Ina Garten’s Husband Once Surprised Her With a Painting She Thought They’d Never ‘Be Able to Afford’
Ina Garten’s husband, Jeffrey Garten, doesn’t like receiving presents. He does, however, like giving them. Take, for instance, the time he surprised his Food Network star wife with a pricy painting.
The Barefoot Contessa took her husband to an art gallery to introduce him to an artist’s work
In an April 2021 interview with Oprah Daily, Garten gave a tour of the “barn” that serves as her office. The 2,000 square foot space has everything the cookbook author needs to develop new recipes and film Barefoot Contessa. Along the way, she shared the story behind the April Gornik painting that hangs above her fireplace.
“I have a painting by April Gornik, and every time I look at it, I think, I can’t believe I have a painting by April Gornik,” she told the publication before explaining how she got it.
“We bought it 15 years ago, and at the time, even though we were friends with her, Jeffrey didn’t know her work,” she said. “So one day when we were in New York, I took him to her gallery, solely to introduce him to her art.”
“We saw a few pieces based on the Namib Desert, which she had visited after watching the opening scene of The English Patient, and they were just so beautiful,” Garten recalled.
Ina Garten’s husband excused himself to buy a painting
After browsing the gallery Garten’s husband snuck away to purchase a painting. As the Food Network star recalled, her husband of more than 50 years politely excused himself without providing any details.
“At one point, Jeffrey was like, ‘Excuse me, I have something I have to do,’” Garten said. “And I thought, where are you going?”
Eventually, Garten’s husband returned informing her of what he’d done. “When he came back, he said, ‘I just bought that for the barn because it really belongs there,’” Garten recalled. “I couldn’t believe he did that—but I’m so glad he did. Honestly, I didn’t think we’d ever be able to afford it!”
Garten’s net worth is estimated to be $50-$60 million.
The Food Network star has other prized possessions in her barn
The Gornik painting isn’t the only special item in the barn. In fact, far from it. Not only is the painting Garten’s husband bought on display in the Barefoot Contessa’s workspace but so is her extensive collection of cookbooks.
“At a certain point, I just had cookbooks everywhere,” Garten said. “I wanted to put them in a closet—but there were too many for a closet. So I thought, why don’t I make a cookbook library?”
With the help of a designer that’s exactly what Garten did. Her “cookbook library” takes up an entire wall in the barn. Made with rustic-looking wood there are a series of open shelves. Each one is filled with wine glasses and cookbooks. A few on top sit empty for any future purchases.
Garten’s “cookbook library” includes her personal favorites (she’s fond of specialty food store cookbooks) plus others she’s accumulated over the years. Placed neatly above the books are white cake stands Garten’s collected from all over the world.
