Ina Garten is a legendary American chef, author, TV personality, and one of the most recognizable figures in food television. Born in New York City, she studied economics before pursuing a career in government as a White House policy analyst. Her career took a major turn when she purchased a specialty food store called Barefoot Contessa in the Hamptons. 

Over nearly two decades, she grew the 400-square-foot shop into a 3,000-square-foot food emporium in East Hampton, before selling it in 1996. Three years later, she released her debut cookbook, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, which became a runaway bestseller. She has since published 13 cookbooks and a memoir, with global sales exceeding 13 million copies.

Ina Garten made her TV debut in 2002 with her Food Network show, Barefoot Contessa, filmed primarily in her East Hampton home. The show became one of the network’s most consistently watched programs for nearly two decades. In 2022, she expanded her TV hosting role with Be My Guest with Ina Garten, a celebrity conversation-and-cooking series.