Food - Drink
The First Thing Ina Garten Learned After Entering The Food Business
By EMILY BOYETTE
If you’re aiming to get into the food business, some things on your to-do list might include developing recipes, building relationships with vendors, or even finding a cheesemonger. But when Ina Garten entered the food industry, this was the first thing she learned when she decided to pursue a culinary career.
Before becoming a Food Network sensation, Garten was working at the White House, after which she quit her job and bought a food store, with no culinary experience whatsoever. While she sold fresh bread, meats, and cheeses, lox on bagel was a common order and one of the first things she learned was how to cut smoked salmon properly.
The tedious task of thinly slicing slimy fish didn’t come naturally to Garten. But she learned some tricks, like using a knife made for cutting salmon to get the most precision, cutting at an extreme angle instead of straight down to get larger slices, and keeping a towel nearby to wipe off oily hands. With that, Garten’s knowledge started growing as fast as her business.