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TL;DR: 

  • Ina Garten said Richard Avedon once told her her first cookbook had the “worst” design he’d “ever seen.”  
  • The cookbook author replied, “I need to see what you are seeing.”
  • During their conversation, Ina Garten realized her work and Avedon’s were “different.” 

Leave it to Ina Garten to take criticism from a noted photographer in stride. The Barefoot Contessa once recalled how she wasn’t “offended” when one of her famous friends dubbed her debut cookbook “the worst.” 

Photographer Richard Avedon said ‘The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook’ had ‘the worst’ design

Richard Avedon, known for taking photos of Marilyn Monroe and many others, had some harsh words for Garten. The photographer, who died in 2004, was a friend of Garten’s. 

During a 2015 appearance in Texas, Garten shared a story she’d never told publicly, according to CultureMap Houston. She remembered how Avedon had a memorable reaction to her debut cookbook, 1999’s The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook. 

“I had him over to dinner, and he said to me, ‘It’s the worst (book design) I’ve ever seen,’” she recalled. Garten, now with many cookbooks to her name, continued. 

“Because it was Richard Avedon, who was such a genius — somebody else I would have been offended,” she explained. “But with Richard, I sat closer to him on the sofa and said, ‘I need to see what you are seeing,’ because I was starting on my second book.” 

During the course of their conversation, something occurred to Garten. She and Avedon were two different authors.

“What I realized as he was talking is he writes art books — his photography was art —  and I write cookbooks,” she said. “The more I thought about it, I realized that’s different from what I do. (What I do) is very accessible.”

Ina Garten’s publisher ‘didn’t get’ her idea for a cookbook

Avedon wasn’t the only person apprehensive about Garten’s first Barefoot Contessa cookbook. The cooking show host’s publisher felt unsure.

“When I decided to do cookbooks, the popular thing at the time was these enormous books of 250 recipes — how to cook everything,” Garten told The Hollywood Reporter. “I wanted a book of 75 great recipes, like one really good roast chicken.” 

“My publisher didn’t get it,” she said. “People were skeptical because it was so different from what was being done.” She stood by her “vision” and, eventually, the publisher got on board. 

Ina Garten, whose Barefoot Contessa cookbook Richard Avedon called 'the worst,' smiles wearing a white shirt and sitting at a table
Ina Garten | Michael Bezjian/WireImage
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Ina Garten has a new Barefoot Contessa cookbook out on Oct. 25

The Food Network star is gearing up for the release of Barefoot Contessa cookbook No. 13. Garten’s latest book, Go-To Dinners, launches on Oct. 25. After Instagram sneak peeks in 2021, fans will finally be able to get their hands on the cookbook. 

Inspired by her coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown experience, Go-To Dinners is, per the book’s description, a “collection of easy, make-ahead, prep ahead, freeze ahead, and simply assembled recipes that you’ll want to make over and over again.”  

There are strategies from Garten on “making her most satisfying and uncomplicated dinners” such as Overnight Mac & Cheese. Other recipes include Tuscan White Bean Soup, Chicken in a Pot with Orzo, breakfast for dinner, “Two-Fers,” and no-cook options. 

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