Ina Garten's Ideal Last Meal Is A Completely Unexpected Choice

As the host of Food Network's long-running "Barefoot Contessa," celebrity chef Ina Garten explored an expansive range of different foods during the show's nearly 20 year run. She's known for covering classics like chicken soup or roast beef, and some impressive desserts like her chocolate cake recipe or shortbread cookies. In between, Garten shared dinner party tips and lots of fancy hosting tricks. All of this is to say, you may not be expecting her ideal last meal to be a hot dog.

Today interviewed the chef back in 2017, and Garten was asked a rather morbid question regarding what food she'd want as a last meal, after decades of traveling across the globe and sampling different dishes. In response, Garten named her favorite restaurant in Paris, a (sadly) now defunct café called Frenchie To Go: "Okay, my last meal is gonna surprise you. It's gonna be a hot dog at Frenchie To Go in Paris. It's unbelievable. Maybe with French fries, since it's the last meal." A hot dog may seem like a simple, all-too-easy choice for a chef who's tried and made everything, but those familiar with the Paris foodie scene may recognize that name.

For about 10 years, Frenchie To Go was a gourmet café with a host of fast food offerings: fish and chips, Reuben sandwiches, and the hot dogs and fries which stole Garten's culinary heart. It shut down in 2023, with the announcement that the space will be renovated into an Italian restaurant instead. Luckily the owner of Frenchie To Go, chef Gregory Marchand, is still active in the Parisian restaurant scene. Frenchie To Go was itself a spin-off of his larger, original restaurant Frenchie, which still has multiple locations around the city. Its original location on the Rue de Nil in the 2nd arrondissement is considered a gem on a busy street beloved by foodies. The restaurant's off-color "Frenchie" name was a nickname bestowed to Marchand by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, who hired Marchand to work at the London restaurant Fifteen back in the early 2000s.

In a way, it makes some sense that Garten's choice would be a high-quality spin on a straightforward fast food meal. Quick meals like Garten's easy chicken dinner with goat cheese and basil are the sorts of stylish elevations on the classics which she's known for cooking.