“He said that it was bad faith to do something you know you’re not good at, and good faith to do the thing you’re best at doing.”–Ina Garten, Be Ready When the Luck Happens
True confessions–while I am well aware of who Ina Garten is, I have never watched her cooking show or read any of her cookbooks. After reading this book, however, I will definitely take a look at her cookbooks. Ina’s story is an interesting one. She was never formally trained in cooking and was working for the White House in the 1970s when she had the opportunity to buy The Barefoot Contessa, a specialty food store in the Hamptons. With no retail experience to speak of, no formal cooking training, and no experience mass producing food, to say this experience was a baptism by fire is an understatement. Garten loves a good challenge and in fact mentions several times in the book that when something is no longer challenging, she is no longer interested. This wanderlust, as well as being in the right places at the right times, led her to buy a second store, begin writing cook books, and eventually host her own cooking show. She will often say that she got very lucky, but it is clear from the book that she is intelligent, driven, detail oriented, and focused. Luck may have played a part in her success, but she was definitely ready when the luck happened.
I enjoyed this book and found it interesting. I listened to the audio book which is read by Ina Garten and that gave me even more insight into her as a person. One of her favorite phrases is, “How great is that?!” which really showcases her optimistic outlook on life. Garten is open and vulnerable, particularly about her difficult childhood and the importance of her husband, Jeffrey, in her life. If you are looking for an interesting, contemporary memoir, you can’t go wrong with this book.
Content Advisory: some language, including 4-5 uses of the f-word.