``I decided I could either get out of the business or rethink how to do this. The first thing I discovered was that it cost a penny to have somebody deliver things from New York. I paid the penny and that was that.''

Eventually, Garten moved across the street to a 2,000-square-foot space, and later to East Hampton to a 3,000-square-foot space that quickly became a focal point of the trendy, celeb-filled summer community.

MEETING MARTHA

She met Martha Stewart, who lived in town, in front of the cheese case at the Barefoot Contessa. Stewart became a mentor. She even wrote the foreword to Garten's first book.

Was there later a falling-out, as the gossip goes?

''Not at all,'' Garten says. ``The only thing that happened with Martha and me is that she would have liked me to be much more involved in her company and I wanted to go off on my own.''

Still friends?

``We don't see each other so much, but I'd love to. I think she felt that the business separated us, and I don't. But, anyway . . . She is one of the most creative people I have ever met. I know how to cook, but it's in her fingertips. She is an extraordinary cook. And she's the same with gardening, crafts. She is incredibly knowledgeable and incredibly confident.''

In 1996, Garten sold her shop to her chef and her manager, who ran it for seven more years before moving on.

'For a few years I had been trying to figure out what to do next and a therapist friend said, `Some people don't figure out what to do next while they're doing something. They have to stop.' I built myself an office upstairs [Garten still owns the building that housed the Barefoot Contessa, where there now is a clothing store]. I had literally nothing to do. I subscribed to magazines, I made up business plans, I copied over my address book. It wasn't interesting.''

BY THE BOOK

Eventually, she decided to give in to the request of Barefoot Contessa regulars and write a cookbook.

'I decided I'd do the cookbook while I figured out what to do next. At the time people were writing books like The Cake Bible, Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything, huge books that I found daunting. I wanted to write a book with the 75 recipes you really needed to know. I wanted you to look at the photos, look at the recipes and say, `I can do this.' ''

And every book since The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, which came out in 1999, has advanced Garten's original mission. She went back to basics herself to deliver her latest book, refining and refining until she was sure the recipes worked and were easy to follow.

``While writing Back to Basics, I became interested in how I go about the process, sometimes without even realizing it. I had someone make a dish for me, roasted vegetables, and it was good, but it didn't have the flavor I was looking for. I couldn't pinpoint what was missing, because I know they followed the recipe. Then I realized that just before I serve it, I taste it. And if it's missing the brightness I want, I add lemon juice and salt.''

And then she offers a big confession: ``My dirty little secret is that I'm not that good a cook. I think of myself as a taster. You know how sometimes you eat something because it looks good, but if you were to close your eyes, what looks like chocolate doesn't really taste like chocolate? I want everything to taste not just good, but fantastic. And that's about using good ingredients -- and getting the most out of them.''

What is a perfect dinner according to Garten?

``I had some friends coming recently and I wanted to make a really fabulous dinner for them so I made a roasted capon, tagliatelle with white truffle butter, which is so easy you can't believe it, and roasted carrots.''

Garten strives to keep her life as simple as her table, which is why she keeps saying no to the endless endorsement deals that come her way.

''I've been offered a clothing line, furniture, pots and pans. But I don't want to do any of that,'' Garten says with a shrug. ``I love having a life.''

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