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Taylor Swift says Ina Garten ‘changed my perspective on cooking’ in touching tribute

"She made cooking feel like self-care," Swift wrote about the Barefoot Contessa.

An icon of culinary prowess is receiving some star-studded praise.

In November’s issue of Food Network Magazine, the name on everyone’s lips is Ina Garten. This month’s theme focuses on Thanksgiving dishes, and there is a special section in the magazine devoted to Garten, the issue’s cover star.

In addition to the issue outlining a brief history of the Barefoot Contessa, information about her book and a listing of her favorite things, a two page spread is devoted to the glitz and glamour of the glitterati who share their love for the culinary icon.

Opening the list of celebrities showing their love for Garten is Taylor Swift, who has spoken before about how she loves to cook the Barefoot Contessa’s Real Meatballs and Spaghetti.

The pop star is sure to have enjoyed a bite or two of a Garten recipe during one of her many “Midnights,” and Swift shares that she holds a reverence for the star’s television show which is now celebrating its 20th year on the air.

“I’ve been lucky enough to meet Ina a few times and get to know the magnificent woman behind the TV show and the cookbooks,” wrote Taylor Swift in the November issue of Food Network Magazine, adding that she thinks Garten is one of those people who is "better, funnier, warmer than you’d hoped her to be."

It's a sentiment Garten has shared for Swift as well, once calling her "a beacon of light" in an Instagram post celebrating the singer.

“My most potent memories of Ina come from when I first discovered her TV show,” wrote Swift. “I was in my teens, and my life revolved around touring. On my rare days off at home, I barely ever cooked because it had always felt like a chore. Watching Ina prepare a meal changed my perspective on cooking and reframed it as something relaxing. She made cooking feel like self-care. Ever since, cooking has been my escape from stress and one of the only ways I can truly calm myself on a rough day. I’ll always be grateful to her for giving me that.”

In addition to Swift’s kind words for Garten, fellow chefs and Food Network stars like Bobby Flay and Michael Symon share their fondness for the times that they have spent with their colleague and friend.

Former TODAY anchor Katie Couric also shared her favorite memory of Garten, remarking that she thinks the Contessa is as warm and comforting as her recipes are. “How lucky are we to have 20 years of Ina? Congratulations to the Barefoot Contessa!” wrote Couric.

Rounding off the list is a spate of Tony and Emmy award-winning actors who have found themselves themselves lucky enough to have been in the Barefoot Contessa’s presence, including Tina Fey, Julianna Margulies and Nathan Lane, who said spending time with Garten and husband Jeffrey has always been a delight.

“Maybe we can get Ina to run for president,” wrote Lane. “I think Ina Garten could bring this country together.”

The longest quote, though, comes from Jennifer Garner, who said that Garten’s recipes have become a part of everyday life for her in a significant way.

“There’s not a day that I spend in the kitchen that does not involve Ina recipes,” wrote Garner. “I made her roast chicken last night. I’m making her chocolate Oreo ice cream today. I’ll make her skirt steak tonight. I’m an Ina kind of cook.”

Garner, who loves Garten so much she even created her own mock cooking show in the style of "Barefoot Contessa," shares how the two became friends after Garner appeared on the show. After a casual “sweatpants with no makeup” gathering, the two struck up a friendship that found them spending time chatting on the phone and even meeting up at In-N-Out where Garner found Garten scrubbing the table clean with a wet wipe.

“You always hope your heroes even come close to the way that you think about them, and she’s so much more,” wrote Garner, adding that she’s found even more depth, humor, wit, intelligence and ferocity to Garten since they met. “Look, we’ve all fallen in love with her just for what we see, but it’s so cool to meet somebody and have that all be true.”