It was thanks to Taylor Swift that Ina Garten played beer pong for the first time

Ina Garten is known for her simple, straightforward recipes (and genius kitchen tricks) that make ingredients shine, and with the release of her new book, Be Ready When Luck Happens: A Memoir, she’s also addressing audiences with her clear, simple prose. A consummate go-getter and lover of life, Garten reveals in “Be Ready…” that she played beer pong for the first time at the age of 67 – and it was all because of Taylor Swift.

In her book, she describes giving her team tickets to Taylor Swift’s 1989 World Tour stop at MetLife Stadium in New York. Swift (herself a foodie, home cook, and baker) then invited the whole gang to the after-party she threw for her crew after every concert, and Garten had to compete against members of the United States women’s national soccer team in a game of beer pong.

Since Garten had never played before, he had no idea what the game even was; But that was quickly resolved when Abby Wambach, one of today’s greatest soccer players who had just won the 2015 World Cup, took her in hand and appointed herself as Garten’s mentor. As the music blared, Garten had a hard time hearing Wambach, who simply advised him, shouting, “Just put the damn ball in the damn glass!”

One of the reasons Swift undoubtedly invited Garten and her team to the after-party in 2015 is because the two were well known to each other. Just the year before, Garten says in her book, they got together for a photo shoot that brought musicians together with their favorite Food Network personalities – and “Taylor Swift chose me!” The “Barefoot Contessa” star was thrilled.

This followed in 2019 when Swift revealed that one of her favorite Garten’s recipes is her real meatballs and spaghetti, one of her favorite dinner party recipes. Later that same year, Garden wished Swift a happy birthday on Instagram, calling her “a beacon of light for women of all generations, myself included!” As Food Network magazine shared a tribute three years later to mark the 20th anniversary of the Barefoot Contessa program compiled, Swift wrote a beautiful passage in which he described Garten as “even better, funnier, warmer than you could have hoped for.” He said the legendary TV star had “made cooking a feeling of self-care.”

For long-time “Barefoot Contessa” fans who want to read more about the culinary icon, be sure to read about which kitchen tools Ina Garten can’t live without and what her secret is to a delicious and creamy potato salad.