How Much Does It Cost To Hire Ina Garten?

Maybe it's the popped collar, or maybe it's her perfectly curated home and kitchen, but Ina Garten, otherwise known as the Barefoot Contessa, is an effortlessly elegant inspiration to many. While the food celebrity lives a glamorous life today, it wasn't always that way. Garten is actually a self-taught cook, according to PBS, and started out in the White House writing nuclear energy policy (via Food Network).

Garten's first steps into the culinary world were actually as the owner of a 400-square-foot gourmet food store in the Hamptons which she sold to her employees in 1996. Her first cookbook was published in 1999, and she went on to write a total of 10 by 2016. Garten rose to fame through her numerous appearances on Martha Stewart's cooking show on the Food Network, and eventually she secured her own show, "Barefoot Contessa," which she still hosts for the television network today. Garten has also been a columnist for magazines like Martha Stewart, O, and House Beautiful.

While the sassy chef claims to hate "passive-aggressive people and cilantro," according to Vanity Fair, there are few things she loves more than her fans (via Time). She really loves that people enjoy her work and that she can help teach them to cook, according to People. Of course, she makes it pretty clear that at the top of her list of who and what she loves is her husband, Jeffery.

Though the celebrity chef still hosts her television show, she is, however, available for hire. Whether you'd love to have Garten make a personal appearance, perform a cooking demonstration, hire her to cook, or even have her for a speaking engagement, her services come at a premium price. Garten's fee for hire starts at $100,000 and increases from there (via Celebrity Chef Network). So if you'd like to have her at your next event, plan on a large budget.