© 2026 ABC News

Garten, 76, told People in a new interview that she penned stories about her tumultuous relationship with her late parents Charles and Florence Rosenberg for the first time in her newest title.

\"I was terrified,\" the \"Barefoot Contessa\" star told the outlet. \"I was physically afraid of my dad. I literally remember thinking he would kill me if I did something. I was physically afraid of him. And my mother just was unsupportive.\"

\"PHOTO:
Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images, FILE
PHOTO: In this Nov. 22, 2022, file photo, Ina Garten is shown.
>

Garten, who grew up with older brother Ken Rosenberg in Connecticut, said she spent most of her time locked in her bedroom.

\"I think I overcame my childhood just by sheer determination,\" Garten said. \"I just wasn't about to spend my life like that. And I think, a lot of times, people make a decision to live their lives differently and they end up sliding back into what they feel is familiar, and I was determined not to do that. And then I met Jeffrey, and he just showed me a totally different way to live.\"

Known best for the lifestyle portion of her career, in which she lets millions of viewers into her East Hampton home through shows on Food Network and Discovery Plus, sharing everything from kitchen secrets to hosting tips, Garten's new book from Crown Publishing Group will share another side of the James Beard Award recipient's life.

\"By finding a way to do what I love for a living -- cooking -- I've been fortunate to build a career that has not only been incredibly rewarding but has brought people together through the power of home cooking. I hope my book will inspire readers to find their own unique story,\" Garten said in a statement when the memoir was first announced.

\"Be Ready When the Luck Happens,\" from Crown Publishing Group, a subsidiary of Penguin Random House, is out Oct. 1.

","canonicalUrl":"https://abcnews.com/GMA/Food/ina-garten-reveals-difficult-home-life-child-new/story?id=113384811","legacySlug":"/food/story/ina-garten-reveals-difficult-home-life-child-new-113384811","noIndexNoFollow":false},"publishTime":"20:42","publishDate":"09-04-2024","updatedTime":"20:57","updatedDate":"09-04-2024","socialImage":{"alt":"In this Nov. 22, 2022, file photo, Ina Garten is shown.","credit":"Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images, FILE","ratio":"16x9","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/ina-garten-gty-jt-240904_1725478352875_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg","width":992,"height":558},"datePublished":"9/4/2024 20:42:35 GMT","video":{"live":false,"id":113384811,"headline":"Ina Garten reveals details of forthcoming memoir","mediaAssetTitle":"GMA INA GARTEN ON CHILDHOOD 090424","description":"The culinary host is releasing a new memoir, \"Be Ready When the Luck Happens.\"","duration":"0:51","posterImg":{"url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","width":608,"height":342},"video":{"feed":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2022/03/220316_gma_digital_ina_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8"},"playlist":["109363066","82982341","106869579"]},"relatedItems":[{"contentType":"story","date":"April 17, 2024","headline":"Ina Garten says husband would have 'loved' having kids but he wants her 'happy'","section":"family","slug":"/family/story/ina-garten-interest-kids-husband-happy-109363066","id":109363066,"image":{"alt":"Ina Garten says husband would have 'loved' having kids but he wants her 'happy'","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/ina-1-gty-er-240417_1713384104695_hpMain_4x3t_240.jpg","credit":"Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images ","ratio":"1x1"}},{"contentType":"story","date":"February 18, 2022","headline":"What we know about Ina Garten's new show and podcast","section":"food","slug":"/food/story/guest-ina-garten-bring-visitors-home-cooking-cocktails-82982341","id":82982341,"image":{"alt":"What we know about Ina Garten's new show and podcast","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/ina-garten-gty-jt-220218_1645224317065_hpMain_4x3t_240.jpg","credit":"NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images, FILE","ratio":"1x1"}},{"contentType":"story","date":"February 5, 2024","headline":"Ina Garten shares genius knife storage solution, announces memoir release date","section":"food","slug":"/food/story/ina-garten-shares-genius-solution-knives-sharp-106869579","id":106869579,"image":{"alt":"Ina Garten shares genius knife storage solution, announces memoir release date","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/inagarten-knifehack_1706820230039_hpMain_4x3t_240.jpg","credit":"Instagram/Ina Garten","ratio":"1x1"}}],"relatedContentSection":"news","schemaContent":{"name":"Ina Garten reveals details of forthcoming memoir","description":"The culinary host is releasing a new memoir, \"Be Ready When the Luck Happens.\"","duration":"0:51","uploadDate":"09-04-2024","publication":"09-04-2024","images":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","url":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2022/03/220316_gma_digital_ina_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","contentUrl":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2022/03/220316_gma_digital_ina_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","link":"https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/food/story/ina-garten-reveals-difficult-home-life-child-new-113384811"}},"playlist":[{"id":"132054443","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132054798","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132033010","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131912713","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131830583","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131834976","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131554765","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131554815","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131543053","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131432442","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131121474","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131247079","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131228784","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131178806","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131142257","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131046664","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131048076","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131033212","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"130999943","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"130971027","contentType":"story","section":"news"}],"kvps":{"pgtyp":"article","lang":"en","sp":"goodmorningamerica","programmatic":"true","bundleId":"com.abcnews"}},"analytics":{"accountID":"wdgnewwdgnewgmaweb","ns":"gma","pageName":"gma:food:video","pageType":"video","globalSpecVersion":"v1.08","siteDifferentiator":"gma:site","tagID":"g_page01","userABCookie":"0","section":"food","title":"Ina Garten reveals details of forthcoming memoir","pubTime":"16:42","pubDate":"09-04-2024","modTime":"16:57","modDate":"09-04-2024","taxonomyTags":"none","id":113384811,"editorialOtherSubjects":"","wordCount":"none","columns":"none","authors":"","authorsUnit":"none","authorsBureau":"none","subBrand":"Good Morning America","provider":"Good Morning America","videoName":"Ina Garten reveals details of forthcoming memoir","mediaAssetTitle":"GMA INA GARTEN ON CHILDHOOD 090424","videoId":113384811,"mediaOnPage":"video","legacySlug":"/food/story/ina-garten-reveals-difficult-home-life-child-new-113384811"},"taboola":{}},"request":{"headers":{},"httpVersion":"1.1","method":"GET","url":"/video/113384811","vary":{"host":"www.goodmorningamerica.com","cached":true,"path":"/video/113384811","forwarded-proto":"https","device":"desktop","userab":"0"}},"viewport":{"width":1260,"height":0},"user":{}};