Rachael Ray

Rachael Domenica Ray, born August 25, 1968, is an American cook, television personality, businesswoman, and author. She is best known as the host of the syndicated daily talk and lifestyle program Rachael Ray and for hosting cooking shows such as 30 Minute Meals, $40 a Day, and Rachael Ray's Tasty Travels. Favoring a quick and easy cooking style, she has published numerous cookbooks centered on her 30 Minute Meals concept and launched her own lifestyle magazine.

Ray was born in Glens Falls, New York, to Elsa Providenza Scuderi and James Claude Ray, and has Sicilian, French, Scottish, and Welsh ancestry. At age eight, her family relocated to Lake George, New York, where her mother managed area restaurants, including the Lake George Howard Johnson's restaurant. Ray graduated from Lake George Junior/Senior High School and worked briefly at Sutton's Marketplace in Queensbury, New York.

In 1995, Ray moved to New York City, working at the Macy's Marketplace candy counter and specialty food store Agata & Valentina. Returning to the Adirondacks, she managed Mister Brown's Pub at The Sagamore hotel before becoming a buyer at Cowan & Lobel in Albany. Her interactions with reluctant cooks at the gourmet market inspired the 30 Minute Meals concept. While conducting food demonstrations and cooking classes at Price Chopper Supermarkets, she published her first 30 Minute Meals cookbook. This led to weekly newscast segments on local station WRGB, an appearance on the Today show, and her first Food Network contract in 2001.

Ray hosted 30 Minute Meals on Food Network from 2001 to 2012, returning for a revival in 2019. She hosted $40 a Day from 2002 to 2005 and launched her syndicated daytime talk program, Rachael Ray, in September 2006. Her television career includes hosting Rachael's Vacation, Rachael Ray's Week in a Day, and co-hosting reality competitions like Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off and Rachael Ray's Kids Cook-Off. She executive produced Viva Daisy!, voiced a character on Butterbean's Café, and made acting appearances on Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life and The Curse.

Outside of television, Ray introduced her magazine Every Day with Rachael Ray in 2005. She has represented brands including Nabisco and Dunkin' Donuts, designed home goods for WestPoint Home, and created furniture for the Rachael Ray Home Collection. In 2008, she launched Rachael Ray's Nutrish pet food, directing all proceeds to her animal charity, Rachael's Rescue.

Ray married John M. Cusimano on September 24, 2005, in Montalcino, Tuscany. Her programs have won three Daytime Emmy Awards, and her usage of food catchphrases led to The Oxford American College Dictionary adding her acronym "EVOO" in 2007. In 2006, she founded the non-profit organization Yum-O! to support family cooking and youth nutrition education, and later partnered with the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America to assist the Unbroken National Rehabilitation Center in Lviv.

In 2023, Ray ended her daily talk show after its 17th season and announced the launch of her production company, Free Food Studios.