Taylor Swift Is ‘Grateful’ for How ‘Barefoot Contessa’ Ina Garten Changed Her Outlook on Cooking
Does Taylor Swift owe her love of cooking to Barefoot Contessa star Ina Garten? Swift shared how Garten helped change her outlook on cooking, taking it from a “chore” to an act of self-care.
Taylor Swift said she’s ‘grateful’ for Ina Garten giving her the gift of cooking
In the November 2022 issue of Food Network Magazine, Swift wrote about being “grateful” that Garten gave her the gift of “self-care” and “escape from stress” — cooking.
“I’ve been lucky enough to meet Ina a few times and get to know the magnificent woman behind the TV show and the cookbooks,” Swift wrote. “She’s one of those people who is even better, funnier, warmer than you’d hoped her to be.”
The singer continued, “My most potent memories of Ina come from when I first discovered her TV show. I was in my teens, and my life revolved around touring. On my rare days off at home, I barely ever cooked because it had always felt like a chore. Watching Ina prepare a meal changed my perspective on cooking and reframed it as something relaxing.”
Swift added how valuable that change of perspective turned out to be. “She made cooking feel like self-care,” she wrote. “Ever since, cooking has been my escape from stress and one of the only ways I can truly calm myself on a rough day. I’ll always be grateful to her for giving me that.”
Ina Garten revealed how they became friends
During an Oct. 25 appearance on the Today show, Garten was asked about her friendship with Swift. The Food Network host became an instant fan of the singer when she saw Swift perform on the show and when they met, she said she “fell in love.”
“I did a photoshoot with Taylor and we cooked together,” the Barefoot Contessa star explained. “And I just so fell in love with her. She was 25.”
The Food Network host continued, “And, actually the first time I saw her was [on Today]. She was like 16, she was on the plaza. And I remember my assistant and I hanging out at the upstairs window like two teenagers, just going, ‘Oh my god, she’s amazing!’”
When host Hoda Kotb commented that Garten’s fans react the same way about her, Garten said, “I don’t think we’re in the same category.”
Ina Garten and Taylor Swift share the same food-related pet peeve
There may be a big age difference between these two pals, but Swift and Garten both share the same pet peeve.
Garten and Swift cooked together in 2014 for the July/August Music Issue of Food Network Magazine. While making a mustard-roasted fish and Pavlova dessert recipe, the two chatted and discovered they both don’t like it when people don’t want to eat.
“I’ll cook for these boys, and they’ll be like, ‘I’m on a diet,’” Swift said in the magazine (via Time). “I’m like, ‘I can’t hang out with you.’” Garten agreed, sharing a story about a dinner guest who was on a cleanse.
