SacandagaLife.com - Your official online resource for the Great Sacandaga Lake

About Rachael Ray

Rachael Ray's first job was at the candy counter at Macy's in New York City, where she eventually managed the fresh foods department. She later helped open a New York City market. Moving back to upstate New York, Ray managed Mister Brown's Pub at The Sagamore, a famous hotel on Lake George. From there, she became a buyer at Cowan & Lobel, a gourmet market in suburban Albany. Ray credits the concept of 30 Minute Meals to her experience working at the store where she met people reluctant to cook. She began teaching a cooking course there showing people how to make meals in thirty minutes or less. With the success of her "30 Minute Meals" classes, WRGB, the local CBS TV affiliate, asked her to appear in a weekly segment on their newscasts. This, along with a public radio appearance and the publication of her first book, led to a Today Show spot and her first Food Network contract in 2001.

Ray presently lives in the Adirondacks with her husband, John M. Cusimano, and mother, Elsa Scudero. She also has a brother, Emmanuel (Manny) and a sister, Maria. Ray moved to upstate New York when she was six years old. Her family owned several restaurants called the Carvery, in and around Falmouth and Mashpee, Massachusetts.

[ Back ]