Ina Garten Reflects on Challenging Childhood in Upcoming Memoir
Food Network star and author Ina Garten is known for her ability to create beautiful and inviting experiences, but her recent memoir reveals a much darker side to her past. In an interview with People, Garten discussed her difficult upbringing as she promoted her forthcoming book, “Be Ready When the Luck Happens,” set to be released on October 1.
Garten, who grew up in Connecticut with her brother Ken, described her relationship with their late father, Charles Rosenberg, a physician, as one filled with fear. “I was physically afraid of my dad,” Garten disclosed. “I literally remember thinking he would kill me if I did something. I was physically afraid of him. And my mother just was unsupportive.”
Reflecting on her childhood, Garten revealed that she often secluded herself in her room to escape the turbulence of her home life. “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,” she explained. “I think it was just protection. It was just to keep myself safe.”
Garten also shared her complex relationship with her late mother, Florence Rosenberg, stating, “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.”
One significant relationship for Garten has been with her husband, Jeffrey, whom she met at the age of 16. Despite her mother’s initial disapproval, Garten married Jeffrey in 1968 after four years of dating. “[My mother] thought I was too young to get married,” Garten recalled. “But 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.’”
As Garten opens up about her past in her new memoir, she invites readers to understand the challenges that have shaped her into the person she is today.
