Garten has become a fixture on the food network, where her program, also titled “barefoot contessa,” attracts 5. 9 million viewers a week. Webina garten, a. k. a. The barefoot contessa, has a loyal, diverse and growing fan base that follows her anywhere — even through quarantine and a thanksgiving. Web“americans think of french food as fancy food, and it’s true that some french food is elaborate and formal,” garten wrote in her seminal 2004 book, “barefoot. Webfor almost twenty years, garten ran a food store in the hamptons called the barefoot contessa, which catered to vacationing new york and hollywood élites; Webcould someone without formal food training or restaurant industry experience build a culinary empire and become a household name? And ina garten did just.