Rachael Ray is an American chef, television personality-host, producer and cookbook author. Ray has achieved success by expanding her "30 Minute Meals" concept from a cookbook to a brand that includes TV shows, a magazine and various product lines. This year Forbes magazine named her the 79th most powerful celebrity in the world.

Rachael Ray is practically everywhere. Currently she hosts the a syndicated talk/lifestyle show called "Rachael Ray" and two cooking shows on Food Network, "30 Minute Meals" and "Rachael Ray's Tasty Travels." She is also editor of the food magazine Every Day with Rachael Ray.

Rachael Ray grew up in Lake George, New York. Her family owned a restaurant on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. She got her start in the food business with various jobs including candy counter clerk, pub manager and gourmet food buyer.

As part of her job as a gourmet food buyer, she began teaching a cooking class for people who were reluctant to cook. It was during this time that she came up with the concept of 30 minute meals.

Rachael Ray’s simple recipes concept is that they can be prepared in 30 minutes or less; while this concept has become very popular, she is not without critics. She is a fan and practitioner of shortcuts like using store-bought dough and chicken stock. Rachael Ray has told The New York Times and other media that her Sicilian and Cajun ancestry are strong influences on her cooking. She has also noted a disdain for measuring and instead approximates ingredient amounts.

Her classes were successful and 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.

By 2005, when Rachael Ray signed a deal with Oprah Winfrey to host her own syndicated daytime TV talk show, her popularity was at its pinnacle. She became so popular that she is credited with coining the catch phrases "EVOO" (extra-virgin olive oil), "yum-o" and "stoup" (cross between a soup and stew) among others.

Also in 2005, Rachael Ray signed onto launch a food magazine with Reader's Digest Association, publisher of Reader’s Digest, Country Woman and Birds & Blooms magazine. The result was the magazine Every Day with Rachael Ray. While Every Day with Rachael Ray magazine entered a crowded magazine market, which included Martha Stewart Living, Cooking Light, Food and Wine magazine and many others, the magazine proved to be successful.

In 2009, according to Forbes magazine, Rachael Ray earned approximately $15 million in the year ending June 2009, from her television shows, magazine, numerous product endorsement deals and Rachael Ray-branded products like cookware, olive oil, food and linens.