Padma Lakshmi Is Making Instagram Cackle With This Iconic Ina Garten Halloween Meme

Whether Halloween is an excuse for eating a dozen fun-size Snickers bars or dressing up like an ill-prepared but sexy fireman, Americans of every age love Halloween. The candy-coated holiday, celebrated in some form or another for 2,000 years, falls on October 31 each year, regardless if kids have school the next day or not (per History).

According to Statista, over $3 billion in Halloween candy will change hands this year between homeowners and sugar-high kids, who likely battled their parents over putting a coat over their costume. Although some costumes never go out of style, like princesses and police officers, pop culture plays a significant role in what we see on our doorsteps.

Beloved by millions, the Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten, reached a new level of celebrity when trick-or-treaters of all ages began dressing like her and her husband Jeffrey for Halloween a few years ago. Adorned in her signature bob and denim shirt, toddlers to adults with popped collars holding a plate of cookies lovingly and hilariously filled Garten's Instagram feed. 

In honor of Halloween and to celebrate Garten releasing her new cookbook, "Go-To Dinners," fellow chef Padma Lakshmi posted a meme that's left social media and, hopefully, the Barefoot Contessa cackling.

"Top Chef" host Padma Lakshmi delighted millions with a hilarious meme she posted to Instagram and Twitter featuring Ina Garten as a witch. The post also included a caption reading, "If you can't summon the flames directly from hell, store-bought is fine." Of course, the phrase "store-bought is fine" should be a familiar catchphrase to Garten's many dedicated fans.

Lakshmi used the post as an opportunity to congratulate Garten on her cookbook, but also asked viewers to comment on what they and their pets are dressing up as for Halloween. Many fans on Instagram were quick to share their jovial spirits with the rest of the social media community. More than a few users wrote that they thought the meme was "hilarious" and "loved it," while others were fit to simply reply with laughing emojis. Twitter responses included a bevy of similar replies, including some users who took the opportunity to post photos of their pets dressed as a Viking and Freddy Krueger.

The original photo of Garten wearing a witch's hat appears to come from the Food Network, and the meme appeared in 2020 on an Ina Garten Fanfiction story entitled "An East Hampton Haunting." Whether Garten has seen the post is unclear since the Barefoot Contessa has yet to comment. However, her biggest fan, Trent @storeboughtisfine, and journalist Molly Jong-Fast applauded Lakshmi's meme. If, as the saying goes, "there is no such thing as bad publicity," then the meme simply adds to all the press Garten has received as a result of the recent launch of her latest cookbook.