Booking Rachael Ray

Rachael Ray Biography

Culinary expert and television personality Rachel Ray was born in Glens Falls, New York, in 1968 but grew up in the Lake George area of the state. Ray’s mother was a manager in the restaurant industry, where Rachel enjoyed her first experiences in the culinary world. In the mid 1990’s, Rachel managed Mister Brown’s Pub in Lake George, and then she began work at Cowan & Lobel, a gourmet market in Albany, where she served as a buyer for the company.

Over the next few years, Rachel Ray began to teach local classes geared towards the average adult who didn’t really have an interest in cooking and had little time to devote to the craft. Her “30 Minute Meals” classes became so popular that the local television station offered to feature her classes as part of a weekly segment on their newscasts. The segments were so popular they led to a public radio show, and then to a spot on the Today show.

As Ray rose to prominence on the Today show as a guest, she garnered the attention of the Food Network, which offered to take “30 Minute Meals” and turn it into a regular show on their network in 2001. The show ultimately ran for twenty-seven seasons, earned Ray a Daytime Emmy Award for Best Outstanding Service Show, and became one of the network’s most popular programs and launching Rachel Ray’s career as a darling of the culinary world.

Since that time, Rachel Ray has hosted her own Emmy Award-winning syndicated daytime talk show and hosted the five-part travelogue Rachel’s Vacation for the Food Network. She has authored dozens of cookbooks and even has her own line of household items through WestPoint Home. Most recently, Rachel Ray launched her “Nutrish” brand of pet food, with all proceeds going to her charity, Rachel’s Rescue.