Even Stanley Tucci Gets Starstruck Around Ina Garten

Turns out even celebrities get starstruck. That is when they're around the Barefoot Contessa herself. "Be My Guest with Ina Garten" returns to Food Network next week with heavy-hitter guests throughout the season, including our pal Stanley Tucci. The pair sips martinis and chows down on oysters and, of course, pasta.

I was lucky enough to chat with Tucci back in the fall, and he revealed some behind-the-scenes secrets from the episode, including how he had a little bit of a "fan girl" moment with Garten (I mean—who wouldn't?!).

"It was so fun, I'm a big fan of hers," Tucci gushed. "She's so cool. She doesn't even know how cool she is. She’s so sweet and she’s so generous...just amazing!"

In their episode, Tucci gets the honor of a lifetime: making Garten her first-ever martini. That's right, her first martini.

"Can I tell you a secret?" Garten asks Tucci in the episode. "I've never had a martini in my life... Seriously, so this is my first."

"Jeez, you gotta get out more," Tucci jokingly replies.

Tucci makes Garten his signature martini (psst—we have the recipe, here!), which features gin, white vermouth, and a lemon twist. If you really want to make it like Garten's, Tucci recommends not making it "super dry", aka using less dry vermouth. And unlike Bond, Tucci opts for stirred, not shaken.

Garten pairs the martinis with Oysters Rockefeller, a dish Tucci instantly fell in love with. In our interview, he said, "It was amazing. It was this beautiful pairing and I don't think I'd ever done it before with a martini."

Tucci also cooks Ina a Tuscan seafood stew with pasta, a martini pairing Tucci has long adored. "I want something clean [with a martini]. Fresh seafood, cooked shellfish, anything," he said.

For the recipes and more, tune in to "Be My Guest with Ina Garten," with a martini in hand (or not!) March 5 on Food Network and discovery+.