Make It Ahead: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook.
• Barefoot Contessa Family Style: Easy Ideas and Recipes That Make Everyone Feel Like Family: A Cookbook.
• Barefoot Contessa How Easy Is That?: Fabulous Recipes & Easy Tips: A Cookbook.
• Small Victories: Recipes, Advice + Hundreds of Ideas for Home-Cooking Triumphs.

And Ina has that. She says it's just in her DNA. The rest is history: She didn't attend cooking school or learn from a grandmother, but she picked up skills out of necessity while running her specialty food store, Barefoot Contessa.

Ina Garten says 'cooking is really hard' for her because she never received formal training. Ina Garten said that she's "not a confident cook" in an interview with Page Six. Garten added that her lack of classical training can make cooking "really hard" for her.

The cookbook was in turn named after Garten's specialty food store, which she bought already named in 1978. The store, which is no longer in operation, opened in 1975 and was named after the 1954 film of the same name. Garten sold the store to the employees prior to its closure.

Ina uses Clinique Dramatically Different Lipstick in A Different Grape.

Lacanche range Her Lacanche range “I think if you can cook, you can cook on any stove,” Garten wrote. “The Lacanche keeps a very steady heat and it's a total pleasure to use. Functional and beautiful at the same time!”

Several years ago, Garten built a second kitchen in a barn on her property so she could have somewhere to film episodes of Barefoot Contessa (she told Oprah Daily all about it in 2021). But Garten's home kitchen, where she still cooks meals for friends and family, has remained untouched for 25 years - at least until now.

It's Thanksgiving at the barn and Ina Garten's good friend and neighbor Bobby Flay is coming over.