Why Ina Garten Nearly Left Her TV Career Behind

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Ina Garten has built a veritable culinary empire over several decades, starting with her iconic Hamptons store, The Barefoot Contessa. This led to numerous cookbooks, as well as her long-running Food Network TV program, also called "The Barefoot Contessa." However, the celebrity chef and entertaining doyenne — who wasn't allowed to cook growing up — almost did not end up making her award-winning show at all. And that was because of an, er, crappy situation on the short-lived show that came before it, which she recounts in her memoir, "Be Ready When the Luck Happens."

As Garten tells it, in 2000, she started working with the production company behind Martha Stewart's show, which used her own Hamptons house as the filming location. While there were certainly creative differences (Ina wanted to be Ina, while the producers wanted her to be more like Stewart), and head-scratching moments from the production crew, the moment that broke the camel's back came when the house's septic pipes could no longer take the abuse inflicted by literally dozens of crew members.

Sewage started to leak into the yard, a truck that had been called to deal with the mess got stuck in it, and the director of the show fell ill on-site. The situation so horrified Garten that she swore "never again" (and rightly so!), and she held to that vow — though only for about two years.

Ina Garten followed up her shelved TV show the next year with another cookbook release. It seemed that would be the route she would focus on for her future endeavors. But fate had other plans, as it so often does, and in 2002, Garten found herself on the set of another TV show, again filmed in her own home. This time, the production crew seemed to understand her vibe, allowing her to cook — literally and figuratively — with the wit and mannerisms for which she has become known. The first episode of Food Network's "The Barefoot Contessa" premiered in late November 2002.

Garten actually marked the 20-year anniversary of filming the first episode on her Instagram, sharing a clip and writing, "Was I talking fast enough?? LOL!!" In the segment, Garten makes homemade lemonade, and though she uses superfine sugar, in typical Ina fashion, she tells audiences that if they do not have it, it's fine to use the regular variety. This line, while seemingly a throwaway, is actually a terrific example of why Garten's show became so successful: It showcases her unfussy approach to cooking. And her suggestion to add vodka to the mix? A good example of her irreverent wit and gentle, elegant sense of humor, which fans came to love on her program.