Rachael Ray

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This article is about the celebrity. For the television series, see Rachael Ray (TV series).
Rachael Ray

Born August 25, 1968 (1968-08-25) (age 39)
Glens Falls, New York, U.S.
Television show(s)

Rachael Domenica Ray (born August 25, 1968 in Glens Falls, New York[1][2]) is a two-time Emmy-nominated[3] television personality and author. She hosts the syndicated talk/lifestyle program Rachael Ray and two Food Network series, 30 Minute Meals and Rachael Ray's Tasty Travels. Ray has also written a series of cookbooks based on the 30 Minute Meals concept, and launched a magazine, Every Day with Rachael Ray, in 2006.

Prior to the launch of her talk show, Ray hosted two other Food Network shows, $40 a Day and Inside Dish.

Contents

[edit] Personal life

Ray is partially of Sicilian ancestry; her maternal grandparents were Sicilian. Her relatives on her father's side are Cajun from Louisiana. She was born in Glens Falls, New York. Her family owned a restaurant on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, while her mother managed restaurants in upstate New York. She grew up in Lake George, New York.

Her first job was at the candy counter at Macy's in New York City, where she eventually managed the fresh foods department. She later helped open a New York City market. Moving back to upstate New York, Ray managed Mister Brown's Pub at The Sagamore, a famous hotel on Lake George. From there, she became a buyer at Cowan & Lobel, a gourmet market in suburban Albany. Ray credits the concept of 30 Minute Meals to her experience working at the store where she met people reluctant to cook. She began teaching a cooking course in which she showed people how to make meals in thirty minutes or less. 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 appearance and the publication of her first book, led to a Today show spot and her first Food Network contract in 2001. Later appearances on the Today show followed, and she and Katie Couric became very good friends.[citation needed] Ray is also a big fan of the Howard Stern Show.[4]

Ray has appeared in commercials for Schenectady-based grocery chain Price Chopper, which stocks her books at their stores and retains her as an occasional spokesperson. She owns homes in Lake Luzerne, New York and Manhattan's Greenwich Village.[5][6] On September 24, 2005 in Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, Ray married John M. Cusimano, the lead singer of the rock band The Cringe[7].

Ray lives in the Adirondacks with her husband and her mother. She also has a brother, Emmanuel (Manny), and a sister, Maria. Ray moved to upstate New York when she was six years old. Her family owned several restaurants called the Carvery, in and around Falmouth and Mashpee, Massachusetts.

[edit] Career

[edit] Cooking

Ray teaches simple recipes that she claims can be prepared in 30 minutes or less. She uses ingredients such as garlic and chicken stock as simple ways to boost flavors. She often uses recipes that include her Italian and Cajun heritage, as well as fresh herbs, whenever possible. She believes that measuring "takes away from the creative, hands-on process of cooking" and instead favors approximations such as "half a palmful". On her television programs she has used catch phrases such as "EVOO" (extra-virgin olive oil), "yum-o", "so delish", "G.B." (garbage bowl), "Oh my gravy!", "entreetizer" (entree-sized appetizer), "stoup" (cross between a soup and stew) and "How good is that?"[8]

She states: she cannot bake (because you have to measure ingredients), she cannot make coffee, and is notorious for burning bread under the broiler. Ray says her Sicilian maternal grandfather, Emmanuel Scuderi, served as a strong influence on her cooking. To critics of her shortcut techniques, Ray responds, "I have no formal anything. I'm completely unqualified for any job I've ever had."[9]

The set of 30 Minute Meals features a yellow Model 61C Chambers stove from the 1950s, notable for its top-opening broiler, super-insulated oven, and unique Thermowell. The stove is noticed by viewers so much so that people selling them often refer to Chambers ranges as "the Rachael Ray stove". This has led to an increased interest in saving and restoring these stoves, inspiring two online discussion forums and fan websites, as well as numerous references to them in the media.[10][11]

On November 12, 2006, Ray and Mario Batali defeated the team of Bobby Flay and Giada De Laurentiis on an episode of the program Iron Chef America during which cranberries were the secret ingredient. On March 18, 2007, Food Network debuted a Rachael Ray episode of its special Chefography series, on which she stated that "the worst day of (her) life" was "Iron Chef America," admitting to being anxious of it weeks before she was set to appear.

In 2007, The Oxford American College Dictionary announced the addition of the term EVOO (short for extra virgin olive oil), which Ray has helped popularize.[12]

[edit] Television

In late 2005 Ray signed a deal with Oprah Winfrey and King World Productions to host a syndicated daytime TV talk show.[13] 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.[14] The show tapes in New York City. Ray said, in coordination with the syndication announcement, "People know me for my love of food, but I have so much more I want to share."

In addition to Oprah, Ray has appeared on The View, The Today Show, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, and Larry King Live.

For Sesame Street’s 38th season, Ray appeared in an episode to present "pumpernickel" as the word of the day.

On January 12, 2008, Ray's latest series, Rachael's Vacation, premiered on the Food Network.[15] The show is a five-part food travelogue shot in various European countries.[16]

[edit] Magazines

In 2003, she posed for the men's magazine FHM. The New York Times wrote, "The shots feature Ray in short-shorts with an exposed midriff, licking chocolate off a big wooden spoon, eating a strawberry and sitting in a sink, laughing as suds cascade down her thighs."[9]

Reader's Digest launched Ray's eponymous magazine, Every Day with Rachael Ray on October 25, 2005. The magazine featured seven issues in 2006, and increased to ten issues in 2007.

[edit] Product endorsements

Ray has endorsed products for Price Chopper supermarkets, and promotes a "Best in Fresh with Rachael Ray" recipe section on the company's website.[17]

Ray has endorsed Burger King,[citation needed] and has appended her name to a line of cookware and cutlery. Her knife of choice was the Wüsthof and as a result, Wusthof's sales rose dramatically.[citation needed] She now endorses her own line of modified santoku knives made in China by Australian based cutlery company Füritechnics.[18]

In November 2006, Ray became a spokesperson for Nabisco crackers. She appears in commercials and on boxes for the many Nabisco products. Many boxes with Ray's picture have recipes written by her.

In February 2007, WestPoint Home launched sheets, blankets, and coverlets designed by Ray.[19] 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.[20]

In March 2007, Dunkin' Donuts announced Ray as its new pitchwoman.[21] Ray describes Dunkin' Donuts' 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.[22]

[edit] Awards, recognition, charity work

[edit] Criticisms

Celebrity chef and Travel Channel personality Anthony Bourdain has referred to Ray's affiliation with Dunkin' Donuts as "evil" and is like "endorsing crack for kids".[26] Her 30 Minute Meals concept has also been criticized for not fully accounting for preparation times, and for featuring meals that cannot be completed within half an hour.[18]

She is also criticized for her approach to cooking. In a Slate article defending Ray, Jill Hunter Pellettieri summarized some of these criticisms, mentioning a "ditzy" demeanor, giggling, praising her own cooking, using cute abbreviations, nicknaming her dishes, and posing in sexually suggestive photographs.[18] Detractors include an "anti-fan site" and LiveJournal community titled "Rachael Ray Sucks" with over 1,900 members.[27]

[edit] Bibliography

  • 30 Minute Meals (1999)
  • Rachael Ray's Open House Cookbook (2000)
  • Comfort Foods (2001)
  • Veggie Meals (2001)
  • 30-Minute Meals 2 (2003)
  • Get Togethers: Rachael Ray 30 Minute Meals (2003)
  • $40 a Day: Best Eats in Town (2004)
  • Rachael Ray's 30-Minute Meals: Cooking 'Round the Clock (2004)
  • Rachael Ray's 30-Minute Meals for Kids: Cooking Rocks! (2004)
  • Rachael Ray's 30-Minute Get Real Meals : Eat Healthy Without Going to Extremes (2005)
  • Rachael Ray 365: No Repeats: A Year of Deliciously Different Dinners (2005)
  • Rachael Ray 2, 4, 6, 8: Great Meals for Couples or Crowds (2006)
  • Rachael Ray's Express Lane Meals (2006)
  • Rachael Ray: Just In Time (2007)
  • Yum-O! The Family Cookbook (2008)

[edit] References

  1. ^ Keel, Beverly (10/9/2005). Rachael Ray's Recipe for Success. AmericanProfile.com. Retrieved on 2007-01-15.
  2. ^ Hiltbrand, David (October 22, 2006). "One fast foodie". Charlotte Observer. 
  3. ^ Awards for Rachael Ray (html). imdb.com (2007). Retrieved on 2008.
  4. ^ [1] (See various Audio Clips section on Monday 7/16).
  5. ^ Experts Media (October 19, 2005). "Being Rachael Ray: How Cool Is That?". Experts Media. 
  6. ^ Hill, Michael (January 27, 2006). "Rachael Ray expands her reach". Press of Atlantic City.  (registration required)
  7. ^ [2]The Cringe
  8. ^ Rachael-isms (from Every Day with Rachael Ray) (November-December, 2005). Retrieved on 2007-01-15.
  9. ^ a b Severson, Kim. "Being Rachael Ray: How Cool Is That?", The New York Times, October 19, 2005. Retrieved on 2005-08-04. 
  10. ^ "Television Q&A: Your questions", The Dallas Morning News, 9 May 2004. 
  11. ^ "Cook Like Rachel Ray With A Vintage Chambers Range", Austin American-Statesman, 13 December 2005. 
  12. ^ Adding a Little EVOO...to the Dictionary!. RachaelRayShow.com (December 5, 2006). Retrieved on 2007-03-02.
  13. ^ Barnes, Brooks (September 21, 2006). "TV Syndication's Ray of Hope?". The Wall Street Journal. 
  14. ^ Benson, Jim (December 4, 2005). "King World OKs Production on Ray". Broadcasting & Cable. 
  15. ^ ABC News: Rachael Ray Has New Food Network Series
  16. ^ Rachael's Vacation with Rachael Ray
  17. ^ If you're going to Do It, Do It Better!. Retrieved on 2007-09-05. “"Price Chopper can help you do breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and desserts, burgers and barbecues, sushi and salads, and do it better. With Price Chopper, you can do more, because we do more."”
  18. ^ a b c Pellettieri, Jill Hunter (July 13, 2005). "Rachael Ray—Why food snobs should stop picking on her". Slate Magazine. 
  19. ^ "Rachael Ray Debuts at WestPoint", Home Textiles Today, February 2007. Retrieved on 2007-09-05. 
  20. ^ "WestPoint helps Rachael Ray mop up", Home Textiles Today, 2007-08-09. Retrieved on 2007-09-05. 
  21. ^ Reidy, Chris. "The new face of Dunkin' Donuts", The Boston Globe, 2007-03-09. Retrieved on 2007-09-05. 
  22. ^ "AT&T and LimeLife Launch New Mobile Application 'Rachael Ray Recipes on the Run'", AT&T Corporate News Room, 2007-05-23. Retrieved on 2007-09-05. 
  23. ^ Batali, Mario (2006). "Rachael Ray". Time Magazine. 
  24. ^ Top 100 Celebrities - Rachel Ray (2006). Forbes. Accessed 2007-06-26.
  25. ^ Hirsch, J.M.. "Rachael Ray launches charity and teams with Bill Clinton to get kids eating healthier", North County Times, 2007-04-25. Retrieved on 2007-09-05. 
  26. ^ "RACHAEL'S DUNKIN' GIG 'EVIL'", New York Post, October 11, 2007. 
  27. ^ Walker, Rob (November 26, 2006), “Anti-Fan Club”, The New York Times Magazine: Section 6, Page 26, <http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/26/magazine/26wwln_consumed.html?ex=1322197200&en=53d7340a229ca54f&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss>. Retrieved on 21 April 2007  “What is the opposite of a fan club? The answer is the Rachael Ray Sucks Community. Gathering by way of the blogging and social-networking site LiveJournal ....”

[edit] External links

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