The Truth About Why Ina Garten's Enviable Relationship Almost Ended In Divorce

Ina Garten — aka the Barefoot Contessa — is definitely a household name. After all, Garten is an icon in home kitchens worldwide as a Food Network legend and author of 13 bestselling cookbooks. From her perfect roast chicken to her simple beef bourguignon, the culinary wiz has dedicated her life to satisfying America's foodies. For those curious about her personal life, the chef spilled all the beans about her journey to stardom cooking, including the time she briefly left her beloved husband to follow her dreams.

Garten's memoir, "Be Ready When the Luck Happens," has revealed the recipe for a good marriage, and the Barefoot Contessa says her widely adored relationship with her husband, Jeffrey Garten, was saved from ruin when she left him in Washington D.C. to start her gourmet food store in Westhampton, New York. The couple married in 1968, and Garten even saved the love letters he wrote her while they were in college and he was in the military.

Before finding success in the culinary world, Garten worked at the White House in the Office of Management and Budget before she saw an ad in the paper to purchase a 400-square-foot space on Long Island. From there, she quit her job and started working in the Barefoot Contessa shop full-time, which she says completely changed the dynamic of her marriage. In an excerpt from the "Be My Guest" host's memoir, obtained by People magazine, Garten shared her struggles about working full-time at the Barefoot Contessa store during the '70s, and simultaneously being expected to be a housewife. "When I bought Barefoot Contessa, I shattered our traditional roles —­ took a baseball bat to them and left them in pieces," Garten wrote.

After leaving Washington D.C. in 1978, Ina Garten left all her marital expectations behind and focused her full attention on her business. She confessed that her husband was a mere distraction from her work when he would visit her on weekends from D.C., where he still lived and worked. "Jeffrey was fully formed and living the life he wanted to live," she penned (via People). "I wasn't, and I wouldn't be able to figure out who I was or what I wanted unless I was on my own. I needed that freedom." And freedom she received.

While she originally considered getting a divorce, the Barefoot Contessa ultimately asked her husband for a separation. "We took a walk on the beach, and I just said to him, 'I need to be on my own for a little while,'" Garten recalled to Hoda Kotb during a 2024 interview on "Today." "What made it even harder is he said, 'If you feel like you need to be on your own, you need to be on your own.'" According to Garten, her husband was instantly willing to give her space and packed his bag for D.C., not knowing when he would return. 

When the Barefoot Contessa store closed its doors for the winter season, Garten reunited with her husband to discuss the next steps in their relationship hurdle. She made her thoughts clear on her disdain for the traditional household gender roles, telling her husband that he would have to see a therapist if they were to move forward. He happily obliged. "He was that determined to convince me he was serious about making our marriage work," Garten wrote in her memoir. As strong equals in their marriage, Garten and her husband, Jeffrey, have been together for decades and have no plans to separate again.