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Rachael Ray
Rachael Domenica Ray Born August 25, 1968 (1968-08-25) (age 38)
Glens Falls, New York, USA
TV Show(s) 30 Minute Meals
$40 a Day
Inside Dish
Rachael Ray's Tasty Travels
The Rachael Ray Show
Rachael Domenica Ray (born August 25, 1968 in Glens Falls, New York[1][2])
is an Emmy-award winning television personality and author, who currently
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 2005.
Prior to the launch of her talk show, Ray hosted two other Food Network
shows, $40 a Day and Inside Dish.
Personal life
Ray is 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 there showing 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. She also
appeared in a few commercials for Schenectady-based grocery chain Price
Chopper, which stocks all her books at their stores and retains her as an
occasional spokesperson. Ray owns homes in Lake Luzerne, New York and
Manhattan's Greenwich Village.[3][4] On September 24, 2005 in Montalcino,
Tuscany, Italy, Ray married John M. Cusimano, the lead singer of the band
The Cringe.
Cooking
Ray teaches simple recipes that she claims can be prepared in 30 minutes or
less. She uses garlic and chicken stock as simple ways to boost flavors. She
often uses recipes that include her Italian, French, and American heritage,
and Ray emphasizes using 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" and "eyeball it." On
her television programs she has used catchphrases such as "E.V.O.O.
(extra-virgin olive oil)", "yum-o," "so delish," "G.B." (garbage bowl), "Oh
my gravy!", "stoup" (cross between a soup and stew), and "how good is
THAT?"[5] She often refers to sandwiches as "sammies."
She states she cannot bake (because you have to measure ingredients), and to
be 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."[6]
The retro look of the set she uses on the Food Network features a yellow
1950's Model C Chambers stove. While this stove is rarely used on her
program, it 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.[7][8]
Media
Reader's Digest launched Ray's eponymous magazine, Every Day with Rachael
Ray on October 25, 2005. The magazine featured seven issues in 2006. It will
increase to ten issues in 2007.
In addition to her television hosting and cookbooks, Ray has endorsed
products for Price Chopper supermarkets and Burger King, and has appended
her name to a line of cookware and cutlery. Her knife of choice was the
Wüsthof santoku, and as a result their sales rose dramatically. But lured by
the prospect of a royalty check, she now endorses her own line of modified
santoku knives made in China by Australian based cutlery company
Füritechnics.[9] 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." One year later she was
named number 92 on "FHM-U.S.'s 100 Sexiest Women 2004". Most recently, she
was featured in "FHM-U.S.'s 100 Sexiest Women 2006," ranking at #71.
In late 2005 Ray signed a deal with Oprah Winfrey and King World Productions
to host a syndicated daytime TV talk show.[10] The show, Rachael Ray
premiered on September 18, 2006. Recurrent appearances on The Oprah Winfrey
Show were used to fuel the launch, much like Dr. Phil's show was spun off
based on his own frequent visits to Oprah.[11] 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." On
the September 19 episode of The Insider, host Lara Spencer characterized the
ratings for the show as "a monster hit".
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.
In 2006, Ray's 30 Minute Meals received an Emmy Award for Outstanding
Service Show. Ray was also nominated for Outstanding Service Show Host, but
lost to Suze Orman.
Ray was also named one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people of
2006. She was nominated by fellow Food Network star Mario Batali.[12]
According to Forbes magazine, Ray earns about $6 million per year[13] from
her books and television shows (excluding her new show, Rachael Ray).
On November 12, 2006 Mario Batali and Rachael defeated the team of Bobby
Flay and Giada De Laurentiis on an episode of the program Iron Chef America
which featured the use of cranberries as the secret ingredient. Many viewers
were of the impression that this was not a fair competition, that Ray's
contribution was negligible, and that the Ray-Batali team should not have
won.
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 2007, The Oxford American College Dictionary announced the addition of
the term EVOO, short for Extra Virgin Olive Oil, to its dictionary, a term
which Rachael Ray has helped popularize.[14]
Ray announced on her show, on February 21, 2007, that a wax creation was
made of her. This wax figure will be on display at Madame Tussaud's Wax
Museum in New York City.
On March 18, 2007, Food Network debuted a Rachael Ray episode of their
special Chefography series.
In 2007 Rachael Ray has appeared on a Dunkin Donuts commercial as herself,
describing Dunkin Donuts' coffee as "fantabulous". She has also teamed with
AT&T, formerly Cingular Wireless. AT&T subscribers can now save Rachael Ray
recipes right on their cellular phones thanks to the new "Rachael Ray
Recipes on the Run" feature.
Criticisms
Some have criticized Ray's "perky" demeanor as well as her lack of a formal
chef's education and perceived lack of seriousness about cooking. Celebrity
chef and Travel Channel personality Anthony Bourdain, who graduated from the
Culinary Institute of America, has referred to her as a "bobblehead".[15]
In a Slate article defending Ray, Jill Hunter Pellettieri summarized some of
these criticisms by writing:
“ Ray's ditzy demeanor also makes her easy to dismiss. She giggles off-cue
and constantly praises her own cooking. "Smells awesome already!" she says,
making her Snapper in a Snap. "I am so psyched about that." She employs cute
abbreviations—EVOO means "extra virgin olive oil", and gives her dishes
nicknames, such as "You-Won't-Be-Single-for-Long Vodka Cream Pasta". The
acknowledgments in her $40 a Day cookbook read like a high-school yearbook:
"Don …You are the tallest man we've ever had on crew, and yet you pack the
smallest bag—ever! Cool." And, it didn't boost her credibility when she
posed for pinup shots in FHM. (One featured Ray licking chocolate off a
spoon.) When the magazine hit newsstands, she said, "I think it is kinda
cool for someone who is goofy, and a cook, just a normal person to be
thought of in that way.[9] ”
The 30 Minute Meals concept has also been criticized because Ray doesn't
account for certain preparation times in the signature half-hour cooking
time. Many of these preparations, such as pre-washing herbs and vegetables,
are not meal-specific, and Ray counsels they should be done ahead of time.
In the Slate article that otherwise mostly complimented her, author
Pellettieri went through several of Ray's "30 Minute Meals" recipes and was
unable to complete any meal in under half an hour.[9]
Ray has indicated on her cooking show that it may take others over 30
minutes but the point being that it's still fast and simple.
The New York Times Magazine has noted that one of the prices of her
popularity has been an "anti-fan site," a LiveJournal community titled
"Rachael Ray Sucks." The community's founder acknowledges that it was
created partially in jest, and Ray herself has laughed it off. Posters in
the community regularly discuss annoyance and disgust at topics such as
Ray's constant spasmodic hand motions, her fixated smile, her overused catch
phrases and the perceived inedibility and poor aesthetics of many of her
recipes.[16] The community currently boasts in excess of 1,500 members.
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)
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. Retrieved on 2007-01-18.
3. ^ Experts Media (October 19, 2005). "Being Rachael Ray: How Cool Is
That?". Experts Media. Retrieved on 2007-01-15.
4. ^ Hill, Michael (January 27, 2006). "Rachael Ray expands her reach".
Press of Atlantic City. Retrieved on 2007-01-15. (registration required)
5. ^ Rachael-isms (from Every Day with Rachael Ray) (November-December,
2005). Retrieved on 2007-01-15.
6. ^ Severson, Kim. "Being Rachael Ray: How Cool Is That?", New York Times,
October 19, 2005. Retrieved on 2005-08-04.
7. ^ "Television Q&A: Your questions", The Dallas Morning News, 2004-05-09.
8. ^ "Cook Like Rachel Ray With A Vintage Chambers Range", Austin
American-Statesman, 2005-12-13.
9. ^ a b c Pellettieri, Jill Hunter (July 13, 2005). "Rachael Ray—Why food
snobs should stop picking on her". Slate Magazine. Retrieved on 2007-01-15.
10. ^ Barnes, Brooks (September 21, 2006). "TV Syndication's Ray of Hope?".
The Wall Street Journal.
11. ^ Benson, Jim (December 4, 2005). "King World OKs Production on Ray".
Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved on 2007-01-15.
12. ^ Batali, Mario (2006). "Rachael Ray". Time Magazine. Retrieved on
2007-01-15.
13. ^ Top 100 Celebrities - Rachel Ray (2006). Forbes. Accessed 2007-06-26.
14. ^ Adding a Little EVOO...to the Dictionary!. RachaelRayShow.com
(December 5, 2006). Retrieved on 2007-03-02.
15. ^ Rockwell, Page (June 26, 2006). "Bite Me!". Salon.com. Retrieved on
2007-01-15.
16. ^ Walker, Rob (November 26, 2006), "Anti-Fan Club", The New York Times
Magazine: Section 6, Page 26. Retrieved on 2007-04-21 “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, ….”
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