How Old is ‘Barefoot Contessa’ Ina Garten? How Old is Jeffrey Garten?
Food Network star Ina Garten is known for her calming demeanor and classic recipes shared on her show, Barefoot Contessa. And she’s been in the business for quite some time. So, how old is Ina Garten now? And how old is her husband, Jeffrey Garten, who continues to make cameos on the show?
How old is Ina Garten? How old is Jeffrey Garten?
Ina Garten is 73 years old in 2021. She turned 73 on Feb. 2, 1948, and she continues to prove that age is nothing but a number. As for how she got her start, she didn’t pursue the culinary arts immediately as a young adult. Instead, she decided she’d try her hand at owning a grocery store at 30 years old after working at the White House.
The New York Times ran a story back in 1981 about Garten, the former White House Office of Management and Budget, buying her Barefoot Contessa grocery store in Long Island.
“I was sitting at my desk in Washington trying to figure out what I was going to do when I grew up and I came across an ad for this business for sale in Westhampton,” Ina told The New York Times at 33. ”I drove up that weekend, looked it over and said I’d take it.”
In 1999, Insider reports Ina sold the store to two of her employees and published her first cookbook at 51 years old. By 2002, Ina got her very successful Food Network show. She was 54.
How did Ina and Jeffrey Garten meet?
So, how old is Jeffrey Garten, Ina’s husband? He’s 74 years old, and his birthday is Oct. 29, 1946. The two are still married today, and Jeffrey frequently makes appearances on Barefoot Contessa — especially when Ina’s cooking something she knows he’ll love.
Ina and Jeffrey met when they were just teenagers, too. “I met Jeffrey when I was 15, and I have to say, I just knew he was the one,” Ina told Today Food. “He’s kind, he’s smart, he’s funny, and he takes very good care of me. It’s wonderful.”
While Ina said their first date was disastrous, they continued to see each other. Jeffrey wrote letters to Ina when they were apart, and Ina would make him food, like brownies, to send to him. The two married in 1968 and celebrated their 50-year anniversary in 2020.
Ina credits Jeffrey for helping her make her business a success, too. While she wasn’t sure if purchasing her store at 30 years old was the right move, he encouraged her. “He said to me, which was really smart, he said, ‘If you learn the business in a week, you’ll be bored in two weeks,’” Ina recalled during a podcast. “And he was right.”
Are Ina Garten’s parents still alive?
It doesn’t look like Ina got her cooking expertise from her parents. According to The Cut, her father was a surgeon, and her mother was a homemaker — but the cooking in the house didn’t have much flavor. “It was, you know, broiled chicken and peas from a can,” Ina said. “A very ’50s kind of cook.” Ina didn’t even start making her own meals until she married Jeffrey.
Ina’s parents weren’t too happy when she decided to leave her White House job to pursue her passions, either. But it’s clear she proved everyone wrong with her wild success.
As for Ina’s parents today, they’re no longer alive. Florence Rosenberg, Ina’s mother, died at 84 years old in 2006, according to Legacy. The New York Times notes Charles H. Rosenberg, Ina’s father, also died at 84 in 2004.
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