Celebrity chef Ina Garten, 76, is pulling back the curtain on her career journey, and how she avoided pressures to be like Martha Stewart.
Garten, who is widely known as The Barefoot Contessa, spoke about the industry and her rise to fame during an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey podcast on December 24.
The two spoke about Garten’s recently published memoir, Be Ready When The Luck Happens, where she opened up about her tough childhood and marriage in addition to her longstanding career.
During the podcast, Oprah brought up the fact that Garten had revealed she had to ‘fight like hell’ when getting her first cookbook published in 1999.
‘The publishers were trying to change you, but you stuck to your own vision, and wouldn’t let them, because I think they were trying to make you like Martha Stewart, or Martha does it this way – what did you learn through that experience?’ Oprah asked.
‘Just trust your vision,’ Garten replied simply.
‘I think the thing that works is if you’re really true to who you are, if you believe in it so fiercely, somebody out there is gonna believe in it, too,’ she continued.
‘It’s true, it’s not, “I’m gonna become this perky whatever it is person that people will love,” just put out who you are, and do the best job you can possibly do.’
Celebrity chef Ina Garten, 76, is pulling back the curtain on her career journey, and how she avoided pressures to be like Martha Stewart
During the podcast, Oprah brought up the fact that Garten had revealed she had to ‘fight like hell’ when getting her first cookbook published in 1999
The Food Network star explained that when you are authentic to who you are, people will put their trust in you.
‘I always see it as like, I’m on a train, and people are trying to pull me off the train, and I just keep it right on the tracks,’ Garten said.
‘If I feel like I’m so sure what I’m doing is right, I don’t let people pull me off my game.’
Over the years, many people have often compared the two women, due to the fact that they have both had extremely successful careers in the culinary and home world.
And, it seems like the two used to be friendly with each other, but had a falling out – however, the reason why is something they don’t seem to agree on.
Rumors of a rift between them have been going on for a few years now, with Stewart most recently claiming that Garten stopped speaking to her after she was sent to prison for insider trading in 2004.
But according to the Barefoot Contessa star, that’s not the full story.
‘Well, let’s just say her story isn’t exactly accurate,’ Garten told People earlier this month.
Over the years, many people have often compared the two ladies, due to the fact that they have both had extremely successful careers in the culinary and home world
Rumors of a rift between them have been going on for a few years now, with Stewart most recently claiming that Garten stopped speaking to her after she was sent to prison for insider trading in 2004
‘And, you know, that was 25 years ago,’ she continued with a laugh. ‘I think it’s time to let it go.’
But whether or not we will ever know the truth behind what happened in their friendship, the two have agreed that their friendship soured in the early 2000s, with Garten claiming they ‘lost touch’ when she moved to Connecticut.
According to TIME Magazine, the two first met in The Hamptons, when Garten owned a food store in East Hampton.
She admitted that Stewart played a big role in helping launch her career.
‘My desk was right in front of the cheese case and we just ended up in a conversation,’ Garten said during a 2017 appearance on How to Be Amazing with Michael Ian Black, per the outlet.
‘We ended up actually doing benefits together where it was at her house and I was the caterer and we became friends after that,’ Garten continued about Stewart.
Garten even shared that Stewart helped her connect with an editor when she was working on her first book proposal.
In addition to her recent comments about Garten, Stewart also spoke about it in a September profile that The New Yorker did on Garten.
‘When I was sent off to Alderson Prison, she stopped talking to me,’ Stewart told the outlet.
‘I found that extremely distressing and extremely unfriendly,’ she continued, although her publicist later told the magazine that she was ‘not bitter at all and there’s no feud.’
Meanwhile, Garten has ‘firmly’ denied that Martha’s prison sentence had anything to do with their rift.
