The Empire That Is Rachel Ray

Probably one of the best role models in the cooking world is Rachel Ray. She is lively and informative  , kind and caring. She's also a mogul with a good sized empire .From pet food to furniture  her name is everywhere. She is the template for young chefs who want it all.
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This food maven was ;profiled today by regular contributor , Kim Severson in today's New York Times Food section.Ms. Ray came into the public spotlight in the early Aughts. She was bubbly and fun, different from the teacher like TV cooks like Lidia Bastianich and Martha Stewart. America warmed to her, She was your best friend with a cooking show , the one who showed you that cooking was fun and not a chore. Some , though, didn't take too kindly to this. They mocked her , even starting blogs that trashed her and her cute phrases such as EVOO - extra virgin olive oil. Yet she persisted , venturing out with a magazine, Rachel Ray Every Day which has an impressive  1.7 million (!) subscribers along with her pet food line, Nutrish. The last is unique for a known chef, It would be impossible to imagine Booby Flay or Anthony Bourdain coming up with an all natural food for animal companions.That started with a small , family owned company noticing how she gave animals a lot of attention in her  magazine and approached her. She allowed them to use her name, providing the food was inspired by her recipes.It turns out that this was the most lucrative of her ventures, pulling in 650 million dollars (!) in 2017. The mega giant Smuckers, purveyors
 of those tasty jams and jellies is buying the parent company for 1.9 billion ,largely in art because of her influence.

Despite all this, Ms. Ray does have some struggles. As she turns fifty . she is losing her grip on the prized 18-35 demographic. She is  planning digitally streamed show that have more to do with travel, music and food instead of cooking and recipes. This will have to be her future..Syndicated shows like hers on on the decline and her Emmy nominations have dried up. The brand Rachel Ray is on Twitter and various other media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. Still it's not reaching the younger, money spending crowd. Many  twenty somethings feel she's only appealing to young children and grandmothers/ She doesn't have that scientific edge such as Cook's Illustrated and Wirecutter,a New York Times owned digital magazine that spends days testing baking and cooking tools.Ms.Ray's  vibe is more the chummy anti-inspirational. Her attitude is that food is meant to be shared and stored not tested , analyzed and deconstructed. still if that doesn't win over the Millennials, , she will still keep going. There are new projects in the pipeline such as a line of furniture as well as designing handbags from real leather and vegan friendly  less expensive ones. Then  there is her love of music , fueled by her husband and partner, musician , Marc Cusimano
 leader of his band Cringe. she has staged shows for the South BySouthwest concert venue in her beloved Austen Texas.

Rachel Ray will survive, The sweetness masks a toughness and determination that made her what she is today. She doesn't need the Millennials to survive. She has her brand to carry her.