Martha Stewart Never Stopped Baking In Prison (Here's How She Did It)
Martha Stewart probably has one of the most interesting journeys of any television personality — at least of those who started out hosting a program that taught viewers how to jelly berries from their garden and paint their living room walls. The multi-hyphenate has come a long way since "Martha Stewart Living" premiered in 1993, adding a host of bullet points to her resume — including inmate in federal prison.
CNN released a miniseries to document the celeb's transformation called "The Many Lives of Martha Stewart." In it, a former co-inmate dished that Stewart still found ways to practice her passion even behind bars. Meg Phipps, who was also incarcerated in 2004 at Alderson Federal Prison Camp, revealed how one day, a note arrived from Stewart that included a sweet treat. "She also sent that note with a baked apple, which meant she had already tackled the idea of cooking in your dorm or cottage...the baked apple had caramel on it and probably some cinnamon," People reports.
While Phipps recalled that perhaps a microwave had been used or "what resources you could find," another woman, Susan Spry, shed some light on how Stewart came by her ingredients. "Everyone smuggles food out of kitchens. I mean what else are you going to make?" Stewarts self-identified "prison friend" confessed. Through sly procurement of ingredients and only the use of a microwave, we can only imagine what the domestic goddess was able to whip up.
Stewart practiced other aspects of her teachings, too
"Martha Stewart Living" was a 30-minute program packed with everything a '90s homeowner could need to beautify their life. The show taught tips and tricks for cooking, crafts, DIY, home decorating, gardening, entertaining, and more. "Planting peonies; seasoning a cast-iron pan; pasta recipe; tying plants with pantyhose," was the description of one episode. With so many skills under her belt, it only seemed natural that Martha Stewart excelled at her jobs while serving time.
Susan Spry remembered, "She kept it clean," referring to the prison's administration building, "She cleaned toilets. She cleaned the warden's toilet." One of her supervisors agrees, recalling in the episode how great Stewart was at fulfilling her responsibilities, which also included sweeping and taking out the trash. It seems like the author was also a kind friend while serving time, offering up a caramel flan during her goodbye potluck. "I don't know how she made it," Meg Phipps admitted, adding, "She thanked people for making her time there go as well as it did."
Perhaps it shouldn't come as a surprise that Stewart continued to be a hard worker and gracious companion during her incarceration. The star experienced a meteoric rise to success after coming from a working-class family of six kids and training herself in the art of gourmet cooking. And according to some, she was always reliable, down-to-earth, and authentic. After all, Phipps isn't the first to say she hopes to reconnect with Stewart.
Stewart's memories aren't as fond
Despite some retellings of Martha Stewart's time in prison sounding not too terrible, the television show host has a different recollection. The domestic diva served in Alderson, West Virginia, hours from her Bedford, New York home. In 2017, 12 years after her release, she spoke on Katie Couric's podcast "Next Question with Katie Couric," telling the TODAY anchor, "It was horrifying, and no one — no one — should have to go through that kind of indignity, really, except for murderers, and there are a few other categories." She summed up her experience as "a very, very awful thing" before refusing to see it as an opportunity to grow and learn.
Stewart was reportedly not only distraught about having to go to prison but also about the facility's location. The remote prison was her last choice after requesting to be placed in Connecticut or Florida so that her elderly mom could visit more easily. "Nothing is good about it, nothing," the cooking show host said of her prison stint to Couric. "You can make lemons out of lemonade?" she joked, continuing, "No. None of those adages fit at all."
She concluded by saying that she never wants the label of a convicted criminal to persist, stating, "I was a strong person to start with, and thank heavens I was. And I can still hold my head up high and know that I'm fine." This certainly seems true, considering she has since skyrocketed back to nearly pre-prison popularity.