Ina Garten reveals why Oprah Winfrey smacked her twice after she was honored at 2010 event

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Ina Garten recently revealed the reason why she got smacked on the arm by Oprah Winfrey - not once, but twice - after she made a speech in 2010 after receiving an honor. 

The 76-year-old chef and author recently opened up to ‘Radio Cherry Bombe’ host Kerry Diamond about the incident from 2010, that left a big impact on her understanding of herself. 

Garten wrote about her exchange with Winfrey in her recently published memoir, ‘Be Ready When The Luck Happens’.

Ina Garten reveals why Oprah Winfrey smacked her twice on the arm

As Garten disclosed the moment in her book, host Kerry Diamond urged her to divulge more about the incident. 

“It was very nice,” declared Garten about her exchange from 2010, when she was honored at the New York Women In Communications’ Matrix Award. 

Winfrey was present there to introduce another honoree, her longtime friend Gayle King, as reported by People. 

During the function, the ‘Barefoot Contessa’ star found herself seated beside the famed television host. 

As Garten was awarded, she thanked her luck before sitting down. She explained that each of the honorees was given a 90-second window for their acceptance speech, before explaining, that was “about all I can handle without having a total meltdown.”

“And I basically said I’d been really lucky in my life and I sat down,” explained the chef.

However, 70-year-old Winfrey was not satisfied with Garten’s response as she took it upon herself to make Garten understand that it was not only luck that made a person great. 

Recalling Winfrey’s reaction, Garten explained, “And [Winfrey] smacked me on the arm in front of like 2,000 people and said, ‘You make your own luck.’”

However, Garten at that moment remained unconvinced as she shared with Diamond on the podcast, “I said, ‘Well, I actually had been incredibly lucky.’ And then she smacked me again,” Garten recalled with a laugh. “And I was like, ‘Okay.’”

It was, nevertheless, more than a decade later that Garten realized Winfrey was right after all. 

The celebrity chef and writer shared, “Many years later when I was writing this memoir, I thought, ‘She was kind of right.’ “I had done the work.”

“I have to give her credit,” Garten said, before admitting candidly, “She was right.”

Ina Garten thought buying 'The Barefoot Contessa' was the 'stupidest thing' she has ever done

While Garten thinks that "luck" has been an invaluable part of her journey, at one point she even thought that her decision to buy 'The Barefoot Contessa' was the "stupidest thing" ever. 

On Monday, May 27, she shared a throwback photo of herself from 1978, writing, “Forty-six years ago this weekend I bought my first store, Barefoot Contessa. That weekend the original owner, Diana Stratta, and I worked 22-hour days the entire holiday."

The same gourmet store not only inspired her cooking show but several cookbooks that launched her celebrity status. 

Garten continued, “I remember telling [husband] Jeffrey this may be the stupidest thing I’ve ever done, but it was also so exhilarating. (I guess it turned out okay?) Now when I look back, I think, who was that crazy girl with the curly hair and the gold necklace??”