
(photo by Janet Macoska)
Barefoot Contessa viewers, are familiar with the signature rhetorical questions peppered throughout her show, such as "How easy was that!" and "How good is that!"
But there was no question as to how "the Contessa" comes across in person...
“Instantly lovable!” was Michael Ruhlman’s take on fellow New York Times best-selling cookbook author Ina Garten, aka The Barefoot Contessa.
(We were fortunate to host the duo March 12 at my day (and night!) job at the PlayhouseSquare Performing Arts Center in Cleveland. Ten years ago, we couldn't have guessed that chefs would become the new superstars. So now, in addition to stars like Jerry Seinfeld and Tony Bennett, our stages are spotlighting the talents of foodie favorites like Anthony Bourdain, Guy Fieri and Ina.)
With more books to his credit than you can shake a spatula at, Cleveland is proud to claim Michael Ruhlman as one of its own international cooking celebs (along with that other Michael..."Symon"). Michael acted as on-stage host for the evening's “A Conversation with Ina Garten.”
Appearing before a near-capacity audience, Michael was deft at coaxing some revelations from Ina…such as “ I'm not a very confident person,” and “I'm a nervous cook.” (Who’da guessed, as Ina always makes cooking and entertaining appear effortless on TV.) Oh, and between cooking and gardening…she actually loves gardening more! (Do we see a line of Barefoot Contessa gardening books in that crystal ball?)
Ina also shared news that--coming soon to the frozen food cases of your grocery-- she’ll be offering her own line of high-quality frozen Barefoot Contessa Sauté Dinners for Two such as Beef Bourguignon and Shrimp Scampi with Linguini.
Like fans who believe that all famous actors must know all the other famous actors, people backstage at Ina's event were surprised to learn that Ina and Michael had never crossed paths, but the two, along with Michael's lovely wife, Donna, wasted no time in sharing industry conversation until it was showtime.
(If you'd like to check out any of Michael's or Ina's fantastic recipes. visit them at
Ruhlman.com, barefootcontessa.com or foodnetwork.com/Ina-garten/recipes. )
Barefoot Contessa viewers, are familiar with the signature rhetorical questions peppered throughout her show, such as "How easy was that!" and "How good is that!"
But there was no question as to how "the Contessa" comes across in person...
“Instantly lovable!” was Michael Ruhlman’s take on fellow New York Times best-selling cookbook author Ina Garten, aka The Barefoot Contessa.
(We were fortunate to host the duo March 12 at my day (and night!) job at the PlayhouseSquare Performing Arts Center in Cleveland. Ten years ago, we couldn't have guessed that chefs would become the new superstars. So now, in addition to stars like Jerry Seinfeld and Tony Bennett, our stages are spotlighting the talents of foodie favorites like Anthony Bourdain, Guy Fieri and Ina.)
With more books to his credit than you can shake a spatula at, Cleveland is proud to claim Michael Ruhlman as one of its own international cooking celebs (along with that other Michael..."Symon"). Michael acted as on-stage host for the evening's “A Conversation with Ina Garten.”
Appearing before a near-capacity audience, Michael was deft at coaxing some revelations from Ina…such as “ I'm not a very confident person,” and “I'm a nervous cook.” (Who’da guessed, as Ina always makes cooking and entertaining appear effortless on TV.) Oh, and between cooking and gardening…she actually loves gardening more! (Do we see a line of Barefoot Contessa gardening books in that crystal ball?)
Ina also shared news that--coming soon to the frozen food cases of your grocery-- she’ll be offering her own line of high-quality frozen Barefoot Contessa Sauté Dinners for Two such as Beef Bourguignon and Shrimp Scampi with Linguini.
Like fans who believe that all famous actors must know all the other famous actors, people backstage at Ina's event were surprised to learn that Ina and Michael had never crossed paths, but the two, along with Michael's lovely wife, Donna, wasted no time in sharing industry conversation until it was showtime.
(If you'd like to check out any of Michael's or Ina's fantastic recipes. visit them at
Ruhlman.com, barefootcontessa.com or foodnetwork.com/Ina-garten/recipes. )