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When you think of renowned chef Ina Garten, you might picture her sipping wine over a pot of Tuscan white bean soup in the Hamptons or cooking up another elaborate five-star dessert for her husband Jeffrey. But long before Ina Garten's favorite recipes were invented, the renowned author and chef was just an ordinary girl hoping to graduate from college with very little money. In her junior year at Syracuse University, Garten married her husband Jeffrey at the tender age of 20.

When the wedding and honeymoon were over, Garten returned to school in hopes of passing her final exams. In her recently published memoir, Be Ready When the Luck Happens, Garten recounts her first foray into the food industry as a senior in college. Believe it or not, thanks to her own strength — along with the help of Dunkin' Donuts — Garten was able to pay off a forgotten debt within the confines of her dorm room.

When she returned to Syracuse for final exams, Garten forgot that she had to foot the bill for a $100 fur blanket she ordered earlier that year. Instead of using her pocket money allocated by Jeffrey, Garten came up with a brilliant solution to sell individual Dunkin' Donuts at a markup. Fortunately, while preparing for final exams, there were many students in desperate need of food. Nearing graduation, Garten's quick thinking and creative problem-solving gave her the courage she needed to overcome life's obstacles with food and grace.

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Ina Garten has never mastered a challenge that she didn't like

If you're wondering how Ina Garten became the iconic Barefoot Contessa, she threw herself wholeheartedly into life's hurdles and wasn't afraid to take the path less traveled. Her experience selling Dunkin' Donuts to make money on a whim was, in her own words from her recently published memoir, “an 'I love Lucy' solution” that demonstrated her intrinsic ability to to think outside the box. When Garten married Jeffrey in 1968, most women were forced to choose between a financially stable career or a life as a housewife. However, Garten was eager to forge her own path and create a new way of life – one in which she could prepare elaborate dinners for her husband while pursuing a career in the food industry.

After purchasing local store The Barefoot Contessa in 1978, Garten left her position as a federal government employee and started over, letting her love of food and all that comes with it take over. She was faced with long working hours and many challenges that she often had to solve spontaneously. Speaking about the recent release of her new book, Garten told NPR, “I think I'm not happy unless I have a challenge that I don't feel I'm up to.” It's quite fitting; Because while Garten has since released countless delicious recipes and multiple cookbooks, her foray into food-related problem solving all began in a Syracuse University dorm room.

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Read the original article on Food Republic.