Padma Lakshmi Had A Sweet Message For Ina Garten's Birthday

Many people may recognize February 2 as Groundhog Day, when Punxsutawney Phil and his pesky shadow decide whether or not we'll have to endure another six weeks of winter. For foodies, however, the date holds another extra special meaning. What is it that makes the second day of the second month so significant in the culinary world, you ask? Well, it's Ina Garten's birthday, and this year, the celebrity chef blew out 74 candles on her cake (via IMDb). As is the norm in this day and age, the beloved Food Network star was celebrated by many fans on social media, and she even received a sweet Twitter shoutout from fellow food TV personality, Padma Lakshmi.

"Happy birthday, @inagarten!" the "Top Chef" host tweeted on Wednesday along, with a GIF of Garten pouring the gigantic cosmopolitan that she famously whipped up for quarantine cocktail hour back in 2020, per Today. Lakshmi also added sparkle and martini emojis, though cheekily noted that readers should pretend the latter icon was a cosmo instead.

Unsurprisingly, Lakshmi's Twitter followers loved seeing her recognize the Barefoot Contessa on her special day, as evidenced by the 700-plus likes that her tweet has amassed since hitting the World Wide Web. They especially appreciated the hilarious GIF Lakshmi chose to accompany her kind message to the Food Network star — and made sure to let their approval of it be known.

"Best gif ever because the cocktail never stops flowing," one user wrote in response to the tweet, and we can't say we disagree. Others responded with their own birthday wishes for Garten, though Twitter user @tiboribi had a burning question on their mind. "Has Ina been a guest on Top Chef?" they asked. "My brain would explode to see the two of you together." As of this writing, Garten has not yet lent her talents to the hit Bravo cooking competition since its debut in 2006 (via IMDb). With the premiere of Season 19 hitting TV screens on March 3, though, it won't be long until we find out if a Barefoot Contessa cameo is in the cards.