In her chef apron Food Network's mainstay Rachael Ray is not only a wildly popular television personality, but also is the author of bestselling cookbooks; and is editor in chief of her own magazine devoted to lifestyles. In 2007 she launched her immensely successful daytime syndicated TV program,Rachael Ray. A joint production of CBS Television and Harpo Productions (Oprah Winfrey's production company), Rachael Ray showcases Rachael's energy, warmth and enthusiasm for cooking and living the good life. Her simple and down-to-earth approach to cookery is credited with putting Americans back in the kitchen. But Rachael's philosophy of solving everyday problems in a simple, straightforward way goes beyond just cooking and inspires her viewers to enjoy their lives more fully.
Rachel grew up in a cooking family. Her maternal grandfather gardened and cooked in his black apron everything which his twelve-member family ate. Her father's family owned restaurants on Cape Cod before moving to upstate New York. There Rachael's mother worked for a restaurant chain as food supervisor. So from an early age Rachael was surrounded by many different culinary styles, and she worked in the restaurant industry in many different roles. She moved to New York city when she was in her early twenties and took a job at Macy's candy counter, and later in their Fresh Food Department. That is where she acquired her knowledge of gourmet food. She left Macy's to co-found and manage Agata & Valentina, New York's gourmet market. Returning to upstate New York after a few years, she managed restaurants and pubs at Lake George's Sagamore Resort; and then moved to Albany to work as food buyer and chef for Cowan & Lobel gourmet market. To stimulate grocery sales there, Rachael began a series of cooking lessons which included a course on "Thirty Minute Mediterranean Meals" which became hugely popular, and led to Albany's CBS affiliate signing her up for a weekly "Thirty Minute Meals" series on their evening news program. This program won her 2 Emmys its first year, and led her to write a cookbook which sold ten thousand copies in the Albany area.
Rachael began to include travel and lifestyle segments in her TV program work, and she also began to host shows on the Food Network including Thirty Minute Meals, Rachael's Vacation, Inside Dish, and Tasty Travels. She won an Emmy award in 2006 for Outstanding Service Show. Besides her television work, she has written a series of bestselling cookbooks based upon the Thirty Minute Meal idea; six of these books were New York Times bestsellers immediately upon publication.
Leaving her chef apparel aside, in 2005 Rachael started her full size, glossy lifestyle magazine Every Day with Rachael Ray. Although terrific food is its base, the magazine covers a great deal more than just food. It offers down-to-earth advice on entertaining and food destinations, and interviews with celebrity food-lovers and professional and topnotch amateur chefs. In 2007 editor-in-chief Rachael received the prestigious Launch of the Year award from Advertising Age. That same year she began her nationally syndicated daily talk show Rachael Ray, which immediately received the highest ratings of any talk show since Dr. Phil in 2002; and became the number one syndicated show launched that year. Time and Newsweek both heaped praise upon the show, and People magazine named it one of the ten top shows of the season.
