Rachael Ray went from scraping together the rent as a candy counter girl to a multi-millionaire with her own talk show, cooking show(s), magazine, and books that have sold more than 4 million copies. She's also spawned a lingo all her own. (EVOO for Extra Virgin Olive Oil has entered the popular vernacular). All this in a little under ten years.Love her or hate her, Rachael Ray, she of the perky smile and Girl-next-door demeanor, gets major points for translating her love of cooking into a multi-million media empire. People can't seem to get enough of her "regular gal" persona. But her bubbly personality masks some serious business savvy.
Using her mentor Oprah Winfrey as a blueprint, Ray has expanded out of the kitchen this year into many other avenues. Her one-hour daytime talk show, The Rachel Ray Show, is patterned after the perennially popular Oprah Winfrey Show, and was the only syndicated daytime talk show launched in 2007 to be renewed. Her Food Network shows continue to be among the most popular on the channel.
She also cooked up some lucrative endorsement deals with name brands such as Dunkin Donuts and Nabisco -- now owned by Kraft Foods (NYSE: KFT). These media venues help feed her magazine (Every Day with Rachel Ray) and cookbook sales.
These are like the cherry on top of the $16 million Ray took home this year, according to Forbes magazine. By some estimates, Ray's net worth is touching $100 million, but that's hard to verify. One thing's for sure, this gal doesn't need to get out of the kitchen; she's proving that she can stand the heat.
I enjoy watching her. She worked hard to get to where she is.
ReplyDeleteI know there are a lot of people ou there that just can't stand her but I love her I have her cookbooks, T-shirts and Evoo I think some people are jealous of her, not me I just wished I made the money she does. I am one of those people who carry way to many things over to the counter when they are cooking so she reminds me of myself I don't talk as much as she does though... And I wished I looked like her how does she stay so trim?? I look at the food and I gain weight.
ReplyDeleteI don't cook but I like watching her and Emeril. They are entertaining and I use EVOO a lot now. I enjoy her $40 a day trips to cities like Seattle, etc. We have many of her cookbooks at Borders.
ReplyDeleteI have never watched her show but she must have a website where I can look up her recipes and check her out.
ReplyDeleteMaureen yes you can go to foodnetwork.com and you can click on 30 minute meals and see what she is cooking for that days shows or what you have missed for the week. There are other people there you can check out too. I have gone there and gotten a lot of good things and I tweak the recipes some of the stuff she uses I don't and then sometimes I add.
ReplyDeleteI love Rachael Ray. One day on her show she got such a kick out squeezing the honey bear's belly for honey and it cracked me up. She has such a zest for life--that's why I think she's so successful.
ReplyDeleteI also love Rachel Ray. We don't have cable, so I can't watch her food network shows unless I'm on vacation. LOL Seriously, my husband knows to schedule our "out of the hotel room" events around Rachel Ray on the food network and Samantha Brown, (the travel network)!
ReplyDeleteIf she can stand the heat, why does Food Network delete less than favorable reviews of her recipes?
ReplyDeleteAnd how does she stay so trim? Dude, there are all kinds of drugs that help with that: crack, speed, meth, caffeine, tobacco...