Martha Vs Ina: Why The Beef Between The Culinary Icons Is So Complicated

Two giants of the cooking and lifestyle world, Martha Stewart and Ina Garten are known to be peers and even friends. Yet, a profile on Garten that came out in The New Yorker — promoting her 2024 memoir, "Be Ready When the Luck Happens" – revealed that there may be some beef between the two. Both TV personalities became famous in the '90s (Stewart first, with her magazine "Martha Stewart Living" in 1990, and Garten second, with the release of "The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook" in 1999). Stewart and Garten both have very different cooking styles – the former known for professional techniques and global inspirations, and the latter for simple cooking and familiar fare.

The beef among these icons comes from an alleged break in their friendship. In the profile by The New Yorker, Stewart revealed: "When I was sent off to Alderson Prison, [Garten] stopped talking to me ... I found that extremely distressing and extremely unfriendly." Garten denied this and claimed that a more natural separation occurred when Stewart bought a property in Bedford, New York, and spent much of her time there. Regardless, it seems the two have not been as close since around 2005, when Stewart was convicted.

This is not the first time there has been shade between the two culinary icons. Amid the coronavirus pandemic, Martha Stewart shaded Ina Garten's New Year's advice to "drink more large cosmos" by telling People, "I do not agree about taking to drink to cope with things like the pandemic ... To me that's not charming." Garten's comment, originally left as a reply under Reese Witherspoon's New Year's Instagram post (which has since been deleted), was likely meant to simply poke fun at Witherspoon's health-forward advice.

If they're not good friends still, the two were once very close. Garten and Stewart's friendship began when they met at Garten's food store in East Hapmton, and Stewart wrote a piece about Garten's business in the first issue of "Martha Stewart Living." The two worked on catering events together at Stewart's house, and Stewart also connected Garten with an editor when she had a proposal for her first cookbook. In many ways, Stewart helped launch Garten's career, making "The Barefoot Contessa" a household name. Stewart saw the broad appeal of Garten's cooking style, her warm presence, and effortless elegance. Garten's successful career proves that many others still connect with this image.