Ina Garten's Knack For Succeeding Sadly Stems From A Stressful Childhood

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Ina Garten has been wildly successful in every endeavor she has taken on. From the White House job that left her unfulfilled to her decades-long Food Network career, Garten can do seemingly anything she puts her mind to, and she has her upbringing to thank for her work ethic and ability to surpass expectations. Unfortunately, much of that has to do with her parents, which she did not sugarcoat in her memoir, "Be Ready When The Luck Happens."

In her latest book, Garten describes her doctor father as being both physically and mentally abusive, sharing, "He'd hit me or pull me around by my hair" if she didn't live up to his standard. Both parents could be described as authoritarian, and she described her childhood as having very little warmth, with all the focus on achievement and academics. She wrote, "In our house, my brother and I had one job—to excel academically, which meant that we spent most of our time alone, in our rooms, doing homework." 

Garten even said that her toys as a child were all geared toward learning, with no emphasis on just having fun or being creative. The "Barefoot Contessa" star recalled that her favorite toy, a tea set gifted to her great uncle, was her only non-learning toy; ultimately, that tea set had the most significant impact on her.

Ina Garten wasn't even allowed to cook while living at home with her parents, so when she got married, she started cooking all kinds of things. She recalled her grandmother, Bessie Rosenberg, whom she described as being the opposite of her mother. Garten's grandmother was warm and loving, always cooking up something delicious, though Garten suggested it was probably "overcooked and under seasoned." She recalled that her grandmother and grandfather, Morris, "created a warm home filled with relatives, friends, food, and love." 

It was their influence, and the experience of growing up in a home that was exactly the opposite, with her father and mother's coldness and their insistence that she always be accomplishing and succeeding, that drove Garten to turn her back on her career aspirations with the White House job that made her parents proud, and turn to more creative endeavors, first buying that food store in the Hamptons, and then starting a catering company that turned into a successful Food Network career and a string of respected cookbooks. 

As Garten became more popular, she admits she struggled with self-doubt and had to realize that the negative thoughts she was having were a product of the abuse of her parents. She wrote, "It's really hard to separate yourself from that voice, but I started telling myself, 'That's what my mother would have said. Everything you've done has come out better than you could have imagined, so listen to your own voice.'"