Ina Garten's Kitchen On Barefoot Contessa Isn't Where You Think It Is

If you thought Ina Garten's hit show "Barefoot Contessa" was filmed in her home, you'd only be half right. But that's just one of the things you may not know about the Food Network star. Garten's show began filming in her home kitchen when it premiered in 2002, but since 2007, the Contessa has relocated to new digs.

In a CBS interview for 60 Minutes, Garten noted it was important that her show feel intimate. So, she initially chose to have it filmed in her home where viewers would feel they were right beside her as she cooked. However, film crews take up a lot of room, and Ina and her husband found themselves being pushed out of their home's living spaces during the two eight-week periods that "Barefoot Contessa" was filmed each year.

In 2007, "Barefoot Contessa" moved to a different filming location next door to Garten's house in the Hamptons. In fact, it's so close she's able to commute on foot through the field. It took around a year to build the 2,000-square-foot custom-made barn. But, there was a time when Ina must have wondered if she'd ever find a new home for her show.

Ina Garten had her eye on the field next to her home for a long time. It took her 10 years to convince the man who owned the land to sell it to her. He finally gave in, and Garten bought the land, hired architect Frank Greenwald to design a structure, and construction began. The result was a space that she described as "beyond her wildest dreams" (via Oprah Daily).

Garten's new studio was designed to mimic the familiar kitchen her fans had gotten used to seeing her in. The kitchen was large enough to accommodate the film crew and allow filming to take place from more angles than were possible in her home. The space, while functional, still gives off the familiar warm vibe of her home kitchen.

High ceilings keep watch over all the tools a cook like Garten needs. Her well-appointed space boasts an eight-burner stove, two refrigerators, and two ovens. A sitting room and library were later added to showcase her favorite cookbooks.

This new space functions as a television studio, a place for entertaining, an office — the antique table there served as her desk during the pandemic — and a test kitchen. That test kitchen gets a lot of use. Ina's recipes are tested 10-12 times before earning a place in one of her cookbooks. 

The last episode of "Barefoot Contessa" aired in 2021. However, Ina Garten's barn is now the location for her new show "Be My Guest with Ina Garten," which premiered in 2022 and has hosted a slew of stars since then. Her reputation for entertaining has drawn Hollywood's elite. A-list celebrities such as Emily Blunt, Stanley Tucci — who introduced Ina to her first martini on the show – and Bobby Flay are just a few of the famous folks who have joined Ina for "food, conversation, and cocktails" (via Food Network).

In a YouTube video on the New York Times channel, Ina said that having a workspace away from her home allows her to "close the door and leave work behind." As Ina would say, "How easy is that?"