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Ina Garten is the star of Barefoot Contessa and Valerie Bertinelli is the star of Valerie’s Home Cooking. Viewers can tune in and see the celebrity chefs every week on Food Network. Which star has the higher net worth? Garten or Bertinelli? Here’s what Showbiz Cheat Sheet knows.

‘Barefoot Contessa’ Ina Garten’s road to Food Network

Ina Garten stands in front of an orange couch while wearing a blue short and holding her hands out.
Ina Garten accepts the award for Outstanding Culinary Host for Barefoot Contessa: Cook Like a Pro during the 48th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards on June 25, 2021 | Daytime Emmy Awards 2021 via Getty Images

Before joining Food Network, Garten worked as a White House budget analyst. After a few years on the job, she felt like she wasn’t making a difference, so she decided to make a career change.

In 1978, Garten put an offer on a specialty foods shop on Long Island, New York. Her offer was accepted, and she left her job and began working at the shop. After about 18 years, Garten sold the shop and began writing cookbooks. Her first cookbook, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, was released in 1999.

Ina Garten’s net worth

Garten has an estimated net worth of $60 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. Most of her wealth comes from her cooking shows and cookbooks. As of this writing, her most recent book was Modern Comfort Food: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook.

The Barefoot Contessa star says all her cookbooks have a common theme. During an NPR interview, when asked if she changed anything about her latest cookbook because of the coronavirus pandemic, Garten says the only thing she changed was mentioning the pandemic. She says it would have been “delirious” not to mention what was happening in the world. She also reveals the theme all her books have in common. According to her, each book is about comfort food.

How Valerie Bertinelli became a Food Network chef

Valerie Bertinelli smiles while holding a dish at the Food Network and Cooking Channel NYC Wine & Food Festival.
Valerie Bertinelli at the Food Network & Cooking Channel New York City Wine & Food Festival Presented By Coca-Cola – Grand Tasting presented by ShopRite featuring Samsung® Culinary Demonstrations presented by Mastercard at Pier 94 in 2017 in New York City | Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images for NYCWFF)

Bertinelli is best known for playing Barbara Cooper on One Day at a Time. She’s now the star of her own show. How did she go from actor to TV chef?

During an interview with The Philadelphia Inquirer, Bertinelli admits her cooking show was supposed to be temporary. It was something for her to do while her show Hot in Cleveland, starring Betty White, was on summer break. However, the Food Network show was a hit and turned into a long-term gig.

“I was doing Hot in Cleveland, and the cooking show was going to be a fun summer thing to do,” says Bertinelli. “Then Hot in Cleveland was canceled, and I still had my cooking show, and it did very well… I could not be happier. I feel at home.”

Valerie Bertinelli’s net worth

As of this writing, Bertinelli has an estimated net worth of $20 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. Her wealth is a combination of earnings from her acting career, books, and her Food Network show. Bertinelli released her first cookbook, One Dish at a Time, in 2012. Her cooking show, Valerie’s Home Cooking, first aired in 2015. Bertinelli also appears on Food Network’s competition show Kids Baking Championship.

Bertinelli continues to pursue acting even though she has a successful Food Network show. She recently began filming her new NBC comedy, Hungry, which will also star singer Demi Lovato.

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