Ina Garten Once Revealed That She ‘Rarely’ Gets Recipe Inspiration From Eating at Restaurants

Ina Garten has been cooking for decades. The Food Network star has had her own show, Barefoot Contessa, since 2003. But she’s been developing recipes since she purchased her Barefoot Contessa specialty foods store in 1978. Over the years, Garten has created thousands of dishes. And when it comes to finding inspiration, Garten said she “rarely” gets it from dining out.

Ina Garten raising a glass and smiling

‘Barefoot Contessa’ star Ina Garten | Mike Smith/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank

Ina Garten’s recipes don’t often develop overnight. The Barefoot Contessa star actually spends quite a bit of time developing a recipe to perfection. To Garten, there’s no sense in publishing a recipe (or filming it for her show) if it’s not the absolute best it can be.