Will it become “Inagate” or blow over?
Ina Garten repeatedly turned down the wish of a Make-A-Wish six-year old (Enzo by name) cancer patient to meet -– and now she has been branded the “Heartless Contessa” in the press. Nasty comments are running rampant -– though Ina has not commented on her decision.
Should the boy have been told of Ina’s decision not to fulfill his wish?
No, but he was.
He waited and asked again. And again, he was told she was too busy. That’s too bad.
The immediate reaction from a ten-year-old child Super Chef consulted was surprise and anger at the decision.
Many chefs set strong objectives for their charitable acts, choosing a particular charity to work for or a particular kind of charity -– to accomplish more and to sort through the tremendous number of requests they get from organizations and individuals seeking help.
Is Make-A-Wish any different?
The answer in hindsight is probably “yes.” As a society, we put great value in the individual. So, newspapers report on one Iraqi child who gets to come to the US for an expensive lifesaving medical operation –- even though it might have made more sense to invest the money in building a local hospital that could help hundreds of patients.
If one child (in this case, a six-year-old), asked for Ina, well, she had better satisfy him. It doesn’t matter as much that she has help many others –- we watch the individual story.
Related news:
Los Angeles Times
Las Vegas Review-Journal
Woman’s Day
Eater.com
Gather – Celebs
(Image of Ina Garten from She Knows the Wire)
Super Chef RSS
Are we aware of anyone or any charity she has actually helped? The only charity I’m aware of her doing was to benefit an organization that benefited the HAMPTONS. It wouldn’t seem the Hamptons need much charity.
I think she’s the lowest of the low, and I’d be interested to know more about all the “charity” work/donations her sick defenders are claiming on her behalf.
She owes her “celebrity” to the public who watches her shows and buys her books. She has been enriched by the goodwill of the public who most certainly will no longer have an interest in her or her wares. Apparently she found time to put on a talk with a Q&A session with Anna Quindlan in NYC the other night , when she had time to talk about her favorite restaurants, truffle butter etc….
She is horrible, and in my opinion she should be ashamed. I can’t imagine anyone wanting to be associated with her — she should have lots of time now.
The only site I’ve read that has actually given this matter any thought is:
http://ifrymineinbutter.com/2011/03/26/this-is-why-we-cant-have-nice-things-the-people-vs-barefoot-contessa/
The rest of you are fanning the flames of ignorance with you half truths, ill formed arguments and conjecture. The mother’s own blog is a gold mine of back pedaling and sketchiness. When’s the IRS going to look into how much cash they are taking in from their paypal donation shakedown? There is nothing to indicated based on the blog the family needs cash and the paypal donation site does not tell donors why they are donating. something’s fishy here.
http://www.angelsforenzo.com/pleasestopthemadness.htm
As for the endless hamptons refrains for angry working class people it’s just bullocks.
@Adrian: Doing a fundraiser that takes money from people in the Hamptons is not the same as doing a fundraiser FOR the Hamptons. Where do you think all that money for Make-A-Wish to help sick kids comes from?
Now excuse me while I go start blogs to guilt celebrities into giving me money…