Ina Garten Feared Her Abusive Father Would Kill Her: ‘I Was Physically Afraid of Him’

Celebrity chef Ina Garten has opened up about the physical and emotional abuse she suffered from her late parents, Charles and Florence Rosenberg, in her new memoir, Be Ready When the Luck Happens.

Speaking with People ahead of the book’s release on October 1, Garten confessed to being “terrified” of her father when growing up. “I was physically afraid of my dad,” she said. “I literally remember thinking he would kill me if I did something. I was physically afraid of him. And my mother just was unsupportive.”

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Garten moved with her family to Stamford, Connecticut, where she grew up with her older brother, Ken, who was also a victim of their father’s abuse. Reflecting on her childhood, the Barefoot Contessa host revealed she spent most of her time locked up in her bedroom.

“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 told the outlet. “I think it was just protection. It was just to keep myself safe.”

Garten also touched on how her mother was “controlling,” recalling one incident when her mom wouldn’t let her decorate her bedroom “purple” because it would “turn out badly.”

“It was something she said to me a lot,” the Food Network star added. “I wouldn’t be surprised if she was diagnosed with Asperger’s [Syndrome]. 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.”

Garten, who worked at the White House for many years before opening her specialty food store Barefoot Contessa in 1978, said her life changed for the better after meeting her husband, Jeffrey Garten.

The couple met in 1963 when Garten was 15 and visiting her brother at Dartmouth College, where Jeffrey was also studying. They later started dating and married in 1968.

“[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.'”

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The Be My Guest star revealed that her father apologized “in his own way” later in life, but her “mom never acknowledged [the abuse].”

Garten made her Food Network debut in 2002 with her hit cooking show Barefoot Contessa, which aired until December 19, 2021. She now hosts Be My Guest, where she invites famous personalities from different industries to engage in candid conversations and cook various delicious dishes with her.

Speaking of how she overcame her difficult childhood, Garten put it down to her “sheer determination.”

“I just wasn’t about to spend my life like that,” she stated. “And I think, a lot of times, people make a decision to live their lives differently and they end up sliding back into what they feel is familiar and I was determined not to do that. And then I met Jeffrey and he just showed me a totally different way to live.”

Be My Guest with Ina Garten, Season 5, Premiere, Sunday, September 29, 12/11 c, Food Network