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| Ina Garten and Enzo (Photo courtesy of TMZ) |
Make-A-Wish contacted Ina Garten with the request last year, but she was unable to make the time due to a book tour. According to TMZ, the organization urged Enzo to pick a different wish, but he told them he would rather wait until she became available.
When the Make-A-Wish Foundation contacted Garten this year, The Barefoot Contessa’s reps gave a “definite no”, leaving Enzo rejected and heartbroken. The Food Network star’s reps told TMZ:
"Despite her demanding schedule, [Ina] participates and helps as many organizations as she can throughout the year, helping children and adults like Enzo with life threatening and compromising illnesses. Unfortunately, as much as she would like to, it's absolutely impossible for her to grant every request she receives."
I get that Garten is a busy woman, but I’d really love to know how many 6-year-old dying children approach celebrity chefs for a little one-on-one cooking time. How frequently does this happen?
I could see rejecting a child’s last wish if you’re amazingly famous and receiving these requests on a daily basis. But keep in mind that this boy chose “cooking with the The Barefoot Contessa” over meeting a sports star like Derek Jeter, a day at Disneyland that included a lunch date with Shrek, or playing a small part in the new Harry Potter film. Six-year-old Enzo picked Ina Garten over Bobby Flay and Paula Deen!
Though Enzo was crushed, he has made a new wish since: Swimming with dolphins! He’s currently taking lessons in preparation of the big day.
Swimming with Dolphins is better than swimming with a Whale (BadKarma Contessa)...
ReplyDeleteGo Enzo, swim boy swim!
I am SO sorry, but the woman cares about nothing. Her "charity garden lunch" with Alec Baldwin was absolutely embarrassing. She was snarky, and acted totally above doing it. The food was disgusting (a cup of lemon juice in milk and cream cucumber soup? You could see it curdle!)I cannot imagine how nasty she would be to a sick child.
ReplyDeleteThe dolphins are a much better idea, Enzo, much better!
Perhaps Ina should walk a day in that boy's shoes. I enjoyed watching Ina's Barefoot Contessa show, but now VOW to never watch another episode again. What an idiot, she threw a great PR positive event away and turned it into a PR nightmare. I'll be sure to tweet and Facebook this to all of my followers. Shame.
ReplyDeleteHow could a human being be so inhumane. You know what goes around comes around and I will be glad when your day comes. Do you think you are so great? I would never watch your show or ever tell any of my friends to watch you. Thumbs down to you.
ReplyDeleteFood Network shouls cancel her shows. I will never watch her again!
ReplyDeleteThis will be Ina's legacy and nothing she can do will ever erase that. Every story written about her to the day she dies will mention her heartless refusal to help this poor kid.
ReplyDeleteSorry, I'm not going to rake her over the coals. Make-a-Wish is a great foundation, but they shouldn't be used to blackmail every celebrity out there into jumping when they call.
ReplyDeleteShame on Ina for not making the time. I know she is a busy woman, but really this decision should have been a no brainer for her. A child's wish to cook with her was a gift to her. I am sorry she did not think of that.
ReplyDeleteMichael Symon and Beau MacMillan have stepped up to the plate and both offered to cook with Enzo, Beau MacMillan offering to fly him and his family to a 5-star resort in Arizona and give them the VIP treatment at his restaurant. Michael Symon has offered to go to him in Oregon and cook with him at his house. THESE are true gentlemen and just made it clear why I have always been a fan of theirs, and not-so-much a fan of Ina Garten. She always seemed too uppity and Martha Stewart-esque for my tastes, now I know why.
ReplyDeleteWhat a glutinous pig!
ReplyDeleteI hope she chokes on a chicken bone.
Just to clarify - The Make A Wish Foundation grants wishes to children with life threatening illnesses. Although some Make A Wish children do pass away, not all children lose the battle to the illness they are fighting. Make A Wish never would call it a dying child's last wish. Enzo may very well be happy and healthy at this point, but since he was qualified for a wish, he will still get it regardless of his condition now.
ReplyDeletePretty heartless, freeing up 2 or so hours wasn't like asking for a kidney. Always thought her nose was a little to high in the air anyway, Food network could always use that half an hour for something a little more entertaining anyhow.
ReplyDeleteMy comment isn't about tearing down this woman based on ONE decision she made not to grant the wish of a dying child. Rather this is more focused on her inside as a person, and I hope she reads this....think about what you have just done....you spend your life showing off to other people, making fans here and there, and you don't realize what it would be like to fall off that celebrity pedestal and sit in your 1 bedroom apartment going "what happened?". Well that same 6 year old is also wondering "what happened?". A celebrity, a name, a face he holds synonymous with past memories with his mother, has just rejected his last wish, not only did you crush this child's dying wish, you also altered how he will think upon his past until his dying day....your cruel, heartless, cold, selfish decision to not grant this wish, will forever haunt you and dictate your unlikely parallel future as a celebrity.
ReplyDeleteWow, I felt so nauseated after reading about this. The kids life can't be put on hold even for the slightest unlike her schedule could have. I felt the whole "[...] Unfortunately, as much as she would like to, it's absolutely impossible for her to grant every request she receives" was a slap in the face. Instead, I read it as, "She's simply too in demand; however, despite even considering a response the kid should have been thankful." Whatever, like the request was SO far fetched or something.
ReplyDeleteIna Garten, The Heartless Countessa has shown what a cold and callous person she is. She is not deserving of my respect and I will waste no more time watching her show, or money supporting her sponsors.
ReplyDeleteI've never liked her show. She always seems so pretentious. I guess I know why now. What kind of horrible person turns down a dying child's wish? I would so have picked Bobby Flay or someone more awesome than Ina Garten.
ReplyDeleteWhy didn’t she just invite the young boy to her swanky Hampton $100,000/plate charity event then? To whom much is given, much is expected. Apparently she hasn’t learned this.
ReplyDeleteShe couldn’t find time? She couldn’t have him join her on one of her shows? She couldn’t even find the time to do a video for him?
She’s just a silly chef. She’s not a brain surgeon, heart surgeon or president of the US. She’s just a chef, and she couldn’t carve any time away from “food” to spend time with a sick child?
Really? I don’t care if you’ve raised 20 mil for charities. The measure of one's character is not what we do when people are watching, but what we do when no one is looking.
Kudos to Michael Symon and Beau MacMillan for stepping up and offering. I’m sure they’re both much busier than she is, and they’re willing to find the time.
If Bill Gates can find time for a MAW child, I’m more than certain this woman could have.
No one demanded she be a "celeb" chef. She chose it. With that comes a heightened level of expectations. If you're not prepared to meet those expectations, then be prepared to suffer the consequences.
Someone who plays with food for a living that can't find time for a sick boy's request is someone who has an overinflated sense of their own self importance.
The FN should cut the "Contessa" loose.
She is repugnant. I understand "celebrities" cannot meet all demands that are put upon them but give me a break. Too busy doing what? Freebasing butter and rolling around in chicken fat?
ReplyDeleteBurn her cookbooks! Burn her show!! Tie her to a stake and burn her!!! Don't you think you guys are overreacting, just a bit? It's heartbreaking whenever a child is diagnosed with a life-threatening disease, but the family's mission to publicly excoriate this woman is pretty ugly.
ReplyDeleteSo what if we don't know 'both sides of the coin here'by not hearing from Ina personally. That in and of itself says a great deal about her character, that she has to have 'ass-istants'who get paid to be at her every whim to respond on her behalf...pllllllease give me a break. I have watched her shows and even bought her books...but I am sorry I ever helped 'pad her ever so comfy lifestyle' without truly knowing who she truly is...I feel sick for doing so/ashamed even...which is more than what Ina feels...but then again, to feel, one must have a heart. To Enzo and his family, YOU have a million times more integrity than Ina, and Enzo you have given us all a miracle by touching our lives for the better with your strength courage and amazing smile!! Enjoy the soothing waters with the dolphins!
ReplyDeleteIna is a truly vile woman! Her heart is utterly black and devoid of human warmth. So great is her ego and inflated sense of self she cannot find time in 2 *years* to make a little time for this dear boy and give him happy memories. You are in spiritual darkness Ina, you must repent of your great sin and turn to Christ. The love of money and fame has consumed you whole!
ReplyDeleteok what i read is that someone else said no on her behalf. or am i wrong im just trying to clarify the sit. is it possible that she didn't know? or is there somthing else i didn't see or read that said otherwise? and if she did say no herself why? when we are delt such wonderful gift's in life we should always return the favor what goes around comes around. or karma is a good one good or bad it depends on the person and what they did. but if she did than i will not participate in watching her tv shows or purchasing her books i feel dissapointed.
ReplyDeleteI prefer to give Ina the benefit of the doubt until I hear both sides of the story. I'm funny about things like that.
ReplyDeleteToo busy rolling around in the money that she makes off the nobody's. What a witch!
ReplyDeleteshe is a jerk! I went to her book signing shortly after surgery. I was on crutches......I bought her stupid book and she quickly "signed" it and blew me off completely. She is a Barefoot NOBODY!.....I hope everyone hears about this story and sees her for the SHMUCK that she is!.....I was her devoted fan....but never again!
ReplyDeleteSharon said...Ina has always thought she was better than the lowly people she ignores. Most of the people she has on her show (she has to name drop to the whole audience) as if just knowing these people somehow makes her look better. I saw her biography on chefography the other day and you would think she ran the White House with her intern job and that she was head of her dept. Believe me she was just an intern! I know! Her Back to Basics recipes are tasteless many many times. And...we are all bored with her and disgusted to see her with her huge body and eating and stuffing her face with unhealthy recipes in this day & age of obesity! And for someone who has a cooking show can't she find clothes other than her denim shirt! Come on! She has money...did she just buy 1000 of those shirts or what! Regarding dumping this poor child...are we surprised...NO!
ReplyDeleteWow I don’t care if she knew or it was her assistant, I mean are you serious this kid only wanted to cook with you and you turned him down. I will never watch your show and if it weren’t for the other chefs on the food network I wouldn’t watch it at all. I mean not only did you turn him down once but twice and then the family rejects you – what did you expect you stuck up person. I mean I hope you can sleep at night…..
ReplyDeleteI did not believe it when I was told she refused the visit and had to google it myself to find out, no longer will I watch her show again.
ReplyDeleteI think that this is a very personal request that became public for the wrong reasons. Basically Make a Wish pushing celebrities to accept requests. The scare tactic at work. Accept or bad press. Ina Garten does a lot for different charities, tons and tons of charity work, and so does her husband (and a lot of it we dont see in the press). All of that aside - I think she has every reason to decline requests (without being judged and hounded)- but I will say, that this boys request really sounded like something his mother wanted.
ReplyDeleteit was her decision to turn this wish down. She is still a person regardless. All of you say of what a mean person she is and hope her day comes. Sorry, but if you put her down because of that, then you just made yourself look bad for doing so. She is a very busy woman and cannot do every request that is come upon her. Yes the other 2 chefs did this for the boy but Ina is still a good person regardless. I still watch her show no matter what.
ReplyDeletethe way she acts on her show she may have a drinking problem maybe one day she will have a date with cancer the person of august 1 2012 what is your definition of a human being I choose not to watch her show
ReplyDelete