Rachael Ray
Rachael Domenica Ray (born August 25, 1968) is an American celebrity cook, television personality, businesswoman, and author. She hosts the syndicated daily talk and lifestyle program "Rachael Ray", and the Food Network series "30 Minute Meals". Other programs to her credit include "Rachael Ray's Tasty Travels", "$40 a Day", "Rachael Ray's Week in a Day", and the reality format shows "" and "Rachael Ray's Kids Cook-Off". Ray has written several cookbooks based on the "30 Minute Meals" concept, and launched a magazine "Every Day with Rachael Ray", in 2006. Ray's television shows have  won three Daytime Emmy Awards. Life and career. 1968–1996. Rachael Domenica Ray was born in Glens Falls, New York, the daughter of Elsa Providenza Scuderi and James Claude Ray. Her mother's ancestry is Sicilian and her father's is French, Scottish, and Welsh. When Ray was 8, her family moved to Lake George, New York. Her mother managed restaurants in New York's Capital District, including the Lake George Howard Johnson's restaurant, located near the former Gaslight Village amusement park, which attracted many entertainers. Ray also briefly worked at Sutton's Marketplace in Queensbury, New York, and later  offered to do commercials for the business. She would continue to promote the establishment, especially their cider donuts and grilled raisin bread. In 1995, Ray moved to New York City. She worked first at the Macy's Marketplace candy counter. When Macy's tried to promote her to a buyer in accessories, she moved to Agata & Valentina, a specialty foods store. 1996–2004. Moving back to The Adirondacks, Ray managed Mister Brown's Pub at The Sagamore, a hotel on Lake George. From there, she became a buyer at Cowan & Lobel, a gourmet market in Albany. Ray credits the concept of  30 Minute Meals to her experience working at the store, where she met people who were reluctant to cook. She taught a course in which she showed how to make meals in less than 30 minutes. With the success of her "30 Minute Meals" classes, WRGB, the local CBS-TV affiliate, asked her to appear in a weekly segment on their newscasts. This, along with a public radio broadcast and the publication of her first book, led to a "Today" show spot and her first Food Network contract in 2001. 2004–2017. Ray, who favors a "quick and easy" cooking style , teaches many simple recipes that she says can be completed in 30 minutes or less, although critics claim her concept does not include preparation time. Ray says her Sicilian maternal grandfather, Emmanuel Scuderi, and her Cajun ancestry both exert strong influences on her cooking. She uses ingredients such as fresh herbs, garlic, and chicken stock to boost flavors, and believes measuring "takes away from the creative, hands-on process of cooking." She, instead, favors approximations such as "half a palmful" or "2 pan swirl." To critics of her shortcut techniques, Ray responds, "I have no formal anything. I'm completely  unqualified for any job I've ever had." She has also repeatedly said, "I'm not a chef." On her television programs, she has used catchphrases such as "E-V-O-O" (extra-virgin olive oil), "yum-o", "G.B." (garbage bowl), "Oh my gravy!", "entréetizer" (entrée-sized appetizer), "stoup" (cross between a soup and stew), and "choup" (thicker than a soup but thinner than a chowder). In 2007, "The Oxford American College Dictionary" announced the addition of the term "EVOO", short for extra-virgin olive oil, which Ray had helped to popularize, and credited her with coining the phrase. One  of Ray's specialties is burgers. She has devoted one of her published works to the topic, "The Book of Burger". Other works. Television. Ray hosted "30 Minute Meals" on Food Network for 11 seasons from 2001 to 2012, as well as a revival of the series starting in 2019. In 2005, she signed a deal to host a syndicated daytime TV talk show. The show, "Rachael Ray," premiered on September 18, 2006. Recurrent appearances on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" were used to fuel the launch, much as Dr. Phil's show was spun off based on his own frequent  visits to "Oprah". The show tapes in New York City. In coordination with the syndication announcement, Ray said, "People know me for my love of food, but I have so much more I want to share". On January 12, 2008, Ray's television series "Rachael's Vacation" premiered on the Food Network. The show was a five-part food travelogue shot in various European countries. In 2008, Ray became a television executive producer of a short-lived Latin cooking show on the Food Network, called "Viva Daisy!", starring Daisy Martínez. In January 2012, Ray and Guy Fieri were team captains  in the Food Network reality series "". In 2016, Ray guest starred in the second episode of "", a miniseries revival of "Gilmore Girls", as a fictionalized version of herself. In 2019, Ray fulfilled a long-time goal of voicing a cartoon character when she voiced a character on the Nick Jr. program "Butterbean's Café". Magazines. In 2003, Ray posed for the men's magazine "FHM." Though she was not nude in any of the photos, this drew criticism so harsh, not least of all from Ray's own mother, that in a March 2, 2009 ABC News "Nightline" interview she  gave to Cynthia McFadden, an ABC News correspondent, Ray defended her decision to pose in the magazine. The interview quoted her as saying, "I'd do it again tomorrow." The Reader's Digest Association launched Ray's magazine "Every Day with Rachael Ray" on October 25, 2005. The magazine featured seven issues in 2006 and increased to 10 issues in 2007. In October 2011, Meredith Corporation acquired the magazine. Product endorsements. In November 2006, Ray became a spokeswoman for Nabisco crackers. She appears in commercials and on boxes for the many Nabisco products. Many boxes with Ray's picture have  her recipes. In February 2007, WestPoint Home launched sheets, blankets, and coverlets designed by Ray. Within six months, WestPoint expanded Ray's bed and bath line to include the "Moppine," a two-in-one dish towel/oven mitt, as Ray is often seen with a kitchen towel over her shoulder that doubles for her as an ersatz mitt. In March 2007, the Dunkin' Donuts company announced Ray as its celebrity endorser, mainly of its coffee, since she had denied being able to make coffee herself. As part of a promotional campaign, Ray describes the company's coffee as "fantabulous." In  May 2007, Ray's recipes were made available on AT&T cellular phones via the "Rachael Ray Recipes on the Run" feature. In July 2008, Rachael Ray's "Nutrish" pet food was introduced. The dog foods are created from recipes Ray developed for her pit bull, "Isaboo". All proceeds from the sale of these products go to Rachael's Rescue, a charity which Ray organized specifically to provide assistance for at-risk animals. In December 2016, PulteGroup started Rachael Ray Home Collection for their interior design division. The furniture it markets is all of Ray's own design. Personal life. On  September 24, 2005, in Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, Ray married John M. Cusimano. Ray's main residence is located in Lake Luzerne, New York. She also owns a Manhattan Greenwich Village apartment to be near the studio The Lake Luzerne home was destroyed in a fire on August 9, 2020. The next day, a director of emergency services with the county stated that there were no injuries to Ray or her family. Charity work. In 2006, Ray launched the Yum-O! nonprofit organization. Its mission is to "empower kids and their families to develop healthy relationships with food and cooking. This  is achieved by teaching families to cook, feeding hungry kids, and funding cooking education."