''Barefoot Contessa'' is an American
cooking show
A cooking show, cookery show, or cooking program (also spelled cooking programme in British English) is a television genre that presents food preparation, often in a restaurant kitchen or on a studio set, or at the host's personal home. Ty ...
that aired from November 30, 2002 to December 19, 2021, on
Food Network
Food Network is an American basic cable channel owned by Television Food Network, G.P., a joint venture and general partnership between Warner Bros. Discovery Networks (which holds a 69% ownership stake of the network) and Nexstar Media Group ...
, and is currently the oldest show on the network's daytime schedule. Hosted by celebrity chef
Ina Garten
Ina Rosenberg Garten ( ; born February 2, 1948) is an American author, host of the Food Network program '' Barefoot Contessa'', and a former staff member of the Office of Management and Budget.
Among her dishes are ''cœur à la crème'', celery ...
, each episode features Garten assembling dishes of varying complexity. Though her specialty is French cuisine, she occasionally prepares American, Asian, British or Italian foods. Her show also gives tips on decorating and entertaining.
The show's title, which comes from the Italian word for
count
Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
ess, was originally used by Garten in her best-selling cookbook, ''The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook'' (1999). The cookbook was in turn named after Garten's specialty food store, which she bought already named in 1978. The store, which is no longer in operation, opened in 1975 and was named after the
1954 film of the same name. Garten sold the store to the employees prior to its closure.
Overview
Garten's show features the preparation of a simple multi-course meal, usually for her close friends, colleagues or husband,
Jeffrey. Her recipes often include fresh herbs, which she 'hand-harvests' from her backyard garden. Table settings include both simple and comfort dishes, and are often accompanied by her 'own' flowers or those brought in by Michael Grim, a friend and local florist who is frequently on the show.
Garten deconstructs simple French recipes like
boeuf bourguignon
Beef bourguignon () or bœuf bourguignon (; ), also called beef Burgundy, and ''bœuf à la Bourguignonne'',''Random House Dictionary'online at dictionary.com/ref> is a French beef stew braised in red wine, often red Burgundy, and beef stock, ...
or
Baba au Rhum cake
A rum baba or baba au rhum is a small yeast cake saturated in syrup made with hard liquor, usually rum, and sometimes filled with whipped cream or pastry cream. It is most typically made in individual servings (about a 5 cm tall, slightly tape ...
. She focuses on preparing foods efficiently, allowing more time to eat and spend with guests.
The show is mainly recorded in Garten's home in
East Hampton, New York
The Town of East Hampton is located in southeastern Suffolk County, New York, at the eastern end of the South Shore of Long Island. It is the easternmost town in the state of New York. At the time of the 2020 United States census, it had a total ...
and features fast-moving camera shots and closeups (e.g., fully ripened fruits, eggs falling from the shells, or bubbling pots of homemade stock).
Episode guide
International airings
''Barefoot Contessa'' airs in Australia on
Food Network (Australia)
SBS Food is an Australian free-to-air television channel owned and operated by the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS). The channel airs programs about food and cooking, from cultures around the world.
History
SBS first revealed it would launc ...
and the
Lifestyle Food
Lifestyle Food (stylised as Lifestyle FOOD) is an Australian pay-TV food channel, solely dedicated to food, wine and restaurant society. The channel is a subsidiary of Lifestyle, which runs 24 hours a day on the Foxtel.
On 19 September 2016, ...
Channel on the
Foxtel
Foxtel is an Australian pay television company—operating in cable television, direct broadcast satellite television, and IPTV streaming services. It was formed in April 2018, superseding an earlier company from 1995. The service was establi ...
platform, in the UK on the Food Network UK, in Poland on the channel
Kuchnia.tv, and in the
Middle East
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...
on the
Fatafeat
Fatafeat (Arabic: فتافيت), is a Middle Eastern food and lifestyle television channel owned by Takhayal Entertainment, which is part of Warner Bros. Discovery
Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. (WBD) is an American multinational mass media an ...
Channel.
Awards and nominations
The show was nominated for a
Daytime Emmy Award
The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences ...
in 2005 in the category Best Service Show; in the year 2009, it was once again nominated for a
Daytime Emmy Award
The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences ...
in the categories of
Outstanding Culinary Program and Best Culinary Host; Garten won her first Emmy in the latter category.
References
External links
Barefoot Contessa on The Food NetworkBarefoot Contessa in the UK*
*
{{Food Network series
2002 American television series debuts
2021 American television series endings
2000s American cooking television series
2010s American cooking television series
2020s American cooking television series
Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Culinary Program winners
American English-language television shows
Food Network original programming
Television shows filmed in New York (state)