Rachael Ray: The Non-Chef Celebrity Chef

With her TV shows, cookbooks, and a magazine, Rachael Ray is having an impact on everyone from home cooks to astronauts.

By Lori Johnston
WebMD Feature

Reviewed by Charlotte E. Grayson Mathis, MD

If you know what EVOO stands for and have ever called food a “stoup” or “sammie,” you’ve become a part of the Rachael Ray phenomenon.

The popularity of the busy cook with the quick recipes and can-do attitude is spreading as fast as her beloved extra virgin olive oil in a hot pan, from her Food Network shows and cookbooks to her monthly magazine and weekday talk show.

Cookbook authors, chefs, and food experts agree that Rachael Ray, has helped remove the intimidation factor when people step into their kitchens. “Rachael is perky and cute and lively, and I think she’s very appealing,” says Jacquelyn Buchanan, director of culinary programs for COPIA: The American Center for Wine, Food & the Arts. “The thing I like about her is she’s so just what she is. She doesn’t pretend she’s a chef.” And while there has been some criticism of Ray for her lack of technique and overexposure, many chefs admire the way she has inspired her fans to get more creative in the kitchen.

“People want to cook at home. They are drawn to that, but because of today’s lifestyles they don’t have time,” says Scott Uehlein, corporate chef for Canyon Ranch spas. “She has done a service to healthy cooking in some manner just because she’s getting people to cook at home.”

Rachael Ray’s approachable attitude also encourages families to eat at home, Buchanan says. “If she can cause one family a week to get together and sit home instead of driving out to McDonald’s, I say, ‘God bless.’”

What's your favorite Rachel Ray recipe? Tell us here.

Rachael Ray’s Journey

After working at candy counters, restaurants, and gourmet stores, Rachael Ray set out to write a book, 30 Minute Meals, which was published in 1998. After her cooking classes at an Albany gourmet market generated a legion of fans, she began doing a weekly segment during the evening news for an Albany station. She premiered her show, 30 Minute Meals on the Food Network in November 2001. Since then, Ray has written a dozen books, including nine best-sellers.

Ray, now 38, benefited from the fact that “making homemade meals quickly” is a popular concept, says Elaine Magee, MPH, RD, who is the “Recipe Doctor” for the WebMD Weight Loss Clinic.

“What I think works for her is that she doesn’t come across as a chef but more of a home cook-type person,” says Magee, author of Fry Light, Fry Right! and Comfort Food Makeovers.

Other shows followed, including $40 A Day, Tasty Travels, and Inside Dish with Rachael Ray,” a precursor to her role as a talk show host. Ray then began to expand her food expertise to include tips on everything from party planning to fashion in her Rachael Ray syndicated talk show and her monthly magazine, Every Day with Rachael Ray, which debuted in 2005.