Celebrity chef Ina Garten shares her insights for long-distance couples and sweetly revealed an “old-fashioned” tip to keep the spark alive.
Garten, 76, who has been married to her own husband, Jeffrey, for 56 years, lifted the lid on her tips in a new question and answer video posted on his Instagram page.
And she would know, as during parts of their marriage, the couple was forced into a long-distance relationship for long periods of time, including Jeffrey’s service in the military early in their marriage and his time working as a dean at Yale University. School of Administration.
In the new clip, she answered questions her fans had sent her, including a young viewer who was looking for advice on how to survive long distance shortly after getting married.
“The key is to always stay connected when you’re out and about,” Garten revealed.
‘I know a couple where they were separated and never spoke to each other, I couldn’t imagine it!’ she continued.
He then shared his old-school romantic advice.
“You know, this is very old-fashioned, but I think the cards are cool,” the Barefoot Contessa host admitted.
Celebrity chef Ina Garten, 76, shares her insights for long-distance couples and sweetly revealed an “old-fashioned” tip to keep the spark alive.
Garten, who has been married to her own husband, Jeffrey, for 56 years, revealed her advice in a new Q&A video posted to her Instagram page.
“You know, this is very old-fashioned, but I think the cards are cool,” the Barefoot Contessa host admitted.
“Even if you just write them down and email them, but in the letter itself, you’ve taken the time, it says you’re important to me and I want to tell you how I feel,” he added.
Her advice comes just months after the publication of her memoir, Be Ready When the Luck Happens, where she revealed that she and her husband once separated for six weeks.
In an excerpt, Ina explained that after she started running her own business, she realized that she could no longer “live with him in the traditional ‘man and woman’ relationship.”
The star opened her specialty food store in 1978, located in Westhampton Beach, New York.
“When I bought Barefoot Contessa, I broke our traditional roles: I took a baseball bat from them and left them in pieces,” he wrote in the book.
‘While I still cooked, cleaned, shopped and managed the store, I did so as a businesswoman, not a wife.
‘I just couldn’t live with him in a traditional “man and woman” relationship. Jeffrey had done nothing wrong.
‘He was simply doing what all the men before him had done. But we lived in a new era and that behavior was no longer okay with me. I had changed.’
Her advice comes just months after the publication of her memoir, Be Ready When the Luck Happens, where she revealed that she and her husband once separated for six weeks.
“When I bought Barefoot Contessa, I broke our traditional roles: I took a baseball bat from them and left them in pieces,” he wrote in the book.
The 76-year-old admitted that her immense “responsibilities” as a store owner made it “impossible to think about anything else” and confessed that she “didn’t pay enough attention” to her husband.
“There was no expectation about who got home from work first and what they should do, because I never came home from work,” she continued.
“I didn’t pay enough attention to it. I just wanted everyone to leave me alone so I could focus on the store.
‘Jeffrey was fully formed and living the life he wanted to live. He wasn’t, and he wouldn’t be able to figure out who he was or what he wanted unless he was alone. I needed that freedom.’
Garten revealed that she considered divorcing Jeffrey, but ultimately opted for the separation because she took the time to figure out what she really wanted.
In the tome, she described it as “the hardest thing she had ever done” but emphasized the importance of “being alone.”
‘I didn’t say if it was for now… or forever. In true Jeffrey fashion, he said, “If you feel like you need to be alone, you should do it,” he recalled.
‘He packed his bags and went home to Washington with no plans to return. I buried my emotions and threw myself into my work.’
Garten revealed that she considered divorcing Jeffrey, but ultimately opted for separation as she took the time to figure out what she really wanted.
In a 2018 interview with TODAY, she emphasized how important it was to connect with her spouse while they are away from each other.
“Actually, Jeffrey and I don’t always live in the same place, because he’s at Yale in New Haven and I’m in East Hampton working on my books,” she told the outlet at the time.
In the end, Garten suggested that Jeffrey see a therapist and he agreed, which changed everything for them.
They spent six weeks apart before they finally decided to give their love another chance as ‘equals’.
Now it seems the two are stronger than ever as they have celebrated more than 50 years of marriage together.
in 2018 interview with todayHe emphasized how important it was to connect with your spouse while you are away from each other.
“Actually, Jeffrey and I don’t always live in the same place, because he’s at Yale in New Haven and I’m in East Hampton working on my books,” she told the outlet at the time.
‘And one thing we always do is we always connect with each other during the day. And the thing is, even though it’s far away, it’s like an anchor in the middle of my life,’ he continued.
“Instead of making me feel like I’m lost at sea, it’s this big anchor in the middle of my life and it gives me enormous freedom, which is wonderful.”