Ina Garten reveals dark childhood with fears her abusive father would ‘kill her’ ahead of tell-all memoir release

FOOD Network chef Ina Garten has opened up about the emotional and physical abuse she suffered from her late father as a child.

Ina, also known as the Barefoot Contessa, opens up about her childhood in her new memoir, Be Ready When the Luck Happens.

Ina Garten speaks onstage during the 28th Annual Webby Awards at Cipriani Wall Street on May 13 in New York City[/caption]

Ina Garten shares a throwback image of her writing a letter on the beach with her friend Janet Sloatman Files[/caption]

Barefoot Contessa chef Ina Garten holding her Modern Comfort Food cookbook, released in 2020[/caption]

The book, which delves into her traumatic childhood for the first time, will be released on October 1.

Ahead of its launch, the 76-year-old chef revealed she suffered abuse from her late parents, Charles and Florence Rosenberg.

The Food Network host opened up about being afraid of her father, who would hit her and pull her hair if she did something he disapproved of.

“I was terrified,” the chef said in an interview with People. “I was physically afraid of my dad.”

The author grew up at her parents’ house in Connecticut with her brother Ken, who also faced abuse from their father as a child.

Ina said she remembered thinking her dad would “kill her” if she did something wrong in his eyes.

“I was physically afraid of him. And my mother just was unsupportive,” she noted.

“If there’s a threat of violence, you’re always afraid, even when it’s not happening.

“So I basically spent my entire childhood in my bedroom with a door closed,” the Be My Guest host added.

“I think it was just protection. It was just to keep myself safe.”

While her father was abusive, Ina described her mother as having controlling tendencies in her new memoir.

She recalled wanting to paint her childhood bedroom a certain color, which her mom wouldn’t let her because she said it would “turn out badly.”

“It was something she said to me a lot,” Ina remembered.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if she was diagnosed with Asperger’s [Syndrome].

Ina Garten's Books

The Barefoot Contessa has released several books throughout her career.

The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook (1999)
Barefoot Contessa Parties! Ideas and Recipes For Easy Parties That Are Really Fun (2001)
Barefoot Contessa Family Style: Easy Ideas and Recipes That Make Everyone Feel Like Family (2002)
Barefoot in Paris: Easy French Food You Can Make at Home (2004)
Barefoot Contessa at Home: Everyday Recipes You’ll Make Over and Over Again (2006)
Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics: Fabulous Flavor from Simple Ingredients (2008)
Barefoot Contessa: How Easy Is That? (2010)
Barefoot Contessa: Foolproof: Recipes You Can Trust (2012)
Make It Ahead: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook (2014)
Cooking for Jeffrey: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook (2016)
Cook Like a Pro: Recipes and Tips for Home Cooks (2018)
Modern Comfort Food: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook (2020)
Go-To Dinners: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook (2022)
Be Ready When the Luck Happens (2024)

“She really didn’t know how to have a relationship, which is why I think, as I’ve gotten older, having relationships is so important to me.”

TURNING THE PAGE

At just 16 years old, Ina said “everything changed” when she met her now-husband, Jeffrey Garten.

The two tied the knot in 1968 after four years of dating, during which time Ina recalled her mother telling her she was “too young” to get married.

“It was the first time in my life when I just said to her, ‘I know you don’t think this is a good idea. And for the first time, I’m really sorry to tell you this, but I don’t care. I’m doing this,’” she explained.

So I basically spent my entire childhood in my bedroom with a door closed. I think it was just protection. It was just to keep myself safe.”

Ina GartenBarefoot Contessa host

Ina told the outlet that she and her mom never settled their differences.

She did, however, make amends with her father later in life.

“He, in his own way, apologized and my mom never acknowledged it,” Ina revealed.

Reflecting on her upbringing further, Ina knew she wouldn’t let her troubled younger years affect her after turning a new leaf.

“I think I overcame my childhood just by sheer determination,” the chef added. “I just wasn’t about to spend my life like that.

Barefoot Contessa chef Ina Garten in a throwback image with her husband Jeffrey from over 50 years ago[/caption]

Chef Ina Garten poses in front of a tiered cake in a throwback wedding photo with her husband Jeffrey[/caption]

“And I think, a lot of times, people make a decision to live their lives differently and they end up sliding back into what they feel is familiar and I was determined not to do that.

“And then I met Jeffrey and he just showed me a totally different way to live.”

SMALL GLIMPSES

To promote her book’s release on Instagram, Ina shared a throwback image of her and a friend over the weekend.

In the caption, the cook said her friends supported her through her difficult childhood.

Chef Ina Garten, pictured in 2002, poses with a plate of food in her home kitchen[/caption]

“I had a pretty difficult life at home so my friends were like a lifeline for me. They were smart, creative and so supportive,” she wrote.

“This is a picture of Janet and me on a beach in New Jersey where her parents were vacationing. I had just met Jeffrey so my guess is that I’m writing a letter to him!”

Ina also recently shared photos of her and Jeffrey on a camping trip to Paris in 1971, detailing how he wrote her a letter in high school proposing the idea.

Ina’s new memoir will be available for purchase on October 1.