Ina Garten celebrated her 74th birthday on February 2nd, and she and her husband Jeffrey have been married for 53 years.
Ina Garten used to record episodes of The Barefoot Contessa in her own kitchen back when the show first began. Because of its invasive nature, however, it posed problems for Garten and her husband, Jeffrey. After a while, she had a room constructed specifically for recording the show, jokingly in part because “Jeffrey was going to divorce me.”
Even though they’ve been married for 53 years, Ina Garten and her husband Jeffrey still keep things spicy, and all the rumors about them getting a divorce are false. This post will tell you everything you need to know about how Ina and Jeffrey got together.
How Did Ina Garten First Meet Jeffrey Garten And When Did They Start Dating?
As soon as Jeffrey saw Ina walking around campus from the library window, he knew he had to talk to her.
Saying, “That girl is stunning, right?” According to the Food Network, Jeffrey told his roommate about it at the time. Garten’s roommate, however, recognized her immediately as Ina Rosenberg, the younger sister of a mutual acquaintance and the intended date for that evening.
The date ended badly, so Jeffrey wrote her a letter and included a photo of himself. Ina was instantly intrigued.
She told People in 2018 that “he saw me on the street and then wrote me a letter with a photograph of himself in it.” “I can still clearly recall yelling, “Mom, Mom, you’ve got to see this image of this person.” as I sprinted into the house. Oh, my goodness, look at him!”
A young Jeffrey and Ina went on their first date a few months later and their wedding took place at Ina’s parent’s home in Stamford, Connecticut, when the bride was 20 years old; the groom was 22.
Ina and Jeffrey Garten got married, and then after Jeffrey joined the army they moved to North Carolina. Ina decided not to complete her education at Syracuse University and instead focused on cooking for her husband.
On the other hand, Jeffrey encouraged her to follow her dreams of opening a restaurant and becoming a pilot.
While Jeffrey served in the Army and later relocated to Tokyo for his career, the newlyweds kept their marriage alive with letters written in 1969.
According to an interview he gave to People in 2018, he said, “I wrote to Ina every day” during his time spent stationed in Thailand. The entire year went by without me even being able to give her a call twice.
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When Did Ina Garten Start Barefoot Contessa?
Garten left her government job shortly after turning 30 and purchased the tiny Barefoot Contessa store in East Hampton, New York.
“When I told Jeffrey that I wanted to move to New York and open a food store, he said, ‘Let’s move to New York!'” In 2018, Garten told People. “It was so strange, especially 40 years ago, that he wouldn’t mind if I moved to a different state for my job.
It became her new passion project and was the key to her becoming a star.
“Jeffrey said, ‘If you love it, you’ll be great at it,'” Garten told Sam Sifton of the New York Times during a virtual chat to promote the release of her latest cookbook, “Modern Comfort Food.” “That’s the best piece of advice anyone has ever given me.”
Jeffrey was also busy, and he worked hard to get to where he is now as managing director at Lehman Brothers.
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Conclusion
Ina Garten and her husband Jeffrey have been together for over 50 years. Despite their busy schedules, the couple has always made time for each other and have a strong and supportive relationship. Ina credits her husband for encouraging her to follow her passions, including her love of cooking.
It wasn’t until the pair took a trip to Paris on a shoestring budget that Ina truly explored her talents in the kitchen and eventually turned her love of cooking into a successful career as a cookbook author and television host. Overall, Ina and Jeffrey’s relationship has been a key factor in Ina’s success and happiness and they are going strong together.