“I think Willie (Geist) is one of the most amazing interviewers,” Sara Hamlin, a longtime fan and Chicago resident tells TODAY.com at a reception ahead of Willie’s Sunday Sitdown Live with guest Ina Garten on May 19. “He’s just different than any other interviewer, and Ina is one of my favorite chefs.”
Along with her husband Scott, Hamlin flew into New York City just to see Willie speak with his friend Garten at City Winery at Pier 57.
“She made me feel like I could actually cook,” Sara says of the Barefoot Contessa, adding that she regularly makes her roast chicken recipe. “It’s a bucket list for me to be here to see two of my favorite people. We’ve never seen her in person before.”
And the Hamlins aren’t the only far-flung fans to make the trip to the event.
“The one thing that I do is rosemary lemon chicken,” Luz Rivera, who traveled from St. Pete, Florida, tells TODAY.com of her go-to recipe: Garten’s Tuscan Lemon Chicken.
“Nails it!” Simeon Pappas, her husband, chimes in. “When she makes that, there’s no chicken left at the end between the two of us, not when we have five friends over, either.”
Other folks in attendance from Dallas, Texas, San Diego, California and other stretches of the U.S. dressed to the nines in sparkly skirt-sets, pearl-embroidered collars, Garten-esque scarves and denim to see the woman who personifies simple comfort, at least according to Tina Fey on “30 Rock.”
Fans from as far as Canada made the journey to see Willie and Garten chat and do a short cooking demo, too — a kind of dedication that our host finds thrilling.
“It still blows me away,” Willie tells TODAY.com backstage. “These people out there feel strongly and passionately about our show, so let’s bring them into the room.”
Garten walked onstage to Eartha Kitt’s “C’est Si Bon” to an audience of more than 500 fans, who gave the francophile a standing ovation.
“Love the music,” Garten said with a smile.
“Yes, right? Little French music for Ina,” Willie replied, to laughter from everyone in the room.
During their sitdown, Garten spoke with Willie about her memoir “Be Ready When the Luck Happens,” dinner party no-nos, her relationship with husband Jeffrey and her Food Network show “Be My Guest,” which has welcomed such names as Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jennifer Garner and Stanley Tucci.
“The list of people who sort of make the pilgrimage to your barn is amazing,” Willie said, before asking if she had a dream guest. The crowd listened in rapt attention — and Garten didn’t hesitate with her answer.
“Taylor Swift,” she said to cheers and applause.
Garten and Swift have become close over the years, sharing mutual admiration. The cookbook author has previously shared that she first met the 14-time Grammy winner at TODAY. Later, their budding friendship was cemented when Food Network Magazine asked musicians who their favorite Food Network cooks were.
“Taylor chose me, which was so sweet,” Garten said.
Garten added that Swift has been to the barn — the Contessa’s nickname for her East Hampton home — about 10 years ago, and they spent time in her kitchen.
“I didn’t wanna just stand there and take pictures of her,” Garten said with a chuckle. “I wanted to cook with her.”
She said she asked Swift’s longtime publicist Tree Paine what the pop star likes to eat and was told the “Blank Space” singer’s favorites are Garten’s mustard-roasted fish, filet of beef and date nut spice bread, but Garten ultimately decided against those options.
“A friend of mine said, ‘That doesn’t sound like Taylor Swift, that sounds like a Ukrainian grandmother,’” Garten said to laughter. “I was, like, ‘Okay, we’re not gonna make any of those things.’”
Instead, Garten decided to make pavlova. Her recipe tosses blueberries, raspberries and strawberries in a framboise-spiked berry sauce over a big meringue base.
“I thought, ‘That kind of looks like Taylor’ — it’s meringue and whipped cream and berries — and we just had a ball,” Garten said. “We had such a good time.”
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
