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Be Ready When the Luck Happens: A Memoir
ŷ Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Audiobook (2024), Nominee for Readers' Favorite Memoir (2024)8 hours, 47 minutes
In her long-awaited memoir, Ina Garten—aka the Barefoot Contessa, author of thirteen bestselling cookbooks, beloved Food Network personality, Instagram sensation, and cultural icon—shares her personal story with readers hungry for a seat at her table.
Here, for the first time, Ina Garten presents an intimate, entertaining, and inspiring account of her remarkable journey. Ina’s gift is to make everything look easy, yet all her accomplishments have been the result of hard work, audacious choices, and exquisite attention to detail. In her unmistakable voice (no one tells a story like Ina), she brings her past and her process to life in a high-spirited and no-holds-barred memoir that chronicles decades of personal challenges, adventures (and misadventures) and unexpected career twists, all delivered with her signature combination of playfulness and purpose.
From a difficult childhood to meeting the love of her life, Jeffrey, and marrying him while still in college, from a boring bureaucratic job in Washington, D.C., to answering an ad for a specialty food store in the Hamptons, from the owner of one Barefoot Contessa shop to author of bestselling cookbooks and celebrated television host, Ina has blazed her own trail and, in the meantime, taught millions of people how to cook and entertain. Now, she invites them to come closer to experience her story in vivid detail and to share the important life lessons she learned along the way: do what you love because if you love it you’ll be really good at it, swing for the fences, and always Be Ready When the Luck Happens.
* This audiobook edition includes a downloadable PDF of recipes and images from the book.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
In her long-awaited memoir, Ina Garten—aka the Barefoot Contessa, author of thirteen bestselling cookbooks, beloved Food Network personality, Instagram sensation, and cultural icon—shares her personal story with readers hungry for a seat at her table.
Here, for the first time, Ina Garten presents an intimate, entertaining, and inspiring account of her remarkable journey. Ina’s gift is to make everything look easy, yet all her accomplishments have been the result of hard work, audacious choices, and exquisite attention to detail. In her unmistakable voice (no one tells a story like Ina), she brings her past and her process to life in a high-spirited and no-holds-barred memoir that chronicles decades of personal challenges, adventures (and misadventures) and unexpected career twists, all delivered with her signature combination of playfulness and purpose.
From a difficult childhood to meeting the love of her life, Jeffrey, and marrying him while still in college, from a boring bureaucratic job in Washington, D.C., to answering an ad for a specialty food store in the Hamptons, from the owner of one Barefoot Contessa shop to author of bestselling cookbooks and celebrated television host, Ina has blazed her own trail and, in the meantime, taught millions of people how to cook and entertain. Now, she invites them to come closer to experience her story in vivid detail and to share the important life lessons she learned along the way: do what you love because if you love it you’ll be really good at it, swing for the fences, and always Be Ready When the Luck Happens.
* This audiobook edition includes a downloadable PDF of recipes and images from the book.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
Audible Audio
First published October 1, 2024
8,689 people are currently reading
61.2k people want to read
About the author
Ina Garten
31books1,854followersIna Garten is a New York Times bestselling author and the host of Barefoot Contessa on Food Network, for which she has won four Emmy Awards and a James Beard Award. She lives in East Hampton, New York, with her husband, Jeffrey.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 9,817 reviews
October 13, 2024
I’m an Ina fan but found this book pretty boring. I couldn’t stop listening but can’t tell you why. It was a lot of her grocery lists and real estate choices. A lot. She’s super rich and had been extremely fortunate through her life and career. I learned a lot of details about her life but nothing actually major or unexpected about her as a woman. It felt surface. And yet I finished and didn’t hate it. Ina magic I guess.
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October 11, 2024Listened to this gem on audio and loved every second!! True example of how to follow your dreams and do what you love in life. Ina ily!!!
October 10, 2024
Frothy and a bit out of touch, Be Ready When the Luck Happens isn't surprising in its lack of substance. Ina Garten bills this as a memoir, but this is more of a birdseye, sweeping overview of her career history, the famous people she hangs out with, and her real estate holdings.
The book begins with Garten's traumatizing childhood. We get about 2 sentences of that. By page 44 she and Jeffrey are engaged, and this book is only 300 pages with wide margins, large print, and several pictures and recipes interspersed. I feel badly for folks who preordered this book (lucky me I was #1 in the hold queue at my library); this book is so slight for a woman who has had such a life.
Garten deserves credit for speaking to her and Jeffrey's separation. She says explicitly she included it because the public treats them as the perfect couple, and she wants to show that no relationship is perfect, and marriage can be difficult. She also tackles the childfree question, stating that she didn't want children after the childhood she had, and that women who aren't mothers can be useful and fulfilled. Snaps for that.
In the end, though, Garten spends way too much time talking about buying and selling and renovating properties, and name dropping the people with whom she's spent time. The aforementioned "deep" nuggets (childhood, separation, no children) get very little air time. By the end? I was rolling my eyes. She's telling her readers to just go for it in life, not realizing that she had financial stability a lot of people lack. Her parents sucked, but they had money. She moved back with them when Jeffrey was deployed, and she demonstrates again and again that she never had to worry about / consider money. She bought expensive things without thinking it through (properties, businesses), because she had a parachute. If she had failed, her life wouldn't have been completely ruined. She "jokes" about poverty while Jeffrey is working at fucking Lehman Brothers, and recommends conferring with your financial professionals as if everyone has those on retainer. Her beta readers should have warned her. Then again, her beta readers were probably, like, Jennifer Garner, so she didn't see how rose tinted some of these passages read.
All-in-all, this is another celebrity memoir that is fun without weight.
The book begins with Garten's traumatizing childhood. We get about 2 sentences of that. By page 44 she and Jeffrey are engaged, and this book is only 300 pages with wide margins, large print, and several pictures and recipes interspersed. I feel badly for folks who preordered this book (lucky me I was #1 in the hold queue at my library); this book is so slight for a woman who has had such a life.
Garten deserves credit for speaking to her and Jeffrey's separation. She says explicitly she included it because the public treats them as the perfect couple, and she wants to show that no relationship is perfect, and marriage can be difficult. She also tackles the childfree question, stating that she didn't want children after the childhood she had, and that women who aren't mothers can be useful and fulfilled. Snaps for that.
In the end, though, Garten spends way too much time talking about buying and selling and renovating properties, and name dropping the people with whom she's spent time. The aforementioned "deep" nuggets (childhood, separation, no children) get very little air time. By the end? I was rolling my eyes. She's telling her readers to just go for it in life, not realizing that she had financial stability a lot of people lack. Her parents sucked, but they had money. She moved back with them when Jeffrey was deployed, and she demonstrates again and again that she never had to worry about / consider money. She bought expensive things without thinking it through (properties, businesses), because she had a parachute. If she had failed, her life wouldn't have been completely ruined. She "jokes" about poverty while Jeffrey is working at fucking Lehman Brothers, and recommends conferring with your financial professionals as if everyone has those on retainer. Her beta readers should have warned her. Then again, her beta readers were probably, like, Jennifer Garner, so she didn't see how rose tinted some of these passages read.
All-in-all, this is another celebrity memoir that is fun without weight.
February 8, 2025
Ina Garten wrote a whole book about how poor she was while also buying multiple properties and going on months-long trips to Europe, which is the kind of poor I wouldn’t mind being. Also her husband is too nice so they almost got divorced.
If you can’t make your own childhood trauma born of physical abuse and emotional neglect, store bought is fine.
If you can’t make your own childhood trauma born of physical abuse and emotional neglect, store bought is fine.
October 17, 2024
I listened to and the author, phenomenal cook Ina Garten, narrates it. It felt like I was sitting across a kitchen table having a fabulous conversation with a dear friend.
I did not know that Ina worked in Washington, DC in the legislative department and she wrote memos directly to President Ford about whether to approve or veto proposed legislation. Cooking was a hobby at that point in her life.
Ina's memoir is filled with excellent stories and advice about relationships, marriage, business partnerships, negotiations, and pursuing your dreams. She was deliberate and purposeful, as well as successful, at ensuring her marriage was an equal partnership rather than a traditional relationship where the wife takes care of cooking, cleaning, and keeping the house running smoothly.
The epilogue was well worth it!
Highly recommend!
I did not know that Ina worked in Washington, DC in the legislative department and she wrote memos directly to President Ford about whether to approve or veto proposed legislation. Cooking was a hobby at that point in her life.
Ina's memoir is filled with excellent stories and advice about relationships, marriage, business partnerships, negotiations, and pursuing your dreams. She was deliberate and purposeful, as well as successful, at ensuring her marriage was an equal partnership rather than a traditional relationship where the wife takes care of cooking, cleaning, and keeping the house running smoothly.
The epilogue was well worth it!
Highly recommend!
October 11, 2024
I love food memoirs and have read, watched, and cooked SO much Ina Garten. But, (says in extremely quiet, barely audible whisper) �. a lot of this came off pretty insufferable :(
December 31, 2024
I am INSPIRED 🥹 I love you, Ina 🫶🏼
October 17, 2024
I love a good celebrity memoir, especially on audiobook and read by the author. This one started off so strong and promising (admittedly, I was only ever vaguely aware of Ina and have never purchased her other cookbooks or watched her show), but it limped through the back half at an agonizing pace.
The entirety of the second half of the memoir could be described as: “I did something hard / impulsive / expensive!� And then “I wasn’t sure if it would work out!!� Followed by “I was kind and brilliant and it worked out and all my famous friends clapped!�
It became a laundry list of rationalizing her decisions and felt incredibly forced and slightly smug. Very�.wealthy woman born on third base thinks she hit a home run.
This did give me a lovely view of her cooking and I’m excited to actually try some recipes - just won’t be rereading this any time soon.
The entirety of the second half of the memoir could be described as: “I did something hard / impulsive / expensive!� And then “I wasn’t sure if it would work out!!� Followed by “I was kind and brilliant and it worked out and all my famous friends clapped!�
It became a laundry list of rationalizing her decisions and felt incredibly forced and slightly smug. Very�.wealthy woman born on third base thinks she hit a home run.
This did give me a lovely view of her cooking and I’m excited to actually try some recipes - just won’t be rereading this any time soon.
December 23, 2024
5 � INA STANS - THIS ONE'S FOR US
“For me, cooking wasn't the goal of entertaining; being with friends was the goal, so I wanted to make easy recipes that anyone could prepare and know their guests would be delighted.�
� It made me feel nostalgic, comforted and HUNGRY
� Filled with tales of summers in the Hamptons, Ina's adorable laughter, a story I wasn't expecting, a vulnerable look into a loving marriage (& Ina at the 1989 Tour?!) (& JEFFREY)
� It made me want to book a trip to Paris, find a local cheese monger, invite a bunch of friends over for a casual but delicious dinner, look up old photos of Ina at the original Barefoot Contessa store
� Search "Paris coffee shop" on YouTube for the perfectly paired reading vibe
� Listen to Unforgettable by Natalie Cole and Nat King Cole after finishing the last page
� If this book was a food/drink, it would be Ina's famous brownies, her famous "engagement chicken" or my favorite recipe of hers, a summer tomato gazpacho
Good for book club - yes! Especially if your book club is filled with foodies
Good as a gift - YES, for any of your food loving besties!
Should I get the physical copy - I personally recommend the audio since Ina narrates it
What season should I read it in - any season!
Audiobook narration - 5/5, Ina's chuckles throughout warmed my heart big time, and every time she says "isn't that fabulous"
“For me, cooking wasn't the goal of entertaining; being with friends was the goal, so I wanted to make easy recipes that anyone could prepare and know their guests would be delighted.�
� It made me feel nostalgic, comforted and HUNGRY
� Filled with tales of summers in the Hamptons, Ina's adorable laughter, a story I wasn't expecting, a vulnerable look into a loving marriage (& Ina at the 1989 Tour?!) (& JEFFREY)
� It made me want to book a trip to Paris, find a local cheese monger, invite a bunch of friends over for a casual but delicious dinner, look up old photos of Ina at the original Barefoot Contessa store
� Search "Paris coffee shop" on YouTube for the perfectly paired reading vibe
� Listen to Unforgettable by Natalie Cole and Nat King Cole after finishing the last page
� If this book was a food/drink, it would be Ina's famous brownies, her famous "engagement chicken" or my favorite recipe of hers, a summer tomato gazpacho
Good for book club - yes! Especially if your book club is filled with foodies
Good as a gift - YES, for any of your food loving besties!
Should I get the physical copy - I personally recommend the audio since Ina narrates it
What season should I read it in - any season!
Audiobook narration - 5/5, Ina's chuckles throughout warmed my heart big time, and every time she says "isn't that fabulous"
October 2, 2024
ate this up (lol)
did not consider myself a contessa diehard prior to this but i will ride at dawn for her now. i love my parasocial grandmother
really fascinating to hear her reflect back on the beginnings of her relationship and career in the 50s/60s and her reverence for the feminist movement of that time and how she was trying to live out those ideals in her own way in her own life.
liked that it was a full story, told chronologically. listened to the audiobook which she narrated so it really felt like you were just sitting down with her and listening to her life story. she does a good job of pulling back and summarizing the lessons from each anecdote. i also appreciated the acknowledgements she gave throughout the book to friends and acquaintances who inspired a lot of the style we now attribute to her.
did not consider myself a contessa diehard prior to this but i will ride at dawn for her now. i love my parasocial grandmother
really fascinating to hear her reflect back on the beginnings of her relationship and career in the 50s/60s and her reverence for the feminist movement of that time and how she was trying to live out those ideals in her own way in her own life.
liked that it was a full story, told chronologically. listened to the audiobook which she narrated so it really felt like you were just sitting down with her and listening to her life story. she does a good job of pulling back and summarizing the lessons from each anecdote. i also appreciated the acknowledgements she gave throughout the book to friends and acquaintances who inspired a lot of the style we now attribute to her.
October 9, 2024
Reading Ina Garten's memoir is like sitting down with a beloved aunt and discovering that all the things you thought about her are true, but that she's also lived a fascinating, vibrant life outside of that.
Most fans of Ina know about her leaving her White House job to open a specialty food store, and about her loving relationship with her husband Jeffrey. (If you're a long term devotee, you also know what Jeffrey' favorite dinner is and when it's served.) Here, she gives us a look at her childhood, which provides insight into some of the choices she's made: her abusive father thought little of what a woman could accomplish (it's notable that Jeffrey is the complete opposite of that, that Ina becomes such a driven businesswoman, and that they chose not to have children), her mother was a nutritionist who never served food that tasted good (an obvious lead-in to Ina's passion for flavor as well as providing food as an expression of her care for others).
I have two favorite general parts: the anecdotes that show her strong will and sense of self, as well as the organized, practical steps she took to achieve her goals; and I love the anecdotes about her relationship with her husband. We all know that this staggeringly intelligent, accomplished man is smitten with his wife of almost fifty years, but Ina also demonstrates again and again how supportive he is of her career and her needs. (She calls him the first feminist she's ever known.) The most charming story is the one where she describes how they met: she went to his college, as a 17-year-old, to meet his friend for their date. He saw her through a window and was instantly charmed, particularly by the pleasing ribbon in her hair. Talk about heart-melting!
More fun stuff: she decided she wanted to learn how to fly a plane, so she did. She drops a few swears. She takes a scientific approach to her food. She’s an amazing negotiator and seems like a great boss/collaborator. And she not only talks about the obstacles she faced as a businesswoman, in terms of running a food store or dealing with unscrupulous business partners, but also about her creative and personal challenges, such as testing recipes or overcoming self-doubt.
The less engaging parts for me were deeply entrenched in life in the Hamptons, as well as the overuse of her usual catch phrases. These are the same things that I'm not enamored with on her shows, however, so take that with a grain of salt. I love Ina's food and her endearing persona and her recipes (I'm not exaggerating when I say she's partly responsible for teaching me how to cook), but I just don't find this hyper elite lifestyle as aspirational or as interesting as the Food Network or residents of the Hamptons seem to think I should. I totally get including some of it, as it's so inexorably tied to her brand and identity, but there's just too much. Adjacent to that: my eyes glazed over during the chapter devoted to the many issues related to her purchase of an apartment in Paris, as well as her desire to have it fully decorated as soon as her husband walked in for the first time. It's cute, but also so well out of the sphere most people live in that it chafes a bit. There's no denying that every person, no matter how wealthy, has challenges, but the minutiae of the Paris apartment problems felt pretty privileged. But there's always been something about the way Barefoot Contessa as a brand has portrayed its moneyed lifestyle that has bothered me in a way that Martha Stewart and other personalities/entities don't. The ending chapters also focus a bit too much on reciting the list of guests she’s had on her “Be Our Guest� show, whereas a couple of stories would have done and left time for a stronger finish.
But overall, this was a pleasant audiobook experience and it was enjoyable learning things I didn't know about Ina before. Her warmth and humor have always been on display on her shows and in her books, but this memoir gives me a better appreciation for her determination, can-do attitude, and admirable lack of fear.
And it's a reminder, once again, that women who have home-centered interests can be feminists and women without children make valuable contributions to society, too.
Most fans of Ina know about her leaving her White House job to open a specialty food store, and about her loving relationship with her husband Jeffrey. (If you're a long term devotee, you also know what Jeffrey' favorite dinner is and when it's served.) Here, she gives us a look at her childhood, which provides insight into some of the choices she's made: her abusive father thought little of what a woman could accomplish (it's notable that Jeffrey is the complete opposite of that, that Ina becomes such a driven businesswoman, and that they chose not to have children), her mother was a nutritionist who never served food that tasted good (an obvious lead-in to Ina's passion for flavor as well as providing food as an expression of her care for others).
I have two favorite general parts: the anecdotes that show her strong will and sense of self, as well as the organized, practical steps she took to achieve her goals; and I love the anecdotes about her relationship with her husband. We all know that this staggeringly intelligent, accomplished man is smitten with his wife of almost fifty years, but Ina also demonstrates again and again how supportive he is of her career and her needs. (She calls him the first feminist she's ever known.) The most charming story is the one where she describes how they met: she went to his college, as a 17-year-old, to meet his friend for their date. He saw her through a window and was instantly charmed, particularly by the pleasing ribbon in her hair. Talk about heart-melting!
More fun stuff: she decided she wanted to learn how to fly a plane, so she did. She drops a few swears. She takes a scientific approach to her food. She’s an amazing negotiator and seems like a great boss/collaborator. And she not only talks about the obstacles she faced as a businesswoman, in terms of running a food store or dealing with unscrupulous business partners, but also about her creative and personal challenges, such as testing recipes or overcoming self-doubt.
The less engaging parts for me were deeply entrenched in life in the Hamptons, as well as the overuse of her usual catch phrases. These are the same things that I'm not enamored with on her shows, however, so take that with a grain of salt. I love Ina's food and her endearing persona and her recipes (I'm not exaggerating when I say she's partly responsible for teaching me how to cook), but I just don't find this hyper elite lifestyle as aspirational or as interesting as the Food Network or residents of the Hamptons seem to think I should. I totally get including some of it, as it's so inexorably tied to her brand and identity, but there's just too much. Adjacent to that: my eyes glazed over during the chapter devoted to the many issues related to her purchase of an apartment in Paris, as well as her desire to have it fully decorated as soon as her husband walked in for the first time. It's cute, but also so well out of the sphere most people live in that it chafes a bit. There's no denying that every person, no matter how wealthy, has challenges, but the minutiae of the Paris apartment problems felt pretty privileged. But there's always been something about the way Barefoot Contessa as a brand has portrayed its moneyed lifestyle that has bothered me in a way that Martha Stewart and other personalities/entities don't. The ending chapters also focus a bit too much on reciting the list of guests she’s had on her “Be Our Guest� show, whereas a couple of stories would have done and left time for a stronger finish.
But overall, this was a pleasant audiobook experience and it was enjoyable learning things I didn't know about Ina before. Her warmth and humor have always been on display on her shows and in her books, but this memoir gives me a better appreciation for her determination, can-do attitude, and admirable lack of fear.
And it's a reminder, once again, that women who have home-centered interests can be feminists and women without children make valuable contributions to society, too.
October 9, 2024
(Review of audiobook) I really enjoyed the first half of this book. I found the second half (after she became successful) to be somewhat dull. Lots of name dropping, descriptions of home renovations, and she just seemed out of touch. She kept referring to luck and chance, when so many of her big breaks were due to immense privilege and connections. I also expected her to open up more about her choice to not have children, but I think she addressed it in one sentence. It was light and an easy listen, but it felt pretty surface level. I also couldn’t stand how often she described wild events as “crazy� or “insane.�
December 10, 2024
TL;DR: basically this year's 'Tom Lake'...an extremely relaxing, low stakes book that is perfect on audiobook. It gets a little self-promotey near the end, but overall i really loved it and could listen to Ina talk all day!
November 30, 2024
3/5 solid
oh ina. oh how i wish i could be ready with endless funds for when the luck happens to me. i’ll try to be ready!
oh ina. oh how i wish i could be ready with endless funds for when the luck happens to me. i’ll try to be ready!
October 12, 2024
This book is fine. It just lacks self-awareness. There are a few mentions of being frugal and living on a budget, but they buy everything they want almost as soon as they can, and there’s never any real financial stress. I know that’s the truth of the story, but she never seems to acknowledge all the privilege in her life.
So, dear reader, you too can do whatever you want as long as you have a partner who worships the ground you walk on and lots of money. No shade to Ina, I love her and her recipes everything, but I kind of wish I hadn’t read it and could keep the image in my head I’d had before I started it.
So, dear reader, you too can do whatever you want as long as you have a partner who worships the ground you walk on and lots of money. No shade to Ina, I love her and her recipes everything, but I kind of wish I hadn’t read it and could keep the image in my head I’d had before I started it.
November 25, 2024
This was tough to read. While I acknowledge she had to work hard in her life, there is very little recognition of her extreme privilege. Don’t like your White House job? Buy a food store! Don’t feel like packing to move? Put all your belongings on the curb at your old house and buy new. Ha ha! Can’t find the right style furniture for your Paris apartment? The obvious reaction is “panic.� This is all presented in a very glib, very amused manner and comes off pretty tone deaf.
January 13, 2025
I’m a foodie. I enjoy a rare Thursday or Friday off from work and spending the entire day in the kitchen. My greatest challenge as a kosher cook is taking recipes from leading mainstream cooks and making them kosher without sacrificing taste. Most people I know are happy serving the same few meals on weeknights because they know that their kids will eat these basics. I believe that to develop people into adventurous eaters, one has to expose them to all types of food from a young age. Feta cheese, Chinese eggplant in garlic sauce, asparagus, and pizza and lasagna with a myriad of fillings and toppings besides plain cheese are all foods that my kids ate before starting elementary school. Some enjoy the food and some don’t, but at least they tried. The first month after I moved to my current city, my family and I lived in an extended stay hotel. My kids were aged two and four months old at the time and my husband needed the car for work, so I watched a lot of the food network and copied down my favorite recipes to keep myself from going crazy. I remember my favorites being Emeril’s ropa vieja and Alton Brown’s home cooked thanksgiving meal. Oh, to get out of that hotel and cook those delicacies. Fast forward to now and I have time to experiment with new foods as I no longer have young children at home. I’ll try recipes from any source if they sound interesting. In the last few months I noticed a number of ŷ friends reading a new memoir by Food Network sensation Ina Garten, also known as the Barefoot Contessa. Those who know me here know that I would be willing to read a memoir a day, and Ina Garten is a cook. It’s a cold Sunday with snow melting. There is no better place than I would rather be than in the kitchen with the Barefoot Contessa.
Born on February 2, 1948 in Brooklyn, Ina Rosenberg could be a distant relative (although I doubt it because my mom says that during her childhood the phone book contained 7 pages of Rosenbergs). Despite that aside, I will claim her as a distant relative anyway because she could have been my mom’s best friend cousin and she is the ultimate self taught cook. The genes have to come from somewhere, right. Despite having the advantages of growing up in an upper middle class family, Ina Rosenberg did not enjoy a blissful childhood that I come to associate with the 1950s. For starters, her parents, especially her mother, hated her. Ina and her brother Ken believe as older adults that their parents should not have had children but were under peer pressure to do so as being part of the generation after the Holocaust. Neither parent encouraged either child to achieve although they did anyway. Ken received high grades and attended Dartmouth College, at the time only open to male students. While Ina excelled in science and expressed interest in becoming an architect, her father told her that she would never amount to anything. Her own father? It made me pause for thought about the way I sometimes treat my own children. In a nutshell, feh. On a chance visit to see her brother at Dartmouth, Jeffrey Garten spied Ina and decided that she was the girl for him. Somehow, her father also fell for Jeffrey and allowed them to date. They would marry three years later, setting the stage for a life that has been a combination of luck and magic.
I always note that the 1970s were a time where everyone was free to be you and me. When Jeffrey and Ina first married, he was an army officer stationed at Fort Bragg. She was a young army wife with little to do so she focused on fixing up their first home and cooking for her husband. He noted from day one that if you enjoy doing something, that you will be good at it. Ina enjoyed cooking and home renovation, and, as no surprise to her husband, she has continued these “hobbies”’for the last fifty six years. During the first few years of marriage, Jeffrey stationed in Thailand and Ina struggled to finish her degree in accounting, but she has always viewed a challenge with extra adrenaline and got it done. The couple spent an adventurous four months roaming Europe at $5 a day for an entire summer until Jeffrey started graduate school in Washington, and Ina discovered her love for French culture and cooking. Jeffrey vowed that when they had money to spare that they would return to France and explore all the places that they could not afford that first time around. At the time, Jeffrey viewed himself as Ina’s “father� because her actual father failed at his job. Ina, however, grew up in an era influenced by Betty Friedan and wanted to become her own person outside of the traditional roles of husband and wife. In the early days of marriage, Ina was expected to work and still cook supper, unload the dish washer, and take out the trash. Eventually, both Jeffrey and Ina grew to appreciate modern views on marriage and adapted with the times, even if it meant maintaining a long distance marriage over the span of two or more cities. Somehow the two of them made it work.
Jeffrey has always been Ina’s biggest supporter but not at his own expense. It is apparent to me that they are very much in love after all these years. He was the one who finagled finances so she could buy the first Barefoot Contessa store. After counseling sessions that allowed both spouses to realize that the roles in marriage had changed in the 1970s, the two have supported each other’s careers every step of the way. One could say that after purchasing the first store, the bulk of this memoir has been laundry listing Ina’s achievements. While detailing how she took the Barefoot Contessa from a store to a brand can be tedious, I found it fascinating. Yes, I love food. My husband sells rotisserie chicken and baguettes, and now I know the history behind these foods. Hint: both are thanks to Napoleon. Besides the food and the name dropping, I am drawn to books about trailblazing women. One might not think that a food network star is trailblazing, but I beg to differ. In the early days of the Barefoot Contessa, women did not necessarily make it big as entrepreneurs. Business associates did not take them serious, and in one anecdote, Ina relates that a bank viewed her as invisible because only a man’s finances existed. Suffice it to say, the Gartens did not remain customers of that bank. While Jeffrey established himself at Lehman Brothers then the Clinton administration and finally as the Dean of the Yale School of Business, Ina had to make her own business decisions. During this transition era of second wave feminism, this was not common. Besides the brownies and coconut cupcakes and lobster blt sandwich that I will be swapping out for chicken strips and beef fry, I found Ina’s journey as a businesswoman to be the most intriguing sections of the book. And by the way, she has written more than ten cookbooks.
As an older septuagenarian, Ina Garten does not have plans to slow down. She still hosts a program on the Food Network and has another cookbook in the pipeline. The Barefoot Contessa is still going strong. The dinner parties and modern comfort foods sound scrumptious, and now I want to indulge in all of her cookbooks and see what I can do with them. She has found recipes while shopping in Paris, vacationing in Milan and Provence, and discussing food with friends. Emily Blunt’s roasted potatoes sound heavenly, and now I also know how to make my own rotisserie chicken. Who would have thought. While a lot of this memoir has been a laundry list of Ina Garten’s life, it also contains an introspective layer while Garten grapples with her unhappy childhood and how she has finally gotten past it. She chose not to have children because of her experience, but she notes that with a traditional family, she might not have been able to go on all of the adventures in her life. Her staff and employees over the years have become thicker than family, and, while not my choice, I can respect her for her decision. It is January. There is a thick layer of snow on the ground. Ina Garten’s creamy leek potato soup sounds heavenly. So do her garden home in East Hampton and airy apartment in Paris. Her life may have been lucky but she made it happen. What a remarkable life to date and still creating new and creative recipes and business ventures. Perhaps, I should claim her as a distant relative after all.
4 stars
Born on February 2, 1948 in Brooklyn, Ina Rosenberg could be a distant relative (although I doubt it because my mom says that during her childhood the phone book contained 7 pages of Rosenbergs). Despite that aside, I will claim her as a distant relative anyway because she could have been my mom’s best friend cousin and she is the ultimate self taught cook. The genes have to come from somewhere, right. Despite having the advantages of growing up in an upper middle class family, Ina Rosenberg did not enjoy a blissful childhood that I come to associate with the 1950s. For starters, her parents, especially her mother, hated her. Ina and her brother Ken believe as older adults that their parents should not have had children but were under peer pressure to do so as being part of the generation after the Holocaust. Neither parent encouraged either child to achieve although they did anyway. Ken received high grades and attended Dartmouth College, at the time only open to male students. While Ina excelled in science and expressed interest in becoming an architect, her father told her that she would never amount to anything. Her own father? It made me pause for thought about the way I sometimes treat my own children. In a nutshell, feh. On a chance visit to see her brother at Dartmouth, Jeffrey Garten spied Ina and decided that she was the girl for him. Somehow, her father also fell for Jeffrey and allowed them to date. They would marry three years later, setting the stage for a life that has been a combination of luck and magic.
I always note that the 1970s were a time where everyone was free to be you and me. When Jeffrey and Ina first married, he was an army officer stationed at Fort Bragg. She was a young army wife with little to do so she focused on fixing up their first home and cooking for her husband. He noted from day one that if you enjoy doing something, that you will be good at it. Ina enjoyed cooking and home renovation, and, as no surprise to her husband, she has continued these “hobbies”’for the last fifty six years. During the first few years of marriage, Jeffrey stationed in Thailand and Ina struggled to finish her degree in accounting, but she has always viewed a challenge with extra adrenaline and got it done. The couple spent an adventurous four months roaming Europe at $5 a day for an entire summer until Jeffrey started graduate school in Washington, and Ina discovered her love for French culture and cooking. Jeffrey vowed that when they had money to spare that they would return to France and explore all the places that they could not afford that first time around. At the time, Jeffrey viewed himself as Ina’s “father� because her actual father failed at his job. Ina, however, grew up in an era influenced by Betty Friedan and wanted to become her own person outside of the traditional roles of husband and wife. In the early days of marriage, Ina was expected to work and still cook supper, unload the dish washer, and take out the trash. Eventually, both Jeffrey and Ina grew to appreciate modern views on marriage and adapted with the times, even if it meant maintaining a long distance marriage over the span of two or more cities. Somehow the two of them made it work.
Jeffrey has always been Ina’s biggest supporter but not at his own expense. It is apparent to me that they are very much in love after all these years. He was the one who finagled finances so she could buy the first Barefoot Contessa store. After counseling sessions that allowed both spouses to realize that the roles in marriage had changed in the 1970s, the two have supported each other’s careers every step of the way. One could say that after purchasing the first store, the bulk of this memoir has been laundry listing Ina’s achievements. While detailing how she took the Barefoot Contessa from a store to a brand can be tedious, I found it fascinating. Yes, I love food. My husband sells rotisserie chicken and baguettes, and now I know the history behind these foods. Hint: both are thanks to Napoleon. Besides the food and the name dropping, I am drawn to books about trailblazing women. One might not think that a food network star is trailblazing, but I beg to differ. In the early days of the Barefoot Contessa, women did not necessarily make it big as entrepreneurs. Business associates did not take them serious, and in one anecdote, Ina relates that a bank viewed her as invisible because only a man’s finances existed. Suffice it to say, the Gartens did not remain customers of that bank. While Jeffrey established himself at Lehman Brothers then the Clinton administration and finally as the Dean of the Yale School of Business, Ina had to make her own business decisions. During this transition era of second wave feminism, this was not common. Besides the brownies and coconut cupcakes and lobster blt sandwich that I will be swapping out for chicken strips and beef fry, I found Ina’s journey as a businesswoman to be the most intriguing sections of the book. And by the way, she has written more than ten cookbooks.
As an older septuagenarian, Ina Garten does not have plans to slow down. She still hosts a program on the Food Network and has another cookbook in the pipeline. The Barefoot Contessa is still going strong. The dinner parties and modern comfort foods sound scrumptious, and now I want to indulge in all of her cookbooks and see what I can do with them. She has found recipes while shopping in Paris, vacationing in Milan and Provence, and discussing food with friends. Emily Blunt’s roasted potatoes sound heavenly, and now I also know how to make my own rotisserie chicken. Who would have thought. While a lot of this memoir has been a laundry list of Ina Garten’s life, it also contains an introspective layer while Garten grapples with her unhappy childhood and how she has finally gotten past it. She chose not to have children because of her experience, but she notes that with a traditional family, she might not have been able to go on all of the adventures in her life. Her staff and employees over the years have become thicker than family, and, while not my choice, I can respect her for her decision. It is January. There is a thick layer of snow on the ground. Ina Garten’s creamy leek potato soup sounds heavenly. So do her garden home in East Hampton and airy apartment in Paris. Her life may have been lucky but she made it happen. What a remarkable life to date and still creating new and creative recipes and business ventures. Perhaps, I should claim her as a distant relative after all.
4 stars
October 11, 2024
I'll rate a memoir when it's by my queen Ina!!! I'm completely addicted to Ina and Jeffery supporting each other with so much love and understanding. When Ina posts Jeffrey on Instagram it moves me to tears. The only way to read this is as an audiobook!!!! Listen to Ina's calming voice!!!
November 2, 2024
I actually liked Ina more before I read her memoir. My goodness, she is exhausting. The beginning of the book started out strong . But it gets very repetitive, lots of named dropping, lots of I am so amazing. I solved this problem. Look at me. I’m so great. And there is a whole side dish of privilege condescension that is sprinkled throughout the whole book. One thing that stood out to me is when she said someone who worked for her made her a dish from wherever they’re from and it was beans from a can with a cracker, and she said that she promptly went up to her room and threw it away. just seems rather disrespectful. Who would admit that? Obviously, my opinion doesn’t matter. It’s clear that she loves herself and Jeffrey a lot. And if you are one to play drinking games, try taking a shot every time she says the name Jeffrey or says the phrase Jeffrey is such a great sport. My goodness.
I still do like the way she roasts a chicken. So there’s that.
I still do like the way she roasts a chicken. So there’s that.
October 11, 2024
I’ve seen every single episode of her various shows and I have an affection for the cheery brightness for her wealthy Hampton’s life. Her life is best left in 20 minute cooking segments. I found the whole thing really depressing. Her glam life in reality is materialistic, vanity driven and ultimately seems really lonely.
November 4, 2024
First time I have read a memoir that made me like the person less. I know I am in the minority and that’s ok. Just wanted to warn others .
January 22, 2025
Can I tell you how much it stinks that my library hold came around for this one right when we were getting ready to be in the middle of a literal blizzard? Mannnnnnnn, I would have LOVED to know how many miles I could have logged in one go if I had been able to be out on the trails listening to this one rather than hauling tail around the empty floor of the office during my lunch hour in order to humble brag about it on this #walkntalkwednesday.
I knew nearly nothing about Ina Garten before starting this one. I knew she lived in Westhampton. I knew she always wears a chambray shirt (and I love that when someone pitched her an idea of a clothing line she realized it would be a flop since she does not deviate from her standard wardrobe). I “knew� Jeffery from his guest appearances on her show. I knew she is my motivation on Thanksgiving morning when I wake up extra early to drink a cup of coffee by myself and watch her holiday meal episodes before beginning the process of making my own. And I knew the moment I fell in love with her was when she told me . . . .
Even though she is one of the bougiest mofos out there.
What I didn’t know was her job history as a budget analyst under Presidents Ford and Carter or that the Barefoot Contessa was a pre-existing store that she bought when she was burned out from crunching numbers and turned into an entire brand.
I love a good celebrity memoir and this was a good one. She even said the F word a couple of times! Who woulda thunk it?????
4.5 Stars
I knew nearly nothing about Ina Garten before starting this one. I knew she lived in Westhampton. I knew she always wears a chambray shirt (and I love that when someone pitched her an idea of a clothing line she realized it would be a flop since she does not deviate from her standard wardrobe). I “knew� Jeffery from his guest appearances on her show. I knew she is my motivation on Thanksgiving morning when I wake up extra early to drink a cup of coffee by myself and watch her holiday meal episodes before beginning the process of making my own. And I knew the moment I fell in love with her was when she told me . . . .
Even though she is one of the bougiest mofos out there.
What I didn’t know was her job history as a budget analyst under Presidents Ford and Carter or that the Barefoot Contessa was a pre-existing store that she bought when she was burned out from crunching numbers and turned into an entire brand.
I love a good celebrity memoir and this was a good one. She even said the F word a couple of times! Who woulda thunk it?????
4.5 Stars
January 19, 2025
Let me start off by saying, I was an Ina Garten fan before I started reading her memoir and I still am.
The good,
This is an inspirational read and it gives a deeper look into Ina’s life, her struggles and triumphs. She truly is a legend. This was a captivating read and I did not find myself bored at any point.
So why 3 stars,
As I read the book, I felt like there were holes. I kept feeling there were some details that she was holding back sharing. Which she 100% can, it just read like we were not getting the full picture IMO. I also was not a fan of how the book felt in my hand, I read the hardcover and the sleeve was very slippery and kept on sliding off.
Would I recommend,
Yes, if you are an Ina Garten fan, if you are an entrepreneur, or you love inspirational reads, this is a wonderful book.
The good,
This is an inspirational read and it gives a deeper look into Ina’s life, her struggles and triumphs. She truly is a legend. This was a captivating read and I did not find myself bored at any point.
So why 3 stars,
As I read the book, I felt like there were holes. I kept feeling there were some details that she was holding back sharing. Which she 100% can, it just read like we were not getting the full picture IMO. I also was not a fan of how the book felt in my hand, I read the hardcover and the sleeve was very slippery and kept on sliding off.
Would I recommend,
Yes, if you are an Ina Garten fan, if you are an entrepreneur, or you love inspirational reads, this is a wonderful book.
October 25, 2024
Love it when a chic bitch gets everything she wants
November 8, 2024
This started strong but by the end I was kind of done.
I loved reading about her and Jeffrey’s early relationship. However, overall, the editors didn’t do this memoir any favors. We don’t need Ina to downplay the fact that she and her husband were both born into wealth and privilege and benefited from relationships with other people in the same tax bracket. No one is accusing her of not being a hard worker or savvy business owner. We know her brand is “simple food� from high-end (expensive) ingredients and we’ve embraced that over her decades long career. Some self-awareness might have helped her narrative. I really disliked the disparaging comments about “spices from India� or “tricked out piñata parties� being unnecessary and “complicated.� It comes off as arrogant and ignorant to ethnic cuisines that aren’t European in origin. I understand her message. You don’t need to try something new and unknown to you in order to cook an impressive meal. But the tone in which this is said is so off-putting and I feel like her editors should have known better.
Also I don’t really care about her many “impulsive� real estate purchases being framed like there was any risk involved when she just told us her husband’s job was paying for them to have unlimited first class plane rides between NYC and Tokyo so they could visit each other. Like, girl, you’re rich rich and we really love that about you. You sold us a dream with a side of Hamptons beach picnic and brownies for dessert. Just own it.
I loved reading about her and Jeffrey’s early relationship. However, overall, the editors didn’t do this memoir any favors. We don’t need Ina to downplay the fact that she and her husband were both born into wealth and privilege and benefited from relationships with other people in the same tax bracket. No one is accusing her of not being a hard worker or savvy business owner. We know her brand is “simple food� from high-end (expensive) ingredients and we’ve embraced that over her decades long career. Some self-awareness might have helped her narrative. I really disliked the disparaging comments about “spices from India� or “tricked out piñata parties� being unnecessary and “complicated.� It comes off as arrogant and ignorant to ethnic cuisines that aren’t European in origin. I understand her message. You don’t need to try something new and unknown to you in order to cook an impressive meal. But the tone in which this is said is so off-putting and I feel like her editors should have known better.
Also I don’t really care about her many “impulsive� real estate purchases being framed like there was any risk involved when she just told us her husband’s job was paying for them to have unlimited first class plane rides between NYC and Tokyo so they could visit each other. Like, girl, you’re rich rich and we really love that about you. You sold us a dream with a side of Hamptons beach picnic and brownies for dessert. Just own it.
October 14, 2024
Dryyyyy but enjoyable.
March 23, 2025
"Imma" Ina fan.
Although I never read Ina Garten's cookbooks or watched her Food Network show, I became an instant Ina fan after listening to her outstanding "high-spirited and no-holds-barred" memoir.
It's easy to see how/why Ina Garten's superb memoir was GR's Nominee for Readers' Favorite Audiobook (2024) and Readers' Favorite Memoir (2024).
To date, it is also one of my favorite audiobooks and memoirs.
Yes, Ina has also mastered the recipe for writing compelling, engaging, and inspirational memoirs.
Whether you cook or dine out, this 10-star memoir is a must-read.
One of my besties of 2025.
All the stars!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
November 26, 2024
Be Ready When the Luck Happens: A Memoir was a delightful book by Ina Garten. Ina Garten has published a myriad of cookbooks, many of them in my library and used often over the years with a lot of family favorites. While I had known for years that she was the owner of The Barefoot Contessa, a specialty shop in the Hamptons, I wasn’t aware of the back story. Working in Washington, D.C., Ina Garten saw an advertisement for a “Catering, Gourmet, Foods & Cheese Shoppe� in a top location with unlimited potential. Jeffrey too was employed in Washington, D.C. writing issue papers and speeches for the Secretary of State. But the next weekend they drove to Westhampton to see the shop and meet the owner.
This is a delightful and thoughtful account of Ina Garten’s journey as she brings her past and her process to life in this high-spirited memoir of her decades of personal challenges and adventures and unexpected career twists. Ina Garten has blazed her own trail while teaching millions of us how to cook and entertain. There are also delightful recipes and photographs throughout the book. But at the heart of Ina’s story is the love story of Ina and Jeffrey Garten after more than fifty years together.
“The shop, a white clapboard building on a corner in the center of the village’s Main Street was small—only four hundred square feet. It was so small that the stove didn’t fit in the tiny kitchen in the back and was right there in the store. There was one employee. . . .baking big chocolate chip cookies. . . .my first thought was I need to be here! I didn’t want to write position papers about enriched uranium; I wanted to bake cookies.�
This is a delightful and thoughtful account of Ina Garten’s journey as she brings her past and her process to life in this high-spirited memoir of her decades of personal challenges and adventures and unexpected career twists. Ina Garten has blazed her own trail while teaching millions of us how to cook and entertain. There are also delightful recipes and photographs throughout the book. But at the heart of Ina’s story is the love story of Ina and Jeffrey Garten after more than fifty years together.
October 3, 2024
I love Ina and her cooking has been so influential. I started watching her cooking shows my first year in college to combat my homesickness and desire for good food. She taught me how to cook and my passion for food is largely due to her. If I ever get the chance to meet her, I’ll probably cry and make a total fool of myself!
That being said: While I love her cookbooks, I found her memoir a little lacking. Her writing felt a bit like reading a college essay - a little generic at times, the same sayings repeated often for emphasis, and each story tied up with a bow of “what I learned� and how to apply her lessons to your own life.
I also found her advice somewhat disappointing because it failed to account for her massive privilege. She and Jeffrey both came from/had money and had the means to make impulsive decisions like buying a business or several houses. They grew up in a much different time where these things were much more feasible. So again, the advice didn’t feel as applicable or realistic to where we currently are.
That being said, I think her story is still inspiring and very interesting. She clearly knows what she wants and has pursued it, and as a woman, that is something to be admired. Overall, I enjoyed reading it but wish it delved deeper.
That being said: While I love her cookbooks, I found her memoir a little lacking. Her writing felt a bit like reading a college essay - a little generic at times, the same sayings repeated often for emphasis, and each story tied up with a bow of “what I learned� and how to apply her lessons to your own life.
I also found her advice somewhat disappointing because it failed to account for her massive privilege. She and Jeffrey both came from/had money and had the means to make impulsive decisions like buying a business or several houses. They grew up in a much different time where these things were much more feasible. So again, the advice didn’t feel as applicable or realistic to where we currently are.
That being said, I think her story is still inspiring and very interesting. She clearly knows what she wants and has pursued it, and as a woman, that is something to be admired. Overall, I enjoyed reading it but wish it delved deeper.
November 28, 2024
While I wasn’t completely in the dark about who Ina Garten is, and have seen a few episodes of her show over the years, as it turns out I knew next to nothing about the Barefoot Contessa herself. From dealing with psychologically and physically abusive parents to career struggles, her phenomenal success is more the product of hard work than luck (though Lady Luck is also on her side).
Told with humility and humor, the audiobook narrated by Garten herself, was like a warm hug - you didn’t know you needed it and it leaves you feeling happy and comforted long after it’s over. From stories of her handwritten “meet cute� with husband Jeffrey to her days working in government to discovering the ad that would lead to a whole new career, every single chapter is engaging, inspiring and very very entertaining.
This book will easily make my 2024 favorites list and I am so glad I was able to read it during Nonfiction November! And fun fact, I loved it SO much, it ended up giving me a book hangover. I never imagined a memoir had that power, but if anyone can do it, it’s Ina Garten 🍸
What to expect:
▪️a biography of sorts
▪️life lessons
▪️swoony moments 🤍
▪️laugh out loud stories
▪️relatable, easy to connect with writing
▪️a whole heck of a lot of inspiration
▪️foodie talk
▪️tips and tricks
Thank you PRH Audio for the gifted copy.
Told with humility and humor, the audiobook narrated by Garten herself, was like a warm hug - you didn’t know you needed it and it leaves you feeling happy and comforted long after it’s over. From stories of her handwritten “meet cute� with husband Jeffrey to her days working in government to discovering the ad that would lead to a whole new career, every single chapter is engaging, inspiring and very very entertaining.
This book will easily make my 2024 favorites list and I am so glad I was able to read it during Nonfiction November! And fun fact, I loved it SO much, it ended up giving me a book hangover. I never imagined a memoir had that power, but if anyone can do it, it’s Ina Garten 🍸
What to expect:
▪️a biography of sorts
▪️life lessons
▪️swoony moments 🤍
▪️laugh out loud stories
▪️relatable, easy to connect with writing
▪️a whole heck of a lot of inspiration
▪️foodie talk
▪️tips and tricks
Thank you PRH Audio for the gifted copy.
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