Rachel ray on biography

Written, Produced & Directed by Jason Goodman

Rachael Ray was the first “Biography” I did for the Biography Channel. I also have to admit that until I got the gig – I barely knew who she was. So I had a lot of information to assimilate quickly in order to get the rhythm of her story right.

The Bio was produced right at the beginning of Rachael’s talk show, and along with her endless amount of other enterprises, she was as stretched as far a human can be. And yet she was always kind and her team attentive to details, and I really liked the people who loved her. Most of all, I was impressed at her ability to adjust to stardom with such ease – after all, less than five years earlier, she was cooking to go dinners at an Albany gourmet supermarket.

Click here to watch my favorite act.











> Biography: Rachael Ray • My Favorite Act • Written, Produced & Directed by Jason Goodman

Rachael likes to present a very upbeat profile to the public, and she’s clearly very good at that. But there was one pivotal moment in Rachael’s life that was anything but positive – two brutal muggings that sent her first to the hospital, and then back to her upstate New York country life with the intention of never setting foot in New York again. The story of how she managed to find success anyway showed me a lot about the complex woman underneath that powerful brand.





[Return to top]
[watch the whole show].














Biography: Rachael Ray • Written, Produced & Directed by Jason Goodman

Biography shows are supposed to have a shelf life of five years, but everyone understands they can become out of date very quickly. While we were making Rachael’s Bio, there were rumors swirling on the front pages of every tabloid about her “failing” marriage. Things were bad enough that her husband John even agreed to do an interview, which is not something he likes to do. Happy to report that two years later, Rachael and John still are

Rachael Ray is a television personality, businesswoman, celebrity cook, philanthropist, and author. She hosts the Emmy-award winning daytime talk show, Rachael Ray, and the Food Network series 30 Minute Meals. In 2007, Ms. Ray launched a nonprofit organization, Yum-o! that empowers kids and their families to develop healthy relationships with food and cooking. In 2010, she launched the pet food line Rachael Ray Nutrish, which fully funds The Rachael Ray Foundation whose goal is to support causes that help animals in need, and Yum-o! related initiatives. Ms. Ray also has a line of kitchen items as well as home furnishings.  

According to Rachael Ray, she grew up in food. “My first vivid memory is watching my mom in a restaurant kitchen. She was flipping something with a spatula. I tried to copy her and ended up grilling my right thumb! I was three or four,” says Rachael, who insists that cooking is a way of life she was simply born into. “Everyone on both sides of my family cooks.” 

Rachael has parlayed that birthright into a wildly successful career as a syndicated television star, an iconic Food Network television personality, best-selling cookbook author, Founder and Editorial Director of her own lifestyle magazine, Rachael Ray In Season, and Founder of the Rachael Ray Foundation. 

Rachael’s hugely successful syndicated daytime program, RACHAEL RAY, launched in the fall of 2006. Showcasing Rachael’s warmth, energy and boundless curiosity, the show — produced by CBS Television Distribution in association with Harpo Productions, Scripps Networks and Watch Entertainment — invites viewers to experience life the Rachael Ray way. Credited with getting America back in the kitchen with her easy approach to cooking, Rachael takes the same philosophy — finding simple solutions to everyday problems—beyond the kitchen and into all aspects of the show. 

Growing up in a family steeped in culinary tradition, Rachael was exposed to a wide array of cooking techniques, learn

American celebrity cook and television host (born 1968)

This article is about the person. For her television series, see Rachael Ray (talk show). For the similarly-named 1863 novel, see Rachel Ray (novel).

Not to be confused with Rachel Roy.

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. Ray also played herself in the Netflix revival of Gilmore Girls in 2016.

Early life and career

Early life

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, 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 f

1968–

Who Is Rachael Ray?

Rachael Ray held several jobs in the food industry before her signature 30 Minute Meals classes were picked up by a local television newscast. She went on to host several Food Network shows, author tons of cookbooks, launch her own magazine, and start a nationally syndicated talk show, Rachael Ray, which has been nominated for multiple Daytime Emmy Awards since its premiere and has won several trophies.

Quick Facts

FULL NAME: Rachael Domenica Ray
BORN: August 25, 1968
BIRTH CITY: Glen Falls, New York
SPOUSE: John Cusimano (2005–)
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Virgo

Early Life and Career

Rachael Domenica Ray was born on August 25, 1968, in Glen Falls, New York, and raised in Lake George, New York, surrounded by family in the restaurant business. She herself held several jobs in the food industry, including opening Agata & Valentina specialty food market in New York City. It was while working in a gourmet food shop in Schenectady, New York, that Ray developed her signature 30 Minute Meals classes, which were soon picked up by a local television newscast.

Cooking Empire

The cooking segments eventually led to Ray’s first book deal and a contract with Food Network. Vivacious and oftentimes goofy, Ray’s shtick is simple recipes involving shortcuts that anyone can do at home. 30 Minute Meals was so popular that Food Network debuted three other programs starring the bubbly cook: $40 a Day, Inside Dish, and Rachael Ray’s Tasty Travels. She has also authored numerous cookbooks around the quick cook theme.

Ray launched a food and lifestyle magazine, Every Day With Rachael Ray, in 2005 and premiered a self-titled television talk show in collaboration with Oprah Winfrey in 2006. That year, 30 Minute Meals received an Emmy Award for Outstanding Service Show. She has continued to receive kudos for her work. In 2008 and 2009, Rachael Ray won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show Entertainment. The show