Ina Garten's number one dinner party rule revealed: ‘Don't bring…’

Here's what you should never bring to a dinner party, according to Barefoot Contessa host Ina Garten

Ina Garten joined Sunday Today's Willie Geist last month for his Sunday Sitdown Live. Ahead of the interview's June 1 release, the 50-year-old journalist revealed to People the best piece of advice he received from the Food Network icon. In the article published Saturday, Geist revealed to the outlet the important dinner party rule guests should follow, according to Garten.

Food Network icon Ina Garten's number one dinner party rule revealed(Food Network)

Ina Garten's number one dinner party rule revealed

“Don't bring something that disrupts the plan that the host had. So in other words, I show up with chips and guacamole and [the host] is like, 'Okay, I [already] had a plan for what we're going to do before the dinner,' ” Geist said, adding that Garten says it is better for guests to “bring coasters or bring something that's just a gift that they can use later.”

During their May 19 sitdown, Garten shared another dinner party faux pas - loose flowers, per Elle Decor. “Don’t ever bring flowers that aren’t in a vase,” she explained to Geist, adding, “You're there. You're like, everyone's arriving, and then all of a sudden you’ve got these flowers and you have to figure out what to do.” This is not the first time that the beloved cookbook author has given dinner party suggestions. 

In 2022, the Barefoot Contessa host taught Today co-hosts Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb how to set a table for a dinner party. “The first thing about a dinner party is it can be four people,” Garten said at the time, adding, “It doesn’t have to be 12; it’s overwhelming, even for me.” “For the centerpiece, you can do something as simple as — a bowl of lemons. Get it at the grocery store,” the 77-year-old explained.