Be My Guest with Ina Garten

Ina: I’m Ina Garten, I love to invite interesting people to my house for good food, great conversation and lots of fun.  

VO: The wonderful Journalist and writer Willie Geist is joining me for an amazing day at the barn

Willie: I’m about to get on a Ferry, cross that body of water and spend the day with Ina Garten 

VO: We’re talking life 

Ina: This just sounds like every-bodies dream childhood, I’m not sure mine was quite like that, so 

Willie: Oh, I think we need a cookie for this 

Ina: oh, I definitely need a – 

Willie: Let’s pull up a cookie 

VO: And surprises 

Willie: And your phone rings “Host the Today show?” 

Ina: To host (laughs) 

Willie: You’re making a terrible mistake 

VO: I’m baking his favourite salted chocolate chuck cookies

Willie: That’s perfect 

VO: I’m giving the garden tour and then we’re shaking up a Bourbon sidecar to share with our other halves Christina and Jeffery 

LAUGHTER 

Willie: That might be my new drink 

VO: how fabulous is that? 

Ina: As always, you’re the perfect guest 

Willie: oh, you say that to all the guy’s Ina. 

Ina: (laughs) 

Ina: I’m such a huge fan of Willie Geist.  He's smart, he’s warm, he’s funny and he's a great interviewer. And I found out that he likes chocolate chip cookies with salt.  So, of course, I'm making them for him.  He's coming with his wife Christina and after Willie and I talk we're going to have drinks with Christina and Jeffrey. This is going to be such a fun day. So, I've made the batter and while I scoop out the batter dough let me tell you how I made it

VO: I put unsalted room temperature butter into a mixer, added light brown sugar, granulated sugar, and creamed them together. Then I added pure vanilla extract, 2 extra-large eggs, one at a time and mixed them in.  Next, I put all-purpose flour in a sieve, along with baking soda and kosher salt. I sifted them together and added it to the butter mixture and mixed it just until it was combined.  Finally, I added chopped walnuts, semisweet chocolate chunks and folded them in. And that’s all there is to it.

Ina: So, while I flatten the cookies let me tell you about my fabulous guest.

VO: Willie Geist has been the co-host of Morning Joe on MSNBC for 14 years 

Presenter: Who do you go to?  You go to TV’s own Willie Geist.

VO: and the host of his own show, Sunday Today for 5 years. 

Willie: Good morning and welcome to Sunday today on this November 14th, I’m willie Geist 

VO: I love his interviews because whether they’re movie stars or legendary musicians, he’s genuinely interested in the people he’s talking to. He’s warm, he’s so funny, and really smart and I know from my own experience as I’ve been lucky enough to have been interviewed by him twice.  

Willie: So, what is the philosophy Ina, behind this book, cook like a pro? 

Ina: I mean I’ve never gone to cooking school, I learned just by doing it and I just, I wanted to share with people, really accessible recipes 

VO: He’s also a best-selling author, He met his amazing wife Christina in 6th grade and loves being a dad. He’s all that and more. 

Ina: Nothing like the smell of chocolate chip cookies to make a guest feel really welcome.  So, 350 degrees for 15 minutes and then when they come out, I'm gonna salt them.  I hope Willie loves these.  Do you think I’ve made enough for the two of us? 

VO: Willie’s coming from his parents’ place on shelter island, it’s just off the coast of the Hamptons, it’s a 5 minute ferry ride to North haven which is just ten minutes from me. 

Willie: the ride across is so short you could swim it, but the waters a little cold today, so we’re gonna ride this Ferry that’s been taking people since the 1700’s across this stretch of water, we will see you very soon Ina. 

Ina: I smell chocolate chip cookies.  That's 15 minutes and they're perfectly done.  Love all the puddles of big pieces of chocolate in here. So, the last thing I do is I just salt them.  I use French sea salt, Fleur de Sel. It's kinda briny rather than salty. Then you taste it first before you bite into the sweet chocolate.  I'm just gonna let these cool and they'll be ready when Willie arrives.

Willie: Ok we’re pulling up to Ina’s house here in a couple of minutes.  It’s a strange sensation for me because the times I’ve been to Ina’s house in the past I’ve been interviewing her now she’s interviewing me.  It’s going to be fun and hopefully we’re going to eat some good food.  Big shout out to your driver for this leg of the trip the great Christina Geist.

Ina: I'm just gonna put these on a plate, then I'll be ready for my guest. Mmm, warm chocolate chip cookies. Who wouldn't like that? All ready.

Willie: Alright I’ll see you in a little while for a drinks?

Christina: Ok tell Ina I said Hi. 

Willie: I will.  Thanks for the ride to the play date. 

Christina: Ha ha see you in a bit.

Ina: This is going to be such a fun day, can’t wait to see willie and I hope he likes the cookies

Willie: Back at the barn, here we go

Willie: Knock knock 

Ina: Hi, come on in 

Willie: Hi, Ina, I hope you don’t mind, I just let myself in 

Ina: I’m pouring coffee (laughs). Everybody does here!

Willie: How are you, 

Ina: I’m so happy to see you

Willie: Great to see you, it’s good to be back in the barn 

Ina: (Laughs) you’ve been here a few times 

Willie: I have and the roles are a bit reversed today

Ina: yeah (laughs) you’re always interviewing me, I decided to turn the tables 

Willie: I love it, we’ll have a little chat and maybe some chocolate chip cookies 

Ina: And chocolate chip cookies with salt 

Willie: (gasps) 

Ina: which is apparently your favourite 

Willie: That’s key

Ina: Did I do my research well? 

Willie: You really did 

Willie: Oh, my goodness, thank you

Ina: So how about If you take these to the table, I’ll take the coffee

Willie: Okay great

Ina: I’m doing a little investigative reporting on Willie

Willie: Oh boy

Ina: Uh oh 

Willie: How deep are we going here Ina 

Ina: (laughing) This is just gonna be fun 

Willie: An investigation of my scandalous past

Ina: Oh, I can’t wait to hear, so can I tell you, the funniest book I’ve ever read is Good Talk Dad, I was sitting I the kitchen, turning pages, laughing out loud at every page and Jefferies like “what are you reading”

Willie: Thank you 

Ina: It was, I love the, that you did it with your dad

Willie: yeah

Ina: And, and your father and you seem to have a very similar sense of humour? Am I right about that? 

Willie: Yes, he had a column in the New York times called the ‘About New York column’

Ina: yeah, famously, yeah 

Willie: when I think about it now, it’s amazing because it was pre-internet. it was 1980 to 1987

Ina: yeah 

Willie: so, he literally would just have to walk outside the New York times building in times square and go find a story, three times a week, there was one he did up in Upper Manhattan, where a Barber called him, and said, this is the 1980’s New York and said there’s a Volvo sitting out in front of my barber shop, the keys have been in it for three days and no one has stolen it, I think we have a news’s story

Ina: (Laughs)

Willie: So, my dad went up there and wrote and entire hilarious piece about, why didn’t anyone steal this car, its 1984 New York city

Ina: And it was widely popular

Willie: It was

Ina: right?

Willie: it was

Ina: So, was your childhood that much fun?

Willie: It was, we grew up in Suburban New Jersey 

Ina: Mmmm

Willie: About 30 minutes outside New York, so we had the wonderful experiences of Suburban America in that 

Ina: Yeah, go out and play 

Willie: Go out and play, go ride your bike, come home when it’s dark, played sports, we did all the things that kids do in the suburbs and yet we had New York city within our reach  

Ina: One of the things your father did that I just adored, is he got an advance of $10,000 for a book and, like, most parents of that era, they would say okay this is what we’re going to spend the $10,00 dollars for

Willie: yep 

Ina: But he put a note of the refrigerator and he said, how should we spend the $10,000.

Willie: (laughs) This is my dad 

Ina: And everybody signed a- 

Willie: yes 

Ina: what were the suggestions?

Willie: uhm well, we, we needed a better car was the consensus. 

Willie: So, we thought, what if we had a better car so for $10,000 right on the nose not a nickel to spare

Ina: Really? 

Willie: God forbid you put it away for our college or something, uh, he bought a Jeep CJ7, a red Jeep CJ7. 

Ina: red

Willie: red 

Ina: When nobody owned jeeps right? 

and we loved it and it was fun and 

We bounced around it and years later, it became, when I got my driver licence, my car 

Ina: yeah 

Willie: at that point the floors were rusted out, but that car, it’s what I learned to drive with that car that he bought with the $10,000

Ina: Isn’t that great? And that car went everywhere, it went fishing with you 

Willie: Everywhere 

Ina: right 

Willie: We stuffed our entire lives into that jeep

Ina: that’s just great and it was fun and that was the 

Willie: it was fun 

Ina: It just feels like our family was really in pursuit of fun 

Willie: yes 

Ina: your father was in pursuit of stories that were fun, the family did things that were fun. I just, I love that idea 

Ina: this just sounds like everybody’s dream childhood, I’m not sure mine was quite like that, we were like in our rooms the whole time 

Willie: Oh, I think we need a cookie for this 

Ina: oh, I defiantly need a – (laughs) 

Willie: Let’s pull up a cookie 

Ina: Cookies help everything, are we gonna share one? Since it’s

Willie: Sure and I think we should 

Ina: Cheers

Willie: Cheers 

Ina: I survived it 

Willie: Oh, oh Ina 

Ina: not bad right? 

Willie: that’s perfect, chocolate chuck cookies, its fabulous and there’s coffee, would you like coffee? 

Willie: Sure 

Ina: and milk?

Willie: Thank you very much 

Ina: what do you like in your coffee 

Willie: uh I’ll do a little milk, yeah 

Ina: yeah okay 

Willie: thank you, perfect 

Ina: mmm, mm those cookies are pretty good

Willie: Oh my gosh they’re good 

Ina: They’re really good.

Willie: what is it about the sea salt, that makes it so good 

Ina: I think it takes down, well salt always brings out the flavour of things, so it brings out the chocolate, but it also kind of takes down the sweetness and the c-, the contrasts is really important. When I’m cooking, I’m always looking for what the contrasts are, like, um, what, what brings out the flavour or something like lemon zest 

Willie: Eureka

Ina: Yeah, and actually, you know it’s funny I taught myself how to cook because I was searching for flavour, when I grew up, my, the food my mother made was so bland, it was like broiled chicken and you know, no carbohydrates were allowed, it was very rigid 

Willie: Oh, that’s terrible 

Ina: Well, my mother, had a whole other level of, um, she was a dietitian, she was very obsessive about food 

Willie: Oh, right 

Ina: So, there were things you couldn’t eat, and the range of things was just, I mean like no carbohydrates, which is kind of modern, but I think its extreme when you’re a child 

Willie: Yeah, yeah 

Ina: I mean you grew up on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, right? 

Willie: yes, I did yeah, yeah we didn’t have those kind of rules in our house, no dieticians in our house 

Ina: We had nothing but rules.  It’s just crazy you don’t want to bring up children like that, cause then all they want to do is make cookies and that’s who I am, 

Willie: and here we are 

Ina: here we are, exactly

Willie: It turned out well for you though

Ina: It turned out okay

Ina: So, you and I get asked a lot of questions about marriages, you’re the only person I know that met you wide, earlier than I met Jeffery. 

Willie: which is saying something 

Ina: Which is saying something because I think we met around 15 

Willie: yeah

Ina: you met Christina in -

Willie: 6th grade 

Ina: 6th grade 

Willie: yeah, we were 11 years old 

Ina: and you thought what? 

Willie: I remember, this is true, and people don’t believe it, but I had moved from the other side of town so I was a new Kid at that Middle school 

Ina: Yeah 

Willie: And I remember seeing Christina and being like mm she’s cute, you know you’re 11, you’re starting to feel a little bit, I didn’t know what to do at that point, but I thought she was cute and that was the end of it, it was something like that 

Ina: So, you were friends, you dated then you broke up

Willie: yeah 

Ina: you ended up at Vanderbilt together 

Willie: yeah 

Ina: by surprise, right?

Willie: yeah, we we were 

Ina: you didn’t expect to? 

Willie: yeah, we were friends all through middle school, ran in the same group of friends, we dated briefly in 9th grade 

Ina: oh, it was just briefly

Willie: Very briefly, yeah, I was playing freshman football and the cool thing to do back then was to put you girl, was to have a little towel out of your pants with your girlfriend’s name on it, but I did thing where I wrote too big to start 

Ina: Yeah 

Willie: So, I got Christ and then I’d run out of room, and I snuck in the Ina, so it looked like I had a religious towel 

Ina: So, you thought, she thought you were interested in me then?

Willie: Yeah exac- exactly

Ina: right 

Willie: It had a little Ina on the bottom 

Ina: a little Ina, little did you know 

Willie: Exactly Christ and Ina, so I was, I did those kinds of things and then she realised in high school there were boys with cars 

Ina: ah

Willie: and you know who were on the varsity team 

Ina: you mean the football captain and the basketball captain didn’t really impress her 

Willie: well, I wasn’t any of those things yet

INA: oh, oh yet, okay 

Willie: I just had my little dirt bike freshmen year, and it wasn’t as appealing as some guy with a car and then our junior year in high school we sort of started dating again and dated through the end of high school and I got into Vanderbilt and I was thrilled somehow they’d sneaked me in through a clerical error and she was also into Vanderbilt and then all of a sudden our lives changed with that, oh we thought we were high school boyfriend and girlfriend 

Ina: yeah 

Willie: Now we’re going to Nashville together, it’s not a big school and we tried to break up at the begging but its small enough community where you couldn’t avoid being in classes and seeing each other, so we did, we did break up for a while and then we got back together, dated through college and then we broke up after college, she moved to Boston to work, I moved to Atlanta and so in our 20’s we had our 20’s so she was dating other people

Ina: which is great 

Willie: I was dating other people, which I, you know I don’t know if I would’ve scripted it that way but in hindsight it was important, you know that we had these other experiences

VO: Then they met up back at home in new jersey one Christmas, got back together and were married in Porto Ricco in 2003. Some things are just meant to be.

Ina: So then after Vanderbilt you went to Atlanta, right? 

Willie: Yes 

Ina: You thought 

Willie: because a bunch of my friends from Vanderbilt had moved there, wasn’t sure what I was gonna do 

Ina: yeah, but it was an interesting place to go

Willie: CNN news didn’t have a job, but CNN sports illustrated which was a new 24-hour sports network had a job and I said okay that’s a foot in the door and CNN and I love sports 

Ina: yeah 

Willie: and I got the job, as low as you could be on the totem pole, but who could be more excited to get a job in the media, working at big company like CNN working late at night, working on weekends, working on holidays, when the games are played 

Ina: Yeah, that’s what you do, yeah 

Willie: and then kind of going out in Atlanta afterword and building this group of friends and learning so much bout TV along the way 

Willie: Knights larger than life presence has attracted the national spotlight to Texas dec, his built a winning basketball programme and raised the profile of the school, but it’s the kind of attention Knight brought this week that university officials, would just as soon live without – Willie Geist, CNN, Lovette Texas, okay that was a run though 

Ina: So did that actually end, did they close the network?

Willie: yeah, they shut it down 

Ina: What, how’d they do that?

Willie: They pulled the plug on it,

Ina: And New York was the obvious place to go 

Willie: yeah, we grew up around there, had so many friends and obviously just the opportunity in media, 

Ina: yeah

Willie: And so, I got a job as a producer on a different sports show, it lasted for 9 months, just didn’t work for a variety of reasons and so the show was cancelled after nine months, so here I was I had moved up to New York, a little more expensive to live in New York than Atlanta by the way 

Ina: yeah, yeah 

Willie: and the last show was on Christiana’s 30th birthday, so I took her out to this big dinner, and I had no job and and by the way, had no idea what was next 

Ina: Yeah, well that’s the second time that happened, does this, but does this happen in broadcasting or was, did this feel really unusual that you had two shows cancelled? 

Willie: Yeah, I mean there’s a lot of mobility in our business, producers move around to different networks and shows, and you go where the jobs our, but it’s still, because that had not worked out, I felt like, okay, now I’ve been at two things that didn’t quite work, what am I doing here and really at that point, I, I was 29, Christina’s 30th birthday dinner, everything was on the table, law school maybe, I don’t know, do I want to be a lawyer, so it was not clear to me at all that I a future in television

Ina: that’s a frightening moment, we’ve all had that moment, that very frightening moment when you think maybe I’m in the wrong career

Willie: yeah, yeah 

Ina: and you just have to question what you’re doing 

Willie: You do and you’re living in New York and it’s expensive and Christiana has a job and she did well so we were gonna be okay for a while 

Ina: Yeah 

Willie: But I just didn’t, honest to God didn’t know what was next and everything comes up in your mind 

Ina: And 30 is the, the age that we all do that, that’s when’ that’s when I moved to the Hamptons and bought a specialty food store

Willie: Right 

Ina:  it was li- a month after our 30th birthday 

Willie: is that right

Ina: So, I think at 30 you think, okay I have to get serious now 

Willie: yeah 

Willie: yeah, yeah, your right, 30 is, well 30 is also okay we’re married but should we be having kids, we got to get our life together here and I don’t 

Ina: yeah, yeah 

Willie: have a job so that’s a scary moment and God bless Christina she said you’re smart, you’re talented, you’re going to find something don’t worry, but you feel, you’re down 

Ina: yeah, and thank God we both have spouses that really support us

Willie: We do 

Ina: and if you have somebody there that really believes you’re smart and talented and really believes you can do something, you just keep going

Willie: yeah, yeah 

Ina: which is, I think a lot of people don’t have that, you just one person 

Willie: yes, but I don’t know, it’d be interesting to hear what she thought about that dinner on her 30th birthday, if she was as nervous as I was. I’m looking at the cheque going, no, no cocktails, we’re just going to do water and

Ina: And then you got a call from the most unlikely source Tucker Carlson 

Willie: MSNBC 

Ina: MSNBC

VO: The call was to produce The situations with Tucker Carlson, with Willie doing Short on air segments

Tucker: Willie, what are you supposed to be? 

Willie: Same thing I am every year Tucker, a hard-hitting journalist who asks the tough questions 

Tucker: (Laughs)

VO: And in 2007, he was tapped to co-host the political show, Morning Joe alongside Joe Scareborrow and Mika Brzezinski 

Willie: Joe, listen to me 

Joe: when I ask you a question

Willie: hold on, hold on  

Joe: About anything other than Paris Hilton, go ahead Willie, seriously, answer the question. 

Ina: And the rest is history 

Willie: Yeah, and that’s 14 years ago, that’s 2007, yeah 

Ina: wow, isn’t that incredible? 

Willie: yeah, yeah, so it's been an incredibly long run that I never could’ve dreamed of. So, when people ask, how did you get where you’re going? 

Ina: I know, I love -

Willie: I mean you probably feel this way too, I don’t really know how to explain it to you

Ina: yeah 

Willie: or give you a road map 

Ina: I failed 6 times 

Willie: right 

Ina: And then I tripped on something and then it just, I looked over there and then it's just happened to work

Willie: exactly and you have to be honest that a lot of it is luck

Ina: If you don’t think luck is part of what gets you there, you’re just missing the whole thing

Willie: I totally agree, and you have to have the humility to admit that. 

Ina: yeah 

Willie: And it does, especially in your case take a talent to be great at what you do in the kitchen 

Ina: Well, you have to be 

Willie: and to be charming and to navigate all the things that come with these kind of jobs 

Ina: You have to have done the work, you did the 10,000 hours

Willie: yeah 

Ina: You know your stuff 

Willie: that’s right 

Ina: And then you can actually do it 

Willie: right

Ina: But you also have to be lucky that the, the, it's the moment that the world needs what you’re doing and without that it doesn’t happen 

Willie: yes 

Ina: Okay, I know the worst part of your job is that you have to get up at four o’clock every morning, that doesn’t get easier, does it? 

Willie: It doesn’t, people say do you get used to getting up at four

Ina: no 

Willie: You just don’t 

Ina: don’t, just don’t 

Willie: the answer is NO, but you learn how to manage it, so you’re always tired and I’ve learned to eat at the right time, exercise is really important even when I don’t want to exercise

Ina: Mmm Hmmm 

Willie: If I feel that slump at 1:00 or 2:00 in the afternoon, instead of taking a nap, I’ll go for a run and it gives you a little boost to get to school pick and through the night, dinner with you kids, because I can’t, some people who work in morning television religiously go to bed at 8.00 o’clock

Ina: uh 

Willie: And they get a full night sleep and I say how could you do that 

Ina: yeah 

Willie: and you know, I’ve got kids in the house, and I want to be with them and so-

Ina: You want to have a life to 

Willie: You want to have a life 

Ina: This can’t be everything 

Willie: That’s exactly right, right and so what I, I push it too late, I probably average going to bed at 10.00 o’clock

Ina: Yeah, that’s good

Willie: so, I get 6 hours, its manageable 

Ina: yeah, its manageable, yeah. So, you did the obvious thing, you took a show a half an hour earlier (laughs) and I love the way the name of this show came about. What happened? 

Willie: there was a show called way too early, which still exists 

Willie: way too early not meant to be a cute show title, it’s meant to be a statement of fact

Ina: But it started with Willie Geist 

Willie: it started with me in 2009 

and at that moment, I had a two-year-old daughter and a 2-week-old son, and I informed Christina, hey I’m getting a new show, she said great, you in prime time? Noo!!

Ina: No

Willie: It starts at 5.30 in the morning, she said what! and I would leave ethe house at 3.00am the for that show and truly I would walk out and the lights were on and two babies were crying and Christiana has them on her hip 

Ina: Ohhh 

Willie: And I’d say I have to go, she’d go just get out, like why are you, just get out and so that was, that was I think she would tell that was another tough time, but again she was supportive and said I understand that you think this is important, that this might help build something to whatever you’re next step is and ultimately it was, it was key to moving on to the today show, yeah

Ina: Today show, it reminds me of when I spent, I think probably 6 years, filming in our house and the film crew was here for literally 8 weeks, twice a year 

Willie: Wow 

Ina: In the house and we were living in, I mean we have this small house it’s like two bedrooms, one is Jeffery’s office and one is our bedroom, we lived upstairs, and I kept thinking one of these days Jeffery’s going to divorce me

Willie: I don’t know how you did that 

Ina: I’m sure you felt Christina when she was up with two crying babies and you were like I got to go 

Willie: Yes, yes, yes and aging that’s the faith of a good relationship 

Ina: yeah 

Willie: I think of I take your word for it this is heading somewhere; you know

Ina: (laughs) Yeah 

Willie: like we’re not going to be at 5.30 am forever.

Ina: My theory is that a lot of people stand on the side of the pond and there, they talk about whether to jump in the pond

Willie: Right 

Ina: And their like I don’t know it could be cold it could be wet, it could be the fish in there, who knows what’s in there, but you got to get in the pond and that’s what you’ve always done, you’re always in the pond and while you’re there a guy notices you and says you know what Natalie Maryalice isn’t here can you come read right ?

Willie: Its funny I just got, a little chill up my spine when you said that

Ina: Mmmm Yeah. 

Willie: Truly because again 

Ina: it still feels that way 

Willie: It does, because again that’s another time where somebody saw something in you that you thought was impossible, I mean the today show was a different planet

Ina: Mmm Hmm 

Willie: And then you’re phone rings and they say can you come over and fill in I say sure, read the news, no to host and again to host the today show? 

Ina: TO host? (laughs)

Willie: You’re making a terrible mistake, but they believed I could do it and so then all of a sudden, I had to believe I could do it and I will never forget, and I owe her a debt of gratitude and I love her, dearly, I sat down next to Meredith Vera, which again was a mindblower 

Ina: Who’s Fabulous

Willie:  Who’s the best and um, you know, she’s marking up her scripts and I’m marking up my scripts and I, again couldn’t believe she was there, and I think she sensed a little, okay he’s, he’s a little fidgety over there and she just like a wonderful sister or a mother, just put her hand on my back and rubbed my back and said, you’re gonna be great 

INA: Isn’t that great 

Willie: And I was like, that, that touch was all I needed, and then you hear the music of the open of the today show oh that’s

Ina: I mean my hearts beating just thinking about it

Willie: That’s the same song I heard when I was a kid in my living room 

Ina: yeah 

Willie: And now, I’m on the other side of that TV screen

Ina: yeah 

Willie: It just, it’s too much, you can’t, you gotta put that away and do your job, but I’ll never forget it

Ina: and how long were you, was it just one day? Or did you do few days 

Willie: That was just one day

Ina: One day, yeah 

Willie: I think they wanted to how, see how it went 

LAUGHTER 

Willie: And I guess it went well enough that I was asked to come back 

Ina: And you were 

Willie: I was and um a couple years

Ina: I think that’s where we first met actually 

Willie: I, uh it must’ve been 

Ina: I was doing the today Show and you were on the show 

Willie: Yeah, up in the Kitchen 

Ina: Yeah, yeah  

Willie: Yeah, yeah and so I filled in for a couple of years and then they asked me to be a Co-host of the third hour of the today show 

Ina: Mm hmm 

Willie: With Al Rocker and Natalie and Tameran Hall and I did that for four years and officially 

Ina: wow 

Willie: Became one of the co-hosts of the Today show 

Natalie: well as we have mentioned we are so delighted to welcome Willie Geist to our family on his first official day as the co-host of our third hour 

Willie: oh boy  

Ina: So how do you manage stress? I mean all of these shows are stressful because you never know what’s going to happen, you never know when a big story is, you never know when the, when a crew isn’t going to show up, you never know, I mean there’s, just getting there is stressful 

Willie: Yeah 

Ina: What, what do you do? 

Willie: I internalise all of that and just push it down and it’ll all come exploding out one day I’m sure

Ina: (Laughs) 

Willie: um, I think to me, and I’ve sort of tell my kids this, the great buster of stress and pressure is preparation 

Ina: Yeah 

Willie: and So the only time I’m really nervous for something 

Ina: Mmm Hmm 

Willie: professionally is if I don’t think I’m ready for it

Ina: Mmm

Willie: but If I come to your house to interview Ina Garten I want to be as ready as I can be

Ina: Mmm 

Willie: I want to have read everything; I want to have watched all your videos on YouTube and all your shows 

Ina: Awh, poor Willie 

Willie: And just, and just uh, understand you to the point where we can talk like this 

Ina: Yeah 

Willie: And have a conversation 

Ina: Yeah 

Willie: And if it's going to be a difficult political interview on Morning Joe, I want to be as ready as I can be, because they’re going to say something that’s not true and I have to be ready for the thing that is true 

Ina: Mmm Hmm 

Willie: And so I just try to prepare and it takes that, it is three hours of TV is a lot every morning 

Ina: It’s a lot 

Willie: and it can be long and it can be stressful depending on the News and sitting down with someone super famous for an hour can cause some anxiety, but I truly find that once I get to the day and I know I’m ready, it all washes away as long as you are prepared. 

LAUGHTER

Ina: So are you a cook at home, I think you’re a griller am I right? 

Willie: Uh yeah I love the grill and I’ll go out there in the winter

Ina: yeah 

Willie: you know knee high in the snow and just flip it open turn on the gas and get going, uh, we have a little pizza oven in our back yard

Ina: You do! 

Willie: I’m still working on it, it's not a gas, it’s, you’ve got to get the 

Ina: Wood

Willie: the wood fire going 

Ina: It's the real deal

Willie: you gotta really get the heat, it's a 

Ina: yeah 

Willie: you really have to commit to it and I, my problem 

Ina: and you do that 

Willie: is that I never get quite hot enough, I do, my kids have been very critical of my Pizza’s

Ina: (laughs) 

Willie: When they see me out there, loading wood, they go

Ina: There’s a lot 

Willie: “get the delivery number ready, cuz this aint going to be edible

Ina: A lot of dead eyerolling

Willie: (Laughing) Exac- exactly

Ina: He’s at it again 

Willie: Yeah, at the this point they just, they call the pizza delivery when I head out there. 

Ina: Music’s a really important part of your life, isn’t it? 

Willie: yeah 

Ina: But all kinds of music 

Willie: yes, I was raised in a rolling stones house

Ina: yeah 

Willie: I grew up in the New York area at the dawn of hip hop when it was becoming a big mainstream artform

Ina: Yeah 

Willie: I went to college in Nashville

Ina: Oh, that was all… 

Willie: Became a country music fan 

Ina: Country music, yeah 

Willie: So, we’re all over the place in the best way. Christina for my birthday a couple years ago, had two murals painted and they hang in our living room. One is of JZ, the other is of Dolly Parton, which I think tells the story of our life. 

Ina: (laughs) I’m actually a Taylor Swift girl myself 

Willie: Oh, we love Taylor Swift!

Ina: You do? Oh good 

Willie: I should’ve used, yeah, yeah, yeah 

Ina: I love Taylor swift and I, I remember being at a concert that she did, I took my whole crew to a concert at, it used to be called the Metal Labs, I think it’s called 

Willie: Yeah, Met life stadium 

Ina: Met life stadium, It was 60,000 young girls, Taylor was probably 25 at the time and she stood up and said to 60,000 young girls and me 

LAUGHTER 

Ina: She said, we get so upset about what’s said about us on the internet, but the truth is what we tell ourselves about ourselves is so much worse. 

Willie: Mmm 

Ina: And I thought what an incredible message that was for these young girls to stop doing that and I, I heard it myself, I mean it was really, you know, it was, she really connects with how people are feeling and I think that’s what that music does for you too. 

Willie: yeha we love her in our house and she loves you, didn’t she put you in the Squad at one point with all her friends 

Ina: I don’t know that I was in the Squad, but we did connect for a while, the food Network magazine had a, um, a feature on who pop stars, or, or recording artist loved and she chose me, and so she came here for a photoshoot that we did down there and then we saw each other a few times 

Willie: Oh, she was in the barn, she was here? 

Ina: She was in the barn, yeah 

Willie: Oh, wow, that’s a big day 

Ina: yeah, oh it was a Big day 

Willie: Just right behind this day right? It goes me and ten Taylor Swift 

Ina: I don’t know, we’ll find- I’m not, I’m not. So, is it cocktail time? 

Willie: I think it’s time

Ina: But first it’s so gorgeous out, do you want to take a tour of the Garden?

Willie: yeah, let’s do it 

Ina: Okay, let’s do it 

Willie: can we take a cookie? 

Ina: We’re definitely taking a cookie 

Willie: Alright let’s do it 

Ina: Me too (laughing)

Willie: we’re going to run out of these cookies if I have another one 

Ina: Lots more where they came from 

Ina: Okay, I’m gonna show you a little tour of the garden. So, I'm just going to take you down to the shade garden. So, what's your perfect day? You wake up in the morning and you go, this is just what I want to do today.

Willie: Well, I have to say I think my perfect day does not involve waking up at 4 a.m.

Ina: Yes.

Willie: and being Shot out of a cannon on National Television. 

Ina: Exactly.

Willie: So, I'm gonna go with Saturday morning...

Ina: Yeah.

Willie: and Saturday means I get to Wake up slowly with the family, my kids come down, maybe we make pancakes, or waffles, or eggs.

Ina: Don’t you love not having a schedule?

Willie: Yes 

Ina: That’s I just don't want anything on my schedule.

Willie: I, I think that’s what it is and then if you’re lucky you’ll see some good friends for dinner that night or people come to your house and sit on the back patio for a drink and something to eat. So just-

Ina: Yeah and just really bond with people you care about.

Willie: Yeah, You have such beautiful trees.

Ina: They’re actually all Crepe Myrtle most of them are the same, it's just one after the other and then this is tomato world and basil herbs wanna a little nice organic tomato?

Willie: May I?

Ina: Aren’t they so- Yeah, yeah, totally organic

Willie: Oh

Ina: We’ll eat our way through the garden

LAUGHTER

Ina: This actually a great place for a sunset cocktails. The sun sets right over there.

Willie: And how much of this was here Ina?

Ina: So, this used to be a farm there was nothing here 

Willie: So, you built all of this?

Ina: everything.  

Willie: Wow

Ina: Absolutely everything.  I put the garden in first actually, whilst they were building the house 

Willie: Priorities 

Ine: I didn’t know there were going to be leaf blowers going all the time, but uh, but that’s the country, right? 

Willie: well, you have some neighbours, yeah 

Willie: You got any critters in your garden? It looks like it’s

Ina: Mine, no

Willie: No right? 

Ina: they, they’re all out there, “party at gardens” 

LAUGHTER 

Willie: They wouldn’t dare 

Ina: And this is the orchard, these trees are all white crab apples 

Willie: Mmmm Hmm 

Ina: So, they bloom in the, in the spring, it's just all filled with white flowers 

Willie: wow

Ina: we put these trees in when, when I built the house, they were this high, it was a stick with two branches, and I thought in my lifetime they’ll never grow together 

Willie: Oh my gosh 

Ina: And you know, like 10 years later they’re all one kind of mass 

Willie: That all it took?

Ina: yeah 

Willie: Wow

Ina: But I love the crab apples on them. And the birds eat them which is very ecological right.

Willie: Sure, that’s right, doing your part

Ina: Doing my part. So as soon as I finished the barn, the first party I had was for everybody that worked on the barn, contractors and everybody and the, guy who designed the garden said well why don’t I just build a fire pit, so he put wood in here and then lit it and the flames went so high, they were literally to the top of the barn 

Willie: Oh my gosh 

Ina: And I was like Oh my god, he’s going to burn the barn down, fortunately he didn’t and it was just great having the heat and the light and the just the energy of a fire and then it all-

Willie: I imagine in Wintertime you can be out here around this

Ina: I think we need a to make cocktails, don’t you?

Willie: Sounds good to me

Ina: Okay, Let’s go do it 

Willie: Let’s do it

Ina: Fun!

Ina: So, willie and I have had such a difficult day 

Willie: It’s been very arduous to eat chocolate chip cookies and chat with you 

Ina: But I decided we needed a cocktail, so I was going to make sidecars, but you like Bourbon, right? 

Willie: I do like bourbon

Ina: Yes, so I swapped out the cognac for bourbon. 

Willie: Oh, That's genius.

Ina: Let's see if that works, okay? 

Willie: Okay 

Ina: so let's start with the glasses. You're in charge of the glasses.

Willie: Got it 

Ina: I'm gonna show you what you’re gonna do. So, dip just the rim in a little lemon juice. I'm gonna make these really good.

Willie: Ah! Oh my goodness.

Ina: And a little sugar. 

Willie: you’ve already won me over 

INA: so, you dip- Okay 

Willie: with a plate of sugar 

Ina: Okay. Wait a minute, weren't you valedictorian of your bartending class? 

Willie: That is good research.

Ina: That's, that's amazing. I can't believe I remembered that. 

Willie:  The Metropolitan bartending school, class of 1993. 

Ina: yeah 

Willie: I had a little free time in my Senior at High School. A buddy of mine went to bartending school.  And we were co-valedictorians.

Ina: Unbelievable. So I've got the right guy for the job. Okay, so first thing I'm going to have six ounces of freshly squeezed lemon juice.  I know they taught that in bartending school. 

Willie: Of course 

Ina: It has to be freshly squeezed.

Willie: Yes, yes.

Ina: I need 8 ounces of good Bourbon. 

Willie: oh my, oh

Ina: Good Bourbon, not just any Bourbon. This isn’t just for you and me though, right? It’s for Jeffery and Christina too

Willie: It’s going to be a long night if it is 

Ina: I want to explain. (laughs) So, what's your favourite bar? Where do you like to go to like a really fun bar, like New Year's Eve? What would you do?

Willie: My favourite bar, um...is probably my kitchen at this point in my life. 

Ina: (laughs) 

Willie: Having a bunch of friends over to my house and sitting out back on the patio. 

Ina: Isn't that true?

Willie: It is.

Ina: It really is.  It’s really what it’s about.

Willie: If you’ve got the right people and the right drinks. That's the best bar.

Ina: So that's six ounces of orange liqueur.

Willie: Okay.

Ina: And then, one little thing I put in is, I marinated cherries in bourbon and that's gonna be a garnish. I'm gonna take a little of the cherry juice and put it in just like that. 

Willie: Oh, what a great idea.

Ina: So, it just gives more cherry flavour to it.

Willie: Right 

Ina: Okay, somebody gave me this cocktail shaker. Do you think it's big enough for us?

LAUGHTER

Willie: You and these oversized drinks Ina

Ina: I’ve done that before haven’t I? 

Willie: You have, a little viral sensation I seem to recall 

Ina: So, I'm gonna pour this in, how are your glasses, we need two more glasses 

Willie: I went a little heavy on the sugar on the first time. I'm going to dial it back a bit. There we are. 

Ina: And I don’t know any man that doesn’t like to, professionally – 

Willie: May I, may I, oh wow, that is a mission.

Ina: Is that big enough? Oh...I can, I can see he's done this before. 

Willie: It’s been a while, but I still have the touch, the valedictorian at work. 

Ina: Still got the muscles (laughs), Okay, and I like this actually on the rocks.

Willie: Yes. I agree. 

Ina: just there’s something about, lots of ice 

Willie: Are we ready for this?

Ina: We are So ready. I don't know about you but I'm ready.

Willie: Oh my gosh. 

Ina: And

Willie: beautiful colour.

Ina: isnt it beautiful colour and I have a garnish for it. How's that?

Willie: Brilliant. 

Ina: Garnish goes into it.

Willie: Ah, look at you 

Ina: Dried cherries. We have to make sure these are good right; we wouldn't want to give Jeffrey and Christina anything bad.

Willie: I think that's right. 

Ina: To the two of them.

Willie: We’ll, Quality control is very important. 

Ina: Mmmm 

Willie: Delicious.

Ina: Isn’t that good?

Willie: Delicious. Cheers

Ina: So if you could have cocktails with anybody, who would it be? 

Willie; Oh my gosh! Bill Murry 

Ina: Really? Isn’t that great 

Willie: Because, well because I know he likes a drink, he’s one of the funniest men who ever walked the earth

Ina: yeah 

Willie: He’s lived so much life, from Saturday night live when I interviewed him, he was telling me about the after party after the Stones played and Keith Richards is passing a bottle of Jack Daniels around and they’re playing, you know every song from some girls in the middle of a bar somewhere, to ghost busters and all his interesting lives, so I’m thinking about the universe of people I’ve had a chance to talk to in a formal setting 

Ina: yeah 

Willie: If I could step outside of that setting and have a drink

Ina: that would be it 

Willie: Bill Murry would be fun 

Ina: Bill Murry, that’s great. To Bill Murry 

Willie: To Bill Murry 

Ina: So I think Jeffery and Christina are going to need some drinks, are there, is there enough left now that we, we drank it all? 

Willie: I certainly hope so, but we’ve taken care of a healthy portion of it.

Ina: Okay here, I’ve got the garnish 

Willie: I think, I think we’re going to cover four here 

Ina: yeah, you think we’re going to do it? Perfect 

Willie: You measured well Ina, I’m not surprised 

Ina: Perfect, excellent. Okay I’ve got two 

Willie: Okay 

Ina: You have two 

Willie: Shall we? 

Ina: let’s go meet them 

Jeffery: So how was, how was the day with Ina then? 

Willie: It was amazing, any time you can show up, knock on the door of your house, have fresh baked choc-chip cookies and a cocktail waiting for you with Ina Garten, it's a good day. 

Jeffery: uh 

Willie: Well hello Ina 

Ina: Are you guys having fun without me? 

Willie: Please, do join us 

Ina: I bought spiced pecans 

Willie: Oh more treats, more treats

Christina: Oh my gosh 

Ina: I’m so happy to see you 

Christina: I’m so happy to be here 

Ina: we’re saw each other on zoom, but we’ve never seen each other in person

Christina: I know in real life, what a treat.

Ina: We need a cheers 

Christina: we do 

LAUGHTER 

Willie: Thank you for having us over

Ina: cheers, I’m so happy to see you 

Jeffery: This is so great 

Christina: Thank you Jeffery, thank you Ina 

Jeffery: am I the only one? 

Ina: Yeah, no we’re all 

Christina: and I have-

Ina: I haven’t had enough sugar today, what about you? 

Willie: I was going to say (laughs) Inst that nice? 

Ina: It's a sidecar but we made it with bourbon for, cuz Willie likes Bourbon better than Cognac 

Christina: Gosh that’s delicious 

Willie: Swapped out the Cognac, put in the bourbon, isn’t that great? 

Christina: Yes 

Willie: That might be my new drink

Ina: I forgot I was interviewing the interviewer and I was making cocktails for the bartender, for the valedictorian of his class bartender 

Christina: Ina, I wouldn’t call him a bartender 

Willie: She’s about to undercut me, go ahead 

Christina: I was around in those days, of his many accomplishments I don’t think I would put bartender on that list, no offence  

Willie: so, this is the beauty that we were talking about inside, that there can be a headline and Christina can come on in and politely just tear me right back down and say, I’ve been there from the beginning 

Christina: I know 

Willie: Not so much

Jeffery: Each couple has known the other for, for 

Ina: For forever 

Jeffery Forever right? 

Ina: Literally forever 

Christina: Yes 

Willie: Yeah 

Jeffery: Sometimes I’ll be telling a story and Ina says I don’t know how that can be true 

LAUGHTER 

Jeffery: I’ve never heard that before 

Ina: I’ll just jump in and say, well that was sort of true but not entirely. 

Christina: Right 
Jeffery: Or I’ll say I saw a movie and she’ll say no you didn’t see that one: 

Christina: that, that’s not true. Sometimes the stories great and in the interest of good storytelling it's not worth it

Ina: That’s exac-

Christina:  to come in and edit 

Ina: That’s exactly right 

Jeffery: But later 

Christina: But later 

Willie: Let’s clean it up for the next showing 

Christina: just to be clear 

Ina: Okay, can I give Willie a pop, a pop Quiz? 

Willie: Oh Boy 

Christina: oh 

Ina: Are we ready for this? 

Christina: Yeah 

Ina: You can critize his um answers, his answers if you want 

Christina: Okay 

Willie: SO, I don’t get a lifeline, it's just me 

Ina: No, no, you don’t get oh, have a lifeline how’s that? Okay 

Christina: okay 

Ina: here’s the pop Quiz. What’s the one movie that you’ve seen the most? 

Willie: (coughs) um, boys in the hood 

Ina: Oh that’s a good one

Willie: is that right? 

Christina: I thought you were going to say Caddyshack 

Willie: I think it's boys in the hood, yes, yeah 

Ina: They’re both right up there. One food that makes you happy? 

Willie: Chicken Parm, 

Ina: Ooo 

Willie: always, made by Christina 

Ina: and I – Christina’s chicken Parm. Best job you’ve ever had 

Willie: Sunday Today 

Ina: Yeah, I knew that was it, it's got to be 

Willie: The job I have now where I get to interview you 

Ina: It's the best 

Willie: Twice 

Jeffery: I hope, I hope you always answer that question that way 

Ina: Yeah, isn’t that great 

Willie: Thank you, thank you 

Ina: Worst job? 

Willie: Oh, worst job was a landscaping job in college that I quit. I’ve never quit anything in my life, I just couldn’t do it 

Ina: And am I right, lost the lawnmower? 

Willie: Oh

Ina: That was the, the lawnmower was stolen 

LAUGHTER
Willie: There were a lot of stories from that job 

Nia: Right out from under them 

Willie: yeah, I left it out front and I went to play, we were finished cutting and I put the mower in the front Yard

Ina: (Laughs)

Willie: The other guy I worked with, we went in the backyard and started shooting hoops in the peoples basket and we came back and someone had stolen the lawnmower. That was an expensive mistake, yeah 

Ina: You won’t be a landscaper anymore; I don’t think there’s any fear of that

Jeffery: Just stay away from our lawnmower 

Willie: Okay, well I, I had my eye on it

Christina: He was admiring it 

Willie: Yeah some of the, hedge trimming work, I’d be happy to help out, if you need me.

Ina: And finally a question from the famous interviewer James Lipton

Willie: mmm 

Ina: If heaven exsists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive? 

Willie: you were a great husband and father

Ina: Wonderful 

Willie; That’s all that matters 

Ina: I think thast in mortal lock 

Willie: (laughs) Thank you. There’s still time for me to screw it up, but so far so good 

Ina: I think you’re good to go. 

LAUGHTER 

Christina: OH fun 

Willie: yeah

Ina: Cheers everybody, it was so much fun to see you 

Willie: Cheers Ina, thank you for having us 

Ina: So fabulous 

Christina: Thank you 

Willie: Jeffery, thank you 

Christina: Thank you Jeffery 

Ina: Well, I’d say that was a fun day. 

Christina: Driving home from Ina and Jeffery’s house and I’d like you to turn around

Willie: (laughs) 

Christina: And drive right back, that was the best day. Thank you, Ina, Thank you Jeffery 

Willie: Thank you Ina, we love you guys 

Christina: We’ll see you soon. We’ll be back

Ina: Well, that was a world class fun day. I love talking to Willie and Christina’s just wonderful and very easy clean up (laughs) and too bad there’s a tray of cookies left over. I think I know somebody who might like these.