Cover Photo: A screencap of Barefoot Contessa, in which Ina Garten, smiling as if the viewer is the only person in the world, holds up a plate of chicken wraps in offering.
Still from ‘Barefoot Contessa’/Food Network

How Easy Is That?: Chasing Ina Garten’s Perfection With My Mother

On other cooking shows, the cooks might make mistakes and laugh about them. Ina Garten has never made a mistake.

The Barefoot Contessa

feels

The Barefoot Contessa

wow, this recipe calls for a teaspoon of a type of cognac that costs as much as our monthly utility bills

Barefoot Contessa Barefoot Contessa

Barefoot Contessa Food Network Star

seemed

Rax King is a James Beard Award-nominated bitch. Her work can also be found in Glamour, MEL Magazine, Catapult, and elsewhere. Look out for her monthly column Store-Bought Is Fine for hot takes about the Food Network, and her essay collection Tacky (Vintage 2021).