Are Martha Stewart and Ina Garten Still Close Friends After All These Years?

In 1999, Ina Garten had the chance to appear on an episode of “Martha Stewart Living.” During the filming, Garten made a mistake and took a bite of the food she was preparing while still talking. This was something that would later become commonplace on her own Food Network show, “The Barefoot Contessa,” but at the time it was not acceptable in Stewart’s kitchen. The scene was cut from the show, but it caught the eye of a network executive who offered Garten her own show. Garten told CBS News’ “60 Minutes” that she was able to make her show “doable” for her viewers by making things simpler than Stewart’s elaborate presentation. Garten also noted that Stewart’s confidence helped her find her own place in the foodie world. She told People in 2016, “She’s so confident and so good at what she does that I just kind of took my cues from her. I think I took my confidence from her confidence.”