Ina Garten’s new show mixes talk, cooking and cocktails at her home

Chef Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa
AP Photo/Evan Agostini

If you’ve ever dreamed of enjoying some food, cocktails and great conversation with the “Barefoot Contessa,” a new show aims to get you one step closer.

In “Be My Guest with Ina Garten,” the author, television host and culinary wizard invites new and old friends to her East Hampton, New York home for a day of chatting, eating and visiting to some of her favorite local spots.

“This show is a dream come true for me,” Garten said in a press release. “I’ve invited old friends and some new ones for great conversations, a little cooking and a personal tour of East Hampton. This is going to be really fun!”

The series premieres March 26 and will be released in three different versions: an hour-long cut streaming on Discovery+, a food-centric half-hour on Food Network and a companion podcast. The show has already been picked up for two more cycles scheduled to start production later this year, despite not having aired its first edition yet.

Food Network

“Without question, one of the most frequent inquiries I receive is, ‘Can you help me get an invitation to Ina’s for lunch?’” Courtney White, president of Food Network and streaming food content for Discovery Inc., said in a press release about the series. “’Be My Guest’ is just that, an invitation from Ina to our audience to join her and some of her favorite people as they share personal stories over cocktails and cooking favorite recipes.”

The first episode will feature actress Julianna Margulies, with the two friend’s enjoying Garten’s margaritas and Margulies’ recipe for halibut with herb butter. Other guests are slated to include chef Erin French, broadcaster Willie Geist, Hollywood director/producer power couple Rob Marshall and John DeLuca and others.

Julianna Margulies
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

While you wait for the new show to air, Mary McCartney, daughter of rock icon Sir Paul McCartney, already has a similar show on Food Network. “Mary McCartney Serves It Up” sees McCartney invite famous friends into her home as she serves up vegetarian meals. Many of the guests appear over Zoom, as the show was filmed during the pandemic, but some guests whip up meals in person.

Guests have included Kate Hudson, Nicole Richie, Cameron Diaz, Gayle King and, of course, a certain Beatle. While the show is made by Food Network, it airs exclusively on Discovery+, a streaming service that includes shows from a handful of networks like HGTV, TLC, Investigation Discovery, the History Channel and more.

Sir Paul McCartney, Mary McCartney pose at "Get Back" premiere.
Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP

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Kaitlin Gates
Kaitlin is a freelance multimedia journalist with a degree in journalism and psychology. Along with Simplemost, she also writes for Don't Waste Your Money, where she loves finding great deals to help people save money. Visit Scripps News to see more of Kaitlin's work.

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