Ina Garten

I am not one to follow the celebrity world and I don't get googly-eyed over Channing Tatum. I don't know a thing about who is doing what and who is marrying whom or the names of any actors. But there is one celebrity that I love and her name is Ina Garten. 

If I had the opportunity to meet one famous person, I would chose Ina Gaten. No question about it. But no one truly understands why. When I bring up her name, half of the people don't even know who she is and the other half raise their eyebrows, cock their heads, and smile awkwardly not knowing how to respond for my deep passion for this woman. But she's great and here's why:

1. I have been watching her show on the Food Network since I was nine years old. Her show hasn't changed because of the new trends or times and it hasn't suffered from the "food needs to be crazy and entertaining" culture that dominates a lot of the food television genre today. It was The Barefoot Contessa then and it is The Barefoot Contessa now. 

2. She actually cooks food you would want to cook. I have her cookbooks (4 to be exact) and I use her recipes often. The food is easy to prepare and really good when you do. 

3. She is predictable and simple. Her kitchen is plain and her hair is always done in the same way. She only wears button down shirts in shades of blue or black and always sports the same smile. I am drawn to her apparent strong sense of self and confidence in who she is and what she cooks. 

4. She's fearless. 

5. The relationships she has with food and the people she serves it to is what I believe food should be about. She believes in buying and using what is the best, what is in season, and what just looks good. She cooks to nourish others and express love. She cooks food that is supposed to taste really good because she believes you should always be eating really good food. 

6. She radiates positive energy and joy. You can feel it through the television screen!

People remind me that I don't actually know Ina Garten and that maybe she is just a great actress and none of these reasons why she is great are true, but keep those thoughts to yourself; don't crush a girl's dreams.