Weekly Written Analysis 5

Rachael Ray is an American personality, chef, and author. The population either loves or hates her quirkiness and down to earth style. Rachael has her own talk show, three food network programs (30-Minute Meals, $40 a Day, Rachael Ray’s Tasty Travels), launched a magazine (Everyday with Rachael Ray) in 2006, and wrote several cookbooks based on the 30 Minute Meals concept. Born into cooking, Rachael grew up working at restaurants in upstate New York, all of which were family owned. She was surrounded by different styles of cooking, and worked in the food service industry modeling every capacity possible (Rachael, 2009).

Rachael’s professional career started at Macy’s Marketplace in New York at the candy counter, then she was promoted to manager of the fresh foods department. After Macy’s, a gourmet market (Agata & Valatina) opened, where Rachael became the store manager and buyer. Even though life in the city was exciting, returning home to the Adirondacks lifestyle made more sense. As a way to increase sales during the holidays, Rachael started a series of cooking classes, called 30-Minute Meals. The local news reported on the classes, due to becoming so popular. The Albany evening news created a segment for Rachael’s cooking classes, which later lead to the Food network show, 30-Minute Meals (Moore, 2009).

30-Minute Meals promotes fast, easy to prepare meals, allowing more time to spend with family at the dinner table. The thought of whipping up a gourmet meal every night sounds good, but in reality most families don’t have the time. Between work, picking up the kids, football practice, piano lessons, chores around the house, and the activities of everyday life, finding the time to eat is a miracle in itself. Rachael is known for her own language on the big screen, coining phrases such as, “EVOO” (Extra Virgin Olive Oil), “yum-o”, G.B. (garbage bowl), “Oh my gravy!” and “stoup”, a cross between a soup/stew (Moore, 2009).

Rachael Ray is involved with a vast amount of product endorsements. In November 2006, she became a spokesman for Nabisco crackers, appearing on boxes and shooting commercials for their products. WestPoint Homes launched a bed and bath line designed by Ray, and recently created the “Moppine” a two-in-one dish towel/oven mitt. July 2008, pet dog food was introduced for her Rachael Rescue, a charity founded by Ray to help at-risk animals. The nonprofit “Yum-O organization”, launched in 2006, aims to help children and families develop a healthy relationship with food. The organization helps with childhood hunger in the U.S., and raises money for food education and scholarships (Rachael, 2009).

Recurrent appearances on the Oprah Winfrey Show were used to fuel the success of the Rachael Ray Talk Show. She signed a deal with Oprah and King World productions launching the daytime show, which educates people on daily issues, popular culture and ends the last fifteen minutes with a cooking segment. The talk show was a huge hit, earning her between fifteen and twenty million dollars a year. In Oprah-like fashion, her own magazine was created, sharing cooking tips, shopping advice, and recipes. According to Forbes magazine, Rachael was named 79th on a list of the most powerful celebrities in the world. In 2007 and 2009, The Rachael Ray Show won two Daytime Emmy Awards, for best talk show host and show (Rachael, 2009).

If people only wanted to know a recipe, they would buy a cookbook. People love Rachael Ray because of her engaging personality. Her recipes fit the American lifestyle, cheap and easy, and most importantly, Rachael Ray is someone audiences can relate to. I have been a Rachael Ray fan since 2003, and meeting her is on my bucket list of things to do. My kitchen contains a large amount of Rachael Ray cookware and gadgets. Rachael Ray has educated me on numerous topics throughout her achievements. I admire Rachael for making a difference in so many lives each year. I will remain an avid fan for life.

References

Moore, B. (2009). Rachael Ray. About.com. Retrieved October 28, 2009, from
http://gourmetfood.about.com/od/chefbiographie1/p/rachaelraybio.htm.

Rachael Ray. (2009). Wikipedia. Retrieved October 28, 2009, from
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rachael_Ray&oldid=322012960.