Ray's maternal grandparents were Sicilian and her relatives on her father's side are Cajun from Louisiana. She was born in Glens Falls, New York and grew up in Lake George, New York, along with her brother, Emmanuel (Manny), and sister, Maria. Her family owned a restaurant on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, called the Carvery, and her mother managed restaurants in upstate New York. On September 24, 2005 in Read more...

Ray teaches simple recipes that she claims can be prepared in 30 minutes or less, although critics claim that her thirty minute concept does not fully account for preparation times and many featured meals cannot be completed within half an hour. Ray says her Sicilian maternal grandfather, Emmanuel Scuderi, and her Cajun ancestry serve as a strong influence on her cooking. She uses ingredients such Read more...

In late 2005 Ray signed a deal with Oprah Winfrey and King World Productions to host a syndicated daytime TV talk show. The show, Rachael Ray, premiered on September 18, 2006. Recurrent appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show were used to fuel the launch, much as Dr. Phil's show was spun off based on his own frequent visits to Oprah. The show tapes in New York City. In coordination with the syndication Read more...