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Visiting Garten in her Eden
In the kitchen with I;; By Tim Talevich
ALL PHOTOS: QUENTIN BACON 2010; BAREFOO T CON TESSA HO W EAS Y IS THAT?; CLARKSON POTTER
28 ;e Costco Connection NOVEMBER 2010
SHE’S VERY BUSY creating delicious recipes, writing bestselling cookbooks and appearing on her Emmy Award–winning Food Network show, Barefoot Contessa. So what does Ina
Garten do to unwind?
“Cook!” she responds with a deep, full
laugh. “I love to cook for my friends. I like to
have small dinner parties in the kitchen and
test out my recipes. That’s the essence of
what I’m about. It’s not about the food—
it’s about the people I really care about.”
We’re sitting in Garten’s spacious,
daylight-filled kitchen/studio, housed
in a barn she designed and had built
on her property in East Hampton,
New York. If you’re a fan, you
know the setting well: This is
where the Barefoot Contessa
mixes up her trademark farmers-market-inspired recipes for her
television show. Outside is a small
fenced garden with herbs and
vegetables—the freshest of
ingredients for her dishes.
And across a wide lawn, just a
short, peaceful stroll each
morning, is her house. How
easy is that?
On this day, Garten is
serving roasted prosciutto-wrapped figs and a lobster
pasta salad, both from her lat-
