Biography
Born in Cape Cod amid a family that ran multiple restaurants, Rachael Ray came of age surrounded by the constant presence of cooking and food. While still a child she relocated to upstate New York, where her mother served as food supervisor for a restaurant chain. Years later Ray settled in New York City and took positions in several gourmet food markets, yet after a brief period she returned to Lake George, the town of her youth, and assumed management of the bars and restaurants at the Sagamore Resort. That experience led to a subsequent role at a gourmet market in Albany, where, working as both buyer and chef, she launched a series of “30 Minute Mediterranean Meals” classes. The sessions proved so popular that she soon began presenting them once a week on a local evening news broadcast. In 2001 the Food Network debuted 30 Minute Meals, the first of several programs that followed: $40 a Day in 2002, Inside Dish in 2004, and Tasty Travels in 2005. By then Ray had also written multiple cookbooks and become editor-in-chief of her own magazine, Every Day with Rachael Ray, while hosting the daily talk show that bears her name. In fall 2006 she extended her reach into music by compiling two collections: How Cool Is That Christmas, drawn from her favorite holiday recordings, and Too Cool for School: Mixtape for Kids, assembled from age-appropriate pop tracks.
Albums
