How Ina Garten's Cooking Became 'An Expression Of Love' For Jeffrey

Content warning: Please note that this story discusses childhood abuse.

While Ina Garten and husband Jeffrey once contemplated divorce, the couple was able to mend fences and has since spent more than five decades together. Insight into their lasting relationship can be found in Garten's memoir "Be Ready When the Luck Happens," which details the chef's rise from store proprietor to world-famous chef, cookbook author, and television personality. While Garten's professional achievements are highly impressive, many people find inspiration in her marriage with Jeffrey, both for its longevity and the warmth exhibited between the two on Garten's cooking show "The Barefoot Contessa."

In "Be Ready When the Luck Happens," Garten explains that Jeffrey changed her outlook on cooking and food, which she'd previously believed "was just sustenance, not pleasure." As her relationship blossomed, the chef and homemaker discovered something profound. "This was the very first time I thought of food as an expression of love," writes Garten, stating, "Now baking something was a way to express my feelings and to connect with Jeffrey." Her observations are even more poignant when you consider that Garten's memoir includes her experiences with childhood abuse, and she praises her husband for helping her overcome those experiences. 

If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.

Ina Garten isn't alone in believing that cooking is an expression of love. However, at the beginning of her relationship with Jeffrey, Garten focused her culinary talents on baked goods, which often had her questioning her self-image and place in the world. Garten describes herself as "out of touch" when "demanding that my mother let me into the kitchen to bake brownies [for] my boyfriend!" at a time when so many women were striving for their independence. Eventually, Garten was able to reconcile her love of "traditional pursuits" with her desire for autonomy, which ultimately served as a roadmap towards personal and professional success. 

Garten also shares some cute insights into the role that her baking played in her courtship with Jeffrey. In her memoir, Garten writes that her homemade brownies "were for Jeffrey the culinary equivalent of a low-cut dress: irresistible and guaranteed to make an impression!" It's certainly true that comfort foods like brownies increase dopamine production in the brain, and according to Garten's insights, it appears that her efforts were key in kicking off a decades-long romance. While Garten has gone through many transformations over the years, her love and affection for Jeffrey have remained constant.