'Barefoot' Backfire: Make-a-Wish Kid Turns Ina Down

It's the PR disaster heard 'round the world. The tables have turned on Food Network star Ina Garten, the 'Barefoot Contessa,' who got caught red-handed last week turning down a Make-a-Wish kid. On Monday, she called the family of Enzo Pereda, a 6-year-old cancer patient, to say she had reconsidered, but now TMZ is reporting they turned her down.

"This has been a disaster for Ina," a foodie insider tells me. "She buried her head in the sand for days hoping the bad publicity would go over, but it didn't."
To a casual observer -- as well as the scores of new ex-fans -- Ina's change of heart on Monday appeared to be possibly driven more by the desire to nip a festering scandal in the bud, rather than to make a sick little boy's dream come true.

"She was worried her initial reaction was hurting her business," my source contends.

Ina had twice blew off meeting Enzo after the wonderful Make-A-Wish Foundation approached her before being shamed into finally contacting his family, independently of the foundation.

"Chefs think they are the new rock stars. And no one has a higher opinion of themselves than Ina," an insider tells me. "She forgot a long time ago that it is the fans who make you who you are. You can be the most talented chef in the world, but if people don't like you, they won't watch your shows or buy your cookbooks."

Ultimately, Enzo's family decided to put an end to the madness and move on from Ina. "I don't want to put my son through all these emotions. We're better off just leaving everything the way it is," dad Adrian told TMZ.

It's great to see that the Pereda family holds no bad feelings and is already getting excited to have Enzo's other wish come true ... to swim with dolphins. •

The boy is going to swim with dolphins! Much better than to visit a whale on a set.

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Barefoot Contessa Ina Garten spurned by cancer victim

Looks like no amount of sugar and spice will sweeten the stew that Barefoot Contess Ina Garten has landed in by rejecting a young cancer victim's request to meet. Garten blamed the problem on her employees, and promised to extend an invitation to little Enzo.

Today, TMZ reports that Enzo's family has rejected her overture and is moving on to another Make-A-Wish request: to swim with dolphins.

Dozens of folks have weighed in with comments on Garten-gate. Some say she is unfairly bearing criticism for a bad call that her handlers made. Others say she is heartless (harsher descriptions have been censored) and swear they will never watch her shows or use her cookbooks again. •

‘Barefoot Contessa’ Finally Agrees To Make Ailing Child’s Wish Come True

A happy ending! Ina Garten, host of the Food Network’s Barefoot Contessa, recently received a wave of criticism for her decision not to make a terminally ill child’s “Make-a-Wish” dream come true. It seems the pressure from a disappointed public has gotten to Garten, because she is finally inviting six-year-old Enzo Pereda to cook with her on her show. Pereda, who is battling acute lymphoblastic leukemia, is a huge fan of Garten’s, and wanted nothing more than to be able to prepare a meal with the Food Network star. And to think: All it took was a massive public shaming. •

Ina Garten gives in, says yes to Make-A-Wish child Enzo after all

Celebrity news sites this week were buzzing about a story that could tug at anyone’s heartstrings- TV chef Ina Garten, of Barefoot Contessa fame, reportedly denied the request of a seriously ill child named Enzo.

Not only did Garten say no to the boy’s wish to meet and cook with her, she did so twice, with the second being a “definite no,” according to the original story. The internet pretty much exploded with rage after a post on the family’s blog that described the heartbreak in detail:

Unfortunately as we were arriving home from the hospital I got word from “Make A Wish” that it is has been officially confirmed that Ina Garten (the “Barefoot Contessa” ) has declined Enzo’s wish to meet her and cook a meal with her. I felt terrible for him, he has been unwavering in his desire to meet her for 3 years and despite many attempts to get him to pick a 2^nd wish or change his mind he would not. Last year Ina gave a “soft no” supposedly because she had a 10 month book tour and they called and asked him what he wanted to do and he said “I will wait” and he did…As I wrote in last month’s update they came to our home again and tried to convince him to change his wish but he did not want to. Even yesterday when I told him the unfortunate news, his reply was simply “why doesn’t she want to meet me”?

Enzo’s mom followed up with a post after TMZ picked up the story, begging people to chill out about the whole thing and reporting that Enzo had already accepted a different wish- to swim with dolphins- but the internet hivemind had veered off into ragetown and there was no coming back.

A plus size to the tale, though, is that the pressure seems to have put Enzo’s wish at the forefront of the busy Ms. Garten’s to-do list. Not only did she change her mind, but in a terse statement from her reps, let those who were angry know she receives about 100 charity-related requests a month. The statement continued:

“She contributes both personally and financially on a regular basis to numerous causes, including to Make-A-Wish Foundation. Sadly, it’s of course not possible to do them all. Throughout her life, Ina has contributed generously to all kinds of important efforts and she will continue to do so.”

(Those crowded celebrity schedules… funny how things open right up when their image starts shifting from beloved to nauseating.)

Let’s all hope because of the confusion, Enzo gets to do both wishes. •