BOOK REVIEW: ‘Be Ready When the Luck Happens’ by Ina Garten

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The Barefoot Contessa (Ina Garten)  is the author of 13 bestselling cookbooks, a beloved Food Network personality, an Instagram sensation and  a cultural icon. She shares her personal story in her memoir, “Be Ready When the Luck Happens.”

Ina survived an difficult childhood. She was physically and psychologically abused by her father. Her mother was cold and aloof. Her father told her she would never succeed at anything. Boy, did she prove him wrong.

After marrying the love of her life, Jeffrey, while she was still in college, she had a government job writing the nuclear energy budget and policy papers under President Gerald Ford and President Jimmy Carter. Looking for something she could be passionate about, she made a low offer to buy a specialty food store (The Barefoot Contessa) in the Hamptons. Ina had no training in the food industry. She had to learn “on the job.”  While she feels she was lucky, it was actually her hard work and determination that led to her success.

For a time, Jeffrey and Ina were separated while Ina figured out how to be a successful woman and wife during the 60s and 70s (a time when the goal for women was to marry well). Eventually, they were able work through their issues and have been married over 50 years.

In 1999, after 20 years of hard work of running a specialty food store and catering huge parties, she became dissatisfied. She sold her business and floundered for a while. A friend suggested she write a cookbook. “The Barefoot Contessa” cookbook exceeded everyone’s expectations. The cookbook sold over 100,000 copies the first year, immediately requiring second and third printings. Ina insisted on being in control of the book’s format. She insisted on large color photographs for every recipe, which was very unusual at the time. In the past, cookbooks were boring black and white recipes with no photographs at all. She chose simple but elegant recipes with lots of simple instructions. After much persuasion, Ina agreed to a deal with The Food Network to record 13 episodes of “The Barefoot Contessa.” It was amazingly successful and she agreed to a three-year contract. She also had a line of packaged cake mixes, marinades, sauces and preserves.

Ina has received many awards for her work. In 2005 she was nominated for a Daytime Emmy for Best Service Show. In 2009, the show and Garten were once again nominated for Daytime Emmy Awards in the categories of Best Culinary Program and Best Culinary Host. Garten won her first Emmy in the latter category. She was selected for the inaugural 2021 Forbes 50 over 50 list, made up of entrepreneurs, leaders, scientists and creators who are over the age of 50. She has written articles for Martha Stewart Living and O, The Oprah Magazine.

One area of the memoir did not ring true to me. Throughout the book Ina writes about being very poor and always being short on funds. Both Ina and her husband Jeffrey came from wealthy families and went to the finest schools. Ina dabbled in “flipping houses” in Washington, D.C. and they had an apartment on Fifth Avenue in New York, City. Later in life, when Jeffrey was employed in Japan, they traveled monthly and  sometimes weekly first class to Japan. When Ina bought a house in Paris, she traveled to first class to Paris weekly to oversee the remodel. Not my idea of poor.

I like Ina Garten. I have enjoyed her cooking shows. She always makes dazzling food look simple to make. Her catch phrase is “How easy was that?” I listened to the audio version of the memoir to hear her tell her story. She certainly is a lot bolder than I am. I do admire her determination and work ethic. I think adage “the harder I work, the luckier I am” definitely applies to Ina Garten!

“Ina Garten is a New York Times bestselling author, the host of Be My Guest on Discovery+, and host of Barefoot Contessa on Food Network, for which she has won five Emmy Awards and a James Beard Award. She lives in East Hampton, New York, with her husband, Jeffrey.” (Penguin Random House)

Cathy Lay Mayor grew up in Cullman and graduated from Cullman High School in 1976. She says when she writes book reviews, she tries to remember what Mrs. Gilbert taught her in 11th-grade English. She lived in Dothan for more than 30 years and is married with three adult children and six grandchildren. She retired to Panama City, but still calls Alabama home.