WEBVTT - Book tour bonus with Ina Garten 0:00:00.360 --> 0:00:06.720 Hi everyone, I'm Katie Curic and this is a bonus 0:00:06.760 --> 0:00:11.680 episode of Next Question Dadada. Today I'm sharing another stop 0:00:11.680 --> 0:00:15.960 on my book tour, and this time it's Atlanta. Everyone said, 0:00:16.040 --> 0:00:19.400 please don't say Hotlanta. Don't worry Atlanta. I'm not going 0:00:19.440 --> 0:00:21.439 to where I got to talk to one of my 0:00:21.520 --> 0:00:25.160 favorite people. And yes, I'll be saying that a lot, 0:00:25.239 --> 0:00:29.400 but it's true. The Barefoot Contessa herself in a garden. 0:00:30.160 --> 0:00:34.640 So bonapatite. You guys are in for such a treat 0:00:34.760 --> 0:00:38.040 because my next guest is one of my favorite people 0:00:38.080 --> 0:00:41.560 on the planet, probably one of yours too. Iin a 0:00:41.640 --> 0:00:50.400 garden seems to iin a garden, to me, seems to 0:00:50.479 --> 0:00:54.600 signify everything that is good in the world. Her very 0:00:54.760 --> 0:00:58.360 name just makes you feel better, doesn't it. Her cookbooks 0:00:58.400 --> 0:01:02.200 are my go to for everything from pants and ella 0:01:02.400 --> 0:01:05.800 to pasta pesta with peas and pine nuts, which is 0:01:05.920 --> 0:01:11.080 very alliterative. From her famous coconut cupcakes to her delicious 0:01:11.160 --> 0:01:14.240 roast chicken, which we'll talk about. She's got her show 0:01:14.280 --> 0:01:17.480 on the Food Network. Of course, she's developing another show 0:01:17.520 --> 0:01:20.960 with guests. Maybe she'll invite me. A Muhlner fingers cross 0:01:21.000 --> 0:01:27.160 and she's currently working on her cookbook. So please welcome 0:01:27.280 --> 0:01:36.560 Iina Gardens here. Oh my gosh, I know everyone's so 0:01:36.640 --> 0:01:39.720 excited you're here. Um. I shouldn't say this, but you're 0:01:39.760 --> 0:01:42.000 my favorite guests in all the cities, so don't tell 0:01:42.040 --> 0:01:45.720 anyone secret. So so let's talk about because I think 0:01:45.800 --> 0:01:49.440 during the pandemic, Iina, you were such a comforting presence 0:01:49.520 --> 0:01:52.400 for so many people. Before that you were comforting presence, 0:01:52.440 --> 0:01:56.320 but you spread such joy. And one of my favorite 0:01:56.360 --> 0:02:01.240 moments was when you poured a giant cost abow that 0:02:01.400 --> 0:02:03.480 was what he saw that it was more than the 0:02:03.600 --> 0:02:06.520 size of our heads. Um, I think we actually have 0:02:06.600 --> 0:02:11.600 a video you there we go what I would say 0:02:12.720 --> 0:02:15.720 you no, stay safe, have a very good time, and 0:02:15.840 --> 0:02:22.200 don't forget the cocktails. Did you drink that whole thing? 0:02:23.440 --> 0:02:26.440 There's a bottle of vodka in there. Where did that 0:02:26.520 --> 0:02:29.480 idea come from? Because it cracked me up. It actually 0:02:29.480 --> 0:02:32.880 started out as an April Fools thing. And um, when 0:02:32.880 --> 0:02:35.160 when the pandemic hit in the beginning of March, I 0:02:35.160 --> 0:02:37.720 said to my assistance, let's go downstairs in the base 0:02:37.840 --> 0:02:40.600 and clean it out and then we'll have room to store, 0:02:41.120 --> 0:02:43.519 you know, shelf goods and things like that for the year, 0:02:43.560 --> 0:02:45.280 because I thought we were going to be in this 0:02:45.440 --> 0:02:48.160 for a year or two. And there were these huge 0:02:48.200 --> 0:02:51.280 cocktail glasses martini glasses somebody gave us as a joke, 0:02:51.800 --> 0:02:53.640 and I said, oh, let's throw these out. And my 0:02:53.720 --> 0:02:56.120 assistant said, you never know when you're gonna need them. 0:02:56.160 --> 0:02:58.839 And I thought, I needs a cocktail glass like this, 0:02:58.960 --> 0:03:01.640 and you needed that, then you thought so, Then I thought. 0:03:01.680 --> 0:03:03.880 A month later, it was April one, and I thought, 0:03:03.880 --> 0:03:06.959 I'll do a little April Fool's joke. But as as 0:03:07.400 --> 0:03:09.359 you know, as it kind of evolved in my thinking, 0:03:09.400 --> 0:03:12.160 I thought, nobody needs a joke the second week of 0:03:12.160 --> 0:03:17.080 the pandemic, so but everybody needs a cocktail. So I 0:03:17.120 --> 0:03:18.920 just decided I'm just going to do it straight. And 0:03:18.960 --> 0:03:21.880 I had enough ingredients to make one of those. That 0:03:21.960 --> 0:03:24.840 was it. If I'm if I messed up the video, 0:03:25.040 --> 0:03:27.280 I was in trouble, I had to make a totally 0:03:27.320 --> 0:03:30.200 different cocktail. Well, it made everybody laugh, and I you know, 0:03:30.440 --> 0:03:33.280 I love following you on Instagram because you have so 0:03:33.360 --> 0:03:36.119 much fun, and you know, I think it's given you. 0:03:36.240 --> 0:03:39.840 I mean, you were already huge and so popular, but 0:03:39.880 --> 0:03:43.560 it's kind of giving you this whole new presence and 0:03:43.960 --> 0:03:47.000 such as a place where your fans can see you 0:03:47.000 --> 0:03:50.119 on a regular basis. It's amazing what it's done right. 0:03:50.360 --> 0:03:53.080 It's funny when when the pandemic hit and my friend 0:03:53.120 --> 0:03:55.840 of mine, who's the head of publicity and um at 0:03:55.920 --> 0:03:58.480 my publisher, said, you know, you should be the person 0:03:58.520 --> 0:04:00.800 that people go to if they don't know what to 0:04:00.800 --> 0:04:03.560 do with the white beans in there in their pantry. 0:04:03.600 --> 0:04:05.560 And I was like, I can't tell them that. I mean, 0:04:05.640 --> 0:04:08.240 I don't know that. And I thought about it for 0:04:08.240 --> 0:04:09.640 a day and I thought, well, let me see if 0:04:09.640 --> 0:04:11.880 I can. So I sort of posted a picture of 0:04:11.920 --> 0:04:14.760 my pantry, which was funny because they were Ramen noodles 0:04:14.800 --> 0:04:18.640 in there, and everybody went, she has Ramen noodles? Why 0:04:18.640 --> 0:04:22.760 does she at college? I had bought them. I had 0:04:22.800 --> 0:04:25.920 no idea what to do with them, but I ended 0:04:26.000 --> 0:04:28.760 up making raman chicken noodle soup, which was actually great. Wow. 0:04:29.040 --> 0:04:31.520 So you know, I think we both have because I 0:04:31.520 --> 0:04:34.760 I love Instagram too, and I and I actually don't 0:04:34.839 --> 0:04:37.679 live too far away from each other in East Hampton. 0:04:37.880 --> 0:04:41.120 And you know, there's something great about being able to 0:04:41.240 --> 0:04:44.599 talk directly to an audience. I was just completely blown 0:04:44.600 --> 0:04:46.720 away when I when I said, okay, I'll just try it, 0:04:47.040 --> 0:04:50.800 and I started posting something every day and people were 0:04:50.800 --> 0:04:53.000 talking to me, and it was all of a sudden, 0:04:53.040 --> 0:04:55.520 I felt like I was connected again. It was really 0:04:55.800 --> 0:05:00.640 incredibly satisfying. Love. I hear the answers which shocked, you know, 0:05:00.920 --> 0:05:02.560 like what should I do with the white beans? I 0:05:02.640 --> 0:05:05.279 just I knew what to do. And there is something 0:05:05.360 --> 0:05:09.240 really wonderful about the interactivity that you get, you know. 0:05:09.360 --> 0:05:12.960 I during the pandemic, Yeah, I did a lot of 0:05:13.040 --> 0:05:18.360 videos about frontline healthcare workers, and you know, I try 0:05:18.400 --> 0:05:22.679 to post things like when they're these these tragedies and 0:05:23.160 --> 0:05:27.960 they're these faceless victims, I try to to show human 0:05:28.520 --> 0:05:32.080 that the humanize it and showed that these were people 0:05:32.400 --> 0:05:37.159 with with lives and families, and I think that's something 0:05:37.200 --> 0:05:41.320 that that people forget when they hear statistics. So I 0:05:41.320 --> 0:05:44.599 I really like going direct to consumer, as they say, 0:05:44.760 --> 0:05:49.200 and you probably never get trolls, do you, I mean 0:05:49.279 --> 0:05:56.400 people who have nasty things to say about me? Yeah? Oh? Never, rarely, 0:05:56.440 --> 0:05:59.200 I have to say, really I imagine, I mean, who 0:05:59.400 --> 0:06:03.840 would say something mean to Ainah? I get plenty of them, 0:06:03.839 --> 0:06:09.320 and I just blocked their asses that's a good play. Definitely. 0:06:10.160 --> 0:06:13.360 Um So, So I want to talk to Iina because 0:06:13.480 --> 0:06:16.880 Iina is also writing a memoir, which is so it's 0:06:16.880 --> 0:06:19.440 not gonna be like Katie's. I mean, she's in the 0:06:19.600 --> 0:06:22.960 very beginning stages. But tell me a little bit about it. Well, 0:06:22.960 --> 0:06:25.640 tell me first how you started. So you just decided 0:06:25.680 --> 0:06:27.440 to do it. And I have to say, it was 0:06:27.520 --> 0:06:30.120 so brave of you to really get you know, just 0:06:30.240 --> 0:06:33.440 decide you're gonna put it all out there. You're going there? Yeah, 0:06:33.800 --> 0:06:35.440 were there any times when you said to yourself, well, 0:06:35.480 --> 0:06:37.960 maybe I shouldn't go there? Well? I did. I did 0:06:38.160 --> 0:06:40.960 keep some things out, believe it or not. There's like 0:06:41.120 --> 0:06:44.760 two things in my life that are still private but 0:06:45.400 --> 0:06:48.000 didn't evolve. Or did you know going in that you 0:06:48.080 --> 0:06:50.640 were going to do that? Well? I was working on 0:06:50.760 --> 0:06:53.920 it for three years and I really wanted to write 0:06:53.960 --> 0:06:56.280 a book that felt like I was sitting down with 0:06:56.520 --> 0:07:01.280 friends and sharing what it felt like to be in 0:07:01.400 --> 0:07:06.040 my position in all kinds of situations. And and John 0:07:06.120 --> 0:07:08.839 said to me, and it's all his fault. If you're 0:07:08.880 --> 0:07:10.960 not going to be honest, you shouldn't write a book. 0:07:11.680 --> 0:07:16.480 And so I really tried to just share myself with 0:07:16.640 --> 0:07:19.800 people because I didn't want it to be like, uh, 0:07:19.960 --> 0:07:22.760 you know, I'm great by Katie Curic. I wanted it 0:07:22.880 --> 0:07:26.440 to be introspective and reflective. And I also did it 0:07:26.520 --> 0:07:30.360 against the backdrop of pretty dramatic social change when it 0:07:30.440 --> 0:07:34.040 comes to gender politics, race in this country, you know, 0:07:34.200 --> 0:07:37.920 gay rights. I witnessed so much, and I wanted to 0:07:38.120 --> 0:07:42.360 kind of talk about being front and center and having that, 0:07:42.960 --> 0:07:46.640 you know, front row seat to history. And then, you know, 0:07:46.760 --> 0:07:49.000 there are a lot of people who've dealt with loss 0:07:49.080 --> 0:07:52.320 and grief and I never wanted to write about it 0:07:52.480 --> 0:07:55.040 right after Jay died, i know, because I felt like 0:07:55.320 --> 0:07:59.120 it was private, this was him. But twenty years later, 0:07:59.240 --> 0:08:01.840 I felt like I could share what I went through 0:08:01.960 --> 0:08:04.680 because you know, I have so many people d M 0:08:04.760 --> 0:08:08.160 me me, who have six spouses or who are dealing 0:08:08.280 --> 0:08:12.400 with a terminal illness themselves, looking for support and guidance, 0:08:12.480 --> 0:08:14.760 and I thought by sharing my story, maybe I could 0:08:14.840 --> 0:08:19.800 help them, and you doc, I'm trying but wonderful. Well, 0:08:21.160 --> 0:08:24.280 it was hard. It was hard to write. And one 0:08:24.320 --> 0:08:26.120 of the nice things I was going to say, is 0:08:26.800 --> 0:08:29.200 is it kind? You know for my daughters. They were 0:08:29.280 --> 0:08:32.600 so little when Jay died and writing about him when 0:08:32.720 --> 0:08:36.199 we met and fell in love. Um. You know, it 0:08:36.440 --> 0:08:39.920 made their father come alive for them. And they both 0:08:40.040 --> 0:08:43.560 called me after reading the chapters and they were just sobbing, 0:08:43.800 --> 0:08:46.640 and they said, thank you so much for writing this. 0:08:46.880 --> 0:08:51.240 It's such a gift to us, so wonderful. But but 0:08:52.040 --> 0:08:54.680 tell me about tell me about your memoir, because you've 0:08:54.679 --> 0:08:57.440 actually been traveling to some of the places where you've 0:08:57.520 --> 0:09:01.760 lived and grown up, etcetera. I'm working with a friend 0:09:01.800 --> 0:09:04.880 of mine who's a writer and has written actually two 0:09:04.920 --> 0:09:08.679 memoirs with people, with Tina Turner and with Oprah, and 0:09:09.040 --> 0:09:11.200 she's just doing a lot of the research, like going 0:09:11.280 --> 0:09:13.800 back and finding my high school friends, which has been 0:09:13.920 --> 0:09:16.760 so amazing to reconnect with the you know, their women 0:09:16.840 --> 0:09:18.640 that have changed their names twice. I don't know how 0:09:18.720 --> 0:09:23.640 she found them, but she did, and it's just really wonderful. 0:09:23.760 --> 0:09:26.760 So so they remember stories that I don't remember, and 0:09:26.880 --> 0:09:29.640 they kind of trigger, you know, a memory for me. 0:09:30.320 --> 0:09:33.960 Um or Um. We went back to my my life 0:09:34.000 --> 0:09:38.360 in Washington, which was in the seventies, late seventies, and Um, 0:09:38.480 --> 0:09:40.480 I used to buy old houses and renovate them. So 0:09:40.559 --> 0:09:43.319 we went to see each one and the last one Um. 0:09:43.760 --> 0:09:47.040 She just said to me, Okay, we're standing standing in 0:09:47.160 --> 0:09:51.559 front of the townhouse that I had bought and and 0:09:51.679 --> 0:09:54.320 I lived in when I moved to West Hampton, and uh, 0:09:54.520 --> 0:09:57.000 and she said, imagine yourself on the steps. And I 0:09:57.160 --> 0:09:59.319 just lost it. And I realized it was a really 0:09:59.400 --> 0:10:04.040 painful ex parents that had completely forgotten. So actually being 0:10:04.120 --> 0:10:07.800 there and seeing it with somebody saying imagine yourself there 0:10:08.320 --> 0:10:11.520 was really powerful. Did you find any of those experiences 0:10:11.559 --> 0:10:13.400 where you didn't? I mean, how did you? Did you 0:10:13.520 --> 0:10:15.800 have journals? Did you how did you remember? I don't 0:10:15.800 --> 0:10:19.760 remember anything. Well, I'm just making it up, guys. So 0:10:20.520 --> 0:10:23.079 that's why that's why I had to write it. Now. 0:10:23.480 --> 0:10:25.559 You know, I'm sixty four, and I thought about calling 0:10:25.640 --> 0:10:29.600 it while I still remember. You know, I'm a pack 0:10:29.760 --> 0:10:32.960 rat and so I'm not everything. Hell, you're like John, 0:10:33.040 --> 0:10:35.240 he doesn't have a sentimental bone in his body. But 0:10:35.360 --> 0:10:39.120 I kept all my speeches, I had diaries, I had 0:10:39.600 --> 0:10:42.439 um you know, of course, and and the Internet is 0:10:42.559 --> 0:10:45.480 really helpful because I could go back and look at 0:10:45.559 --> 0:10:48.800 stories I had done in the past, and the archivists 0:10:48.840 --> 0:10:51.360 that all the networks were really generous and sending me 0:10:51.559 --> 0:10:55.120 material and you know, I kept, like my, my, my 0:10:55.320 --> 0:10:58.400 little flash cards from the two thousand and eight election 0:10:58.600 --> 0:11:02.800 down in my basement, folders from our specials I had 0:11:02.880 --> 0:11:05.480 done on the Central Park Jogger. I mean, so I'm 0:11:05.520 --> 0:11:08.120 just happy I can now clean my basement. Honestly, I 0:11:08.200 --> 0:11:10.640 can throw those things and what's out. But you know, 0:11:10.760 --> 0:11:13.480 I think it is a very emotional experience. I think 0:11:13.600 --> 0:11:15.959 looking back on your life, and you know, you talk 0:11:16.000 --> 0:11:18.560 about Washington, and one of the one of the really 0:11:18.640 --> 0:11:21.920 interesting things of many things that I love about Iina, 0:11:22.160 --> 0:11:27.400 is she actually started as a nuclear policy analyst in 0:11:27.520 --> 0:11:30.440 the in the Carter White House, right in the form 0:11:30.559 --> 0:11:34.760 White House. I mean, I don't know, and I said 0:11:34.800 --> 0:11:38.120 to Iah, well, what will you tell us what attracted 0:11:38.160 --> 0:11:44.120 you to nuclear policy? Doesn't sound attractive, It doesn't It 0:11:44.280 --> 0:11:47.439 doesn't sound very interesting to me. You know, I think 0:11:47.520 --> 0:11:49.400 when when you know, it was in my twenties, and 0:11:49.520 --> 0:11:52.360 I think I was writing policy papers that went to 0:11:52.400 --> 0:11:54.959 the president to make decisions. So it felt, you know, 0:11:55.040 --> 0:11:57.199 it felt serious, and you know, I mean part of 0:11:57.240 --> 0:11:59.760 me thought, I can't believe they trust this to year 0:11:59.760 --> 0:12:03.599 old But but that's what I was doing. And I 0:12:03.760 --> 0:12:07.280 like science. I find science really interesting, and so all 0:12:07.360 --> 0:12:10.599 of the scientific issues were interesting to me. Um. And 0:12:10.800 --> 0:12:12.920 and the funny way, I think I find cooking science 0:12:12.960 --> 0:12:16.240 as well. Ya, They're really related. So you just except 0:12:16.240 --> 0:12:18.120 for one you end up with nuclear energy and the 0:12:18.200 --> 0:12:21.559 other one you end up with coconut cupcakes. I'll go 0:12:21.720 --> 0:12:24.400 for the coconut cut too. Well. So how did you 0:12:24.520 --> 0:12:27.920 make the transition? So you're you're doing this wonky job 0:12:28.120 --> 0:12:30.840 in Washington, d c. Thinking there's got to be something 0:12:30.920 --> 0:12:33.480 more fun than this, right, and it's just not floating 0:12:33.520 --> 0:12:37.600 your boat, and you decide that we'll tell us about 0:12:37.679 --> 0:12:42.640 the how you got from nuclear policy to the barefoot contessa. Um. 0:12:42.840 --> 0:12:45.760 I was sitting in my office one day, thinking I've 0:12:45.760 --> 0:12:48.160 got to do something else, and I was reading the news, 0:12:48.320 --> 0:12:50.360 the New York Times, which I should probably should have 0:12:50.360 --> 0:12:52.680 been working, but I was reading the Times. And there 0:12:52.760 --> 0:12:55.280 used to be this thing called the Business Opportunity section 0:12:55.400 --> 0:12:59.120 in the Times that had like cleaners, dry cleaners, and 0:12:59.440 --> 0:13:03.880 like dell ease and head shops for sale. And there 0:13:04.000 --> 0:13:06.079 was a little specialty food store in a place I've 0:13:06.120 --> 0:13:09.679 never heard, I've really never been in the Hampton's And 0:13:09.840 --> 0:13:11.600 I just thought, oh, that sounds interesting, And I went 0:13:11.679 --> 0:13:13.079 home that night and I said to Jeffrey, you know, 0:13:13.120 --> 0:13:15.400 I really need to do something else. And he gave 0:13:15.480 --> 0:13:17.240 me the best advice. He said, do what you love. 0:13:17.600 --> 0:13:19.760 If you love it, you really good at it. And 0:13:19.840 --> 0:13:21.559 I said, you know, funny, you should mention it. I've 0:13:21.559 --> 0:13:24.120 seen this little it was a tiny little ad and 0:13:24.559 --> 0:13:28.880 um and he said, and he said, let's go look 0:13:28.920 --> 0:13:31.400 at it. And I think, now in retrospect, I think 0:13:31.440 --> 0:13:33.880 he was just humoring me. So the next day we 0:13:33.960 --> 0:13:36.840 drove up to West Hampton and I saw this four 0:13:37.280 --> 0:13:39.840 square foot store, just like the size of this carpet, 0:13:41.160 --> 0:13:43.720 and they were baking chocolate chip cookies. And I thought, 0:13:43.760 --> 0:13:45.880 this is where I want to be. And I just 0:13:46.040 --> 0:13:48.719 made her a very low offer, thinking, you know, she'll 0:13:48.760 --> 0:13:51.040 come back, will negotiate, of time to think about it. 0:13:51.320 --> 0:13:53.480 And we drove back to Washington and the next day 0:13:53.520 --> 0:13:55.160 she called me on the phone and said, thank you 0:13:55.320 --> 0:13:58.080 very much. I accept your offer. And I went, oh, Ship, 0:14:00.480 --> 0:14:03.640 now I have to do it. It wasn't supposed to 0:14:03.679 --> 0:14:07.040 work that way. When we come back, the dish that 0:14:07.200 --> 0:14:25.200 almost broke Ina and the meal she'll never forget, I mean, 0:14:25.360 --> 0:14:28.720 Ainah and Jeffrey, let's let's talk about Ina and Jeffrey Shaoy, 0:14:28.920 --> 0:14:32.960 I mean years. I mean it's like such a great 0:14:33.120 --> 0:14:36.600 love story. And I was so moved when when you 0:14:36.680 --> 0:14:41.160 were talking to me about Jeffrey, because he has given 0:14:41.240 --> 0:14:45.760 you so much, and he really gave you the power 0:14:45.840 --> 0:14:48.920 to believe in yourself. You know your your parents were 0:14:49.040 --> 0:14:52.960 not as not supportive. They weren't supportive, and you know, 0:14:53.120 --> 0:14:57.240 writing this book for me, I so was so grateful 0:14:57.400 --> 0:14:59.760 for my mom and dad because I was always very 0:15:00.040 --> 0:15:03.160 very close and they were you know, my friend Wendy 0:15:03.280 --> 0:15:06.360 knew my parents well and they just gave me such 0:15:06.400 --> 0:15:09.560 an unconditional love and support. But you came from parents 0:15:09.640 --> 0:15:12.240 who were kind of withholding to say the least, there 0:15:12.280 --> 0:15:15.400 were anything but supportive. They really thought I'd never amount 0:15:15.440 --> 0:15:18.640 to anything, which is amazing and um, but you know, 0:15:18.760 --> 0:15:21.520 in the end, you and I've talked about this, we 0:15:21.720 --> 0:15:25.360 only need one person to really believe in us. And 0:15:25.600 --> 0:15:27.600 it could be a teacher, it could be a parent, 0:15:27.760 --> 0:15:30.320 it could be a spouse, just one person who just 0:15:30.520 --> 0:15:32.880 believes in you. And for me, that was Jeffrey, and 0:15:32.960 --> 0:15:35.560 my whole life turned around. And what was it that 0:15:35.840 --> 0:15:40.400 he gave you that that made you could do anything? Anything? 0:15:40.440 --> 0:15:42.920 I wanted to do and he would. He would put, 0:15:43.000 --> 0:15:45.560 I mean when I bought the store, it was twenty knowledge, 0:15:45.800 --> 0:15:48.560 which was I mean, if we had a thousand dollars 0:15:48.600 --> 0:15:50.560 to our name, that was a lot. You know. We 0:15:50.680 --> 0:15:52.800 got a loan for the rest of the money, so 0:15:52.920 --> 0:15:55.800 we put in more money than we had, and he 0:15:55.960 --> 0:15:59.200 was just like, just go do it. And uh, I 0:15:59.320 --> 0:16:03.640 think that's that kind of unconditional support is really extraordinary. 0:16:03.880 --> 0:16:05.920 You know, he's become sort of a little bit of 0:16:06.000 --> 0:16:10.000 a rock star too. I'm much more popular than I am. 0:16:10.840 --> 0:16:13.880 What does he think when people make such a fuss 0:16:13.960 --> 0:16:16.520 over him? Look at that? That is the cutest picture. 0:16:18.560 --> 0:16:20.280 I think he likes when people make a fuss over 0:16:20.440 --> 0:16:24.040 me more than himself. Really does he feel uncomfortable with 0:16:24.120 --> 0:16:26.200 all the int Come on, he gets a kick out 0:16:26.240 --> 0:16:28.480 of it, doesn't he. He likes when people say, I 0:16:29.080 --> 0:16:31.680 like what your wife does. That's really sweet. That's nice. 0:16:31.800 --> 0:16:34.080 And you know you mentioned one person, and I know 0:16:34.200 --> 0:16:36.320 I mentioned this earlier, but I just have to tell 0:16:36.360 --> 0:16:39.960 you all, especially because I'm here in Atlanta. Don Farmer, 0:16:40.040 --> 0:16:43.600 who is Justin's dad who passed away this year, was 0:16:43.760 --> 0:16:47.240 so so supportive me. Of course my parents were as well. 0:16:47.400 --> 0:16:49.800 My dad was a big supporter, and he was a 0:16:49.920 --> 0:16:52.480 journalist and thought I could write. And I was a 0:16:52.560 --> 0:16:55.400 big procrastinator, so he thought I'd be good under deadline 0:16:55.400 --> 0:16:57.640 because I never did my homework until I was waiting 0:16:57.680 --> 0:16:59.560 for the School of Us in the morning. But but 0:17:00.000 --> 0:17:03.400 on Farmer, you know, he he gave me an opportunity. 0:17:03.600 --> 0:17:06.520 He worked with me, he nurtured me. And I tell 0:17:06.600 --> 0:17:08.920 the story in my book. I walked into a meeting 0:17:09.040 --> 0:17:12.000 at CNN. It was full of male executives and one 0:17:12.160 --> 0:17:15.520 young woman who was doing the promos. And the number 0:17:15.600 --> 0:17:19.359 two guy at CNN said, well, that's not like Katie. 0:17:19.480 --> 0:17:23.399 She's successful because of her intelligence, hard work and breast size. 0:17:24.280 --> 0:17:26.600 And this was when I was twenty six years old, 0:17:26.680 --> 0:17:28.920 and I was so taken aback and I came back 0:17:29.320 --> 0:17:32.160 to Chris and Donn they were a husband wife anchor team, 0:17:32.800 --> 0:17:35.440 and I said to them, this just happened to me. 0:17:35.720 --> 0:17:38.600 I don't know what to what to do. And he 0:17:39.119 --> 0:17:42.240 put a piece of typewriter in his IBM S electric 0:17:42.359 --> 0:17:46.040 Google at you young people, and we wrote a memo 0:17:46.520 --> 0:17:49.080 to the guy at the time aid no relation to 0:17:49.240 --> 0:17:54.080 Ted Turner and basically, um, you know said what you 0:17:54.160 --> 0:17:57.320 did was totally inappropriate. I would like you to apologize 0:17:57.359 --> 0:18:00.720 to me immediately. And Ed Turner called and he was just, 0:18:01.320 --> 0:18:04.320 you know, beside himself apologizing, And as I write in 0:18:04.359 --> 0:18:07.600 the book, I loved having his nuts and advice. Um 0:18:08.119 --> 0:18:12.320 is that wrong anyway? But but don really I think 0:18:12.359 --> 0:18:14.680 in a way he slept the tone for me for 0:18:14.800 --> 0:18:16.840 the rest of my career that I didn't have to 0:18:16.960 --> 0:18:19.840 put up with that kind of guff. And you're right 0:18:19.920 --> 0:18:22.720 about one person kind of just being your champion, just 0:18:22.800 --> 0:18:26.120 being your champion. You can do what you can do anything. Yeah, 0:18:26.359 --> 0:18:28.880 And meanwhile, you've taken so many risks. And I think 0:18:28.960 --> 0:18:31.159 that's something you and I have in common. Because you 0:18:31.680 --> 0:18:35.400 left the White House. You then um, you know, bought 0:18:35.520 --> 0:18:38.680 The Barefoot Contessa. Then you sold that to two of 0:18:38.760 --> 0:18:42.280 your employees. Then you decided I'm going to write start 0:18:42.320 --> 0:18:44.920 writing cookbooks. No, I decided I would write a cookbook 0:18:44.920 --> 0:18:46.919 while I figured out what to do with myself. Oh, 0:18:47.000 --> 0:18:50.399 that's just a transitional project. Well it worked out pretty 0:18:51.680 --> 0:18:54.040 worked out, really well. But but I don't know, you 0:18:54.080 --> 0:18:56.720 weren't earnous about writing a cookbook. I didn't think I 0:18:56.760 --> 0:18:59.600 knew anything about writing a cookbook. And now you're on 0:18:59.680 --> 0:19:03.200 your team. Yeah, it's great. I mean, I think my 0:19:03.440 --> 0:19:05.320 my philosophy of life is that you have to jump 0:19:05.359 --> 0:19:07.480 in the pond. You can stand on the side of 0:19:07.520 --> 0:19:10.359 the pond forever talking about what the pond is going 0:19:10.400 --> 0:19:12.639 to feel like, but you have to get in. You 0:19:12.800 --> 0:19:14.560 just have to jump in. And when I found out 0:19:14.560 --> 0:19:17.320 when I was writing cookbooks, it was really fun. I 0:19:17.400 --> 0:19:20.159 love the team of people that did the photographs. I 0:19:20.280 --> 0:19:23.879 loved um designing the books. I loved testing the recipes 0:19:24.000 --> 0:19:26.320 over and over to make sure they're really good. I 0:19:26.440 --> 0:19:29.000 loved every part of that process. I love making sure 0:19:29.200 --> 0:19:31.960 the binding was right so that the book stayed flat 0:19:32.160 --> 0:19:34.239 when you um when you opened it, you don't want 0:19:34.280 --> 0:19:36.560 the pages to go up. I mean every detail of 0:19:36.640 --> 0:19:39.240 that book. As an I wanted it to be beautiful 0:19:39.280 --> 0:19:42.560 object as a gift, but also really accessible if you 0:19:42.600 --> 0:19:44.720 wanted to use it as a cookbook. And I know 0:19:44.840 --> 0:19:47.720 when you come up with recipes, Aina, you have to 0:19:47.880 --> 0:19:51.000 you're very very exacting, aren't you. You have to. Really, 0:19:51.840 --> 0:19:55.280 she's very controlling, actually controlling. That's why we get along 0:19:55.359 --> 0:19:58.320 so well. But you you have to kind of have 0:19:58.480 --> 0:20:01.800 a real plan and play right, take us with you know, 0:20:01.920 --> 0:20:05.320 kind of tell us how you develop a recipe, because 0:20:05.320 --> 0:20:07.720 I'm fascinated by that. Well, first I have to have 0:20:07.760 --> 0:20:10.320 an idea of exactly what I want the recipe to be. 0:20:10.840 --> 0:20:13.240 So I'll take an early one like pan fried onion dip. 0:20:13.600 --> 0:20:16.520 I remembered Lipton's onion soup mix, and I thought, I'm 0:20:16.560 --> 0:20:20.080 sure I can make something that's better with real ingredients. 0:20:20.440 --> 0:20:22.760 And then I would just start cooking. I would just 0:20:22.880 --> 0:20:27.520 start making sautet onions slowly caramelized and then add ingredients 0:20:27.640 --> 0:20:30.639 until I reach exactly what I have in my head 0:20:30.720 --> 0:20:34.159 the flavor, the texture, the heat, the whatever it is 0:20:34.800 --> 0:20:37.520 and um. And then once I've I've done that, I've 0:20:37.560 --> 0:20:40.440 written it down, I give it to at least one 0:20:40.480 --> 0:20:44.040 other person, often two or three and watch them make it. 0:20:44.600 --> 0:20:47.320 And I find out what somebody with a printed page 0:20:47.800 --> 0:20:51.520 does with that, with that recipe, and I learned so much. 0:20:52.080 --> 0:20:55.320 You know, somebody's like chopping onions and they'll go and go, 0:20:55.600 --> 0:20:57.399 just stop. I want to know what your question was, 0:20:57.680 --> 0:21:00.600 so I can answer it in the margin. So somebody 0:21:00.720 --> 0:21:04.520 knowing you know, has the same question you have, they'll um, 0:21:04.800 --> 0:21:07.159 They'll just see the answer. There is there anything that 0:21:07.280 --> 0:21:09.440 you just have not been able to master right. I 0:21:09.520 --> 0:21:11.760 think I remember you telling me it wasn't a Boston 0:21:11.840 --> 0:21:15.000 Cream Boston Cream Pie. I've probably worked on that for 0:21:15.119 --> 0:21:18.280 six years. It's like it was like crazy I would 0:21:18.359 --> 0:21:21.879 make it. It's it's complicated because it's the cake, the 0:21:22.040 --> 0:21:25.879 pastry cream and the chocolate glaze have to be perfectly layered, 0:21:26.000 --> 0:21:28.119 and the textures have to work together. So if the 0:21:28.200 --> 0:21:30.920 chocolate is too strong it overpowers the pastry cream, or 0:21:31.000 --> 0:21:33.480 the cake is too boring, it doesn't stand up to it. 0:21:33.760 --> 0:21:35.879 It's there's there's kind of a layering. And I had 0:21:35.960 --> 0:21:39.600 it almost right. And I had a um actually an 0:21:39.640 --> 0:21:42.520 interview with Christina Tosie, who's the woman who wants Milk Bar, 0:21:43.200 --> 0:21:45.000 and I said she she asked me the same question. 0:21:45.080 --> 0:21:47.480 I said, I'm really close with Boston Cream Pie, but 0:21:47.520 --> 0:21:50.160 the cakes a little dry. And she said, why don't 0:21:50.200 --> 0:21:52.920 you try a soak, which is an orange juice, orange 0:21:53.040 --> 0:21:56.320 zest and sugar syrup that you brush on the cake 0:21:56.800 --> 0:21:59.320 and that kind of trickles down. It just flavors the 0:21:59.359 --> 0:22:01.560 cake and it keep it moist. I went home that 0:22:02.040 --> 0:22:04.320