Why Ina Matters

It’s Antiques & Garden Show weekend here in Nashville, and while it’s always a beautiful event, there is a little something extra this year, with the same question on everyone’s lips: are you going to Ina? 

Because today, Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa, the Queen of Store-Bought Is Fine, is giving the keynote lecture. 

CAN YOU EVEN?

It’s got me thinking about why Ina means so much to so many of us. First things first: her recipes WORK. Every single time, without fail, full stop. There is such comfort in that, isn’t there? Knowing that when you try out a new recipe for a party or even just a weeknight family dinner, it’s going to turn out perfectly. You can trust Ina, which is such a profound bond to have with someone that is, in truth, a stranger to you.

But is she really? Because that’s an essential part of Ina’s magic: you feel like you know her. Whether you’ve watched her giggle her way through preparing a meal on television or followed her charming Instagram posts — the giant pandemic Cosmopolitan! Her Paris travelogue! JEFFREY!  — you feel connected to Ina. Where some domestic doyennes maintain a certain distance between themselves and their audience (you know who), Ina invites you right on in for dinner & a few laughs.

And the kind of food that Ina serves, isn’t that just exactly what you want to eat? Forget complicated Wellingtons, terrines & soufflés; give your guests a perfect roast chicken, some really good guacamole, a pitcher of ice-cold cosmopolitans. It’s liberating, the notion that you can serve guests ordinary food & make it special. Just start with good ingredients. Store-bought is fine. 

Store-bought is fine! Does there exist a more comforting sentence in the English language? Ina’s most iconic line is meaningful because it gives you permission to pick & choose where you place your energy, with the knowledge that however you get it done, it’s going to be just perfect. Trust.