Rachael Ray

Rachael Domenica Ray (born August 25, 1968) is an American cook, television personality, businesswoman, and author. She hosted the syndicated daily talk and lifestyle program Rachael Ray. Other programs to her credit include 30 Minute Meals, Rachael Ray's Tasty Travels, $40 a Day, Rachael Ray's Week in a Day, and the reality format shows Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off 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.

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 is French, Scottish, and Welsh.

When Ray was eight years old, 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. She graduated from Lake George Junior/Senior High School.

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.

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.

In the early 2000s, Ray came to Price Chopper Supermarkets with an idea to hold some cooking classes for shoppers and perform food demos in stores. During her time working for the chain, she also wrote her first cookbook, 30 Minute Meals. 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.

Rachael Ray was the host of the TV show $40 a Day for three seasons (77 episodes) from 2002 to 2005. She would travel to various destinations and attempt to eat three meals for $40 a day.

Ray favors a "quick and easy" cooking style. She 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. 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 September 24, 2005, in Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, Ray married John M. Cusimano.

Ray's main residence in Lake Luzerne, New York, was destroyed in a fire on August 9, 2020. Ray and her family were confirmed to be safe and uninjured. She also owns a Manhattan Greenwich Village apartment located near her television studio.

In 2009, Ray's sole win came during the Daytime Emmy Awards as she was ruled ineligible by multiple judges during all other nominations and did not receive any awards.

2004: ranked #92 on "FHM-U.S.'s 100 Sexiest Women 2004"

2006: ranked #71 on "FHM-U.S.'s 100 Sexiest Women 2006"

2006: named one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people. She was nominated by fellow Food Network star Mario Batali

2009: according to Forbes magazine, Ray earned about $15 million in the year ending June 2009, as well as naming her as the 79th most powerful celebrity in the world