The Word Rachael Ray Wishes People Would Stop Calling Her Brand
Shop the cookware section of any store, and you're guaranteed to find Rachael Ray brand pots and pans, dishes, utensils, and pretty much everything you need to fully stock your kitchen. Rachael Ray is so synonymous with home cooking, that she's probably the only celebrity chef who can get away with selling a "garbage bowl," but her line of cookware just scratches the surface of her influence in the culinary world (via Food52).
Through an ever-growing collection of bestselling cookbooks, Food Network appearances galore, her own daytime talk show, an eponymous magazine, and even dog food, Ray has certainly made a name for herself, per Biography. However, in an interview with Parade Magazine, Ray revealed that she hardly considers herself a businesswoman. In fact, she actually cringes at the thought of people referring to the Rachael Ray brand as an empire. "Empire is such a creepy word!" she told Parade. "And there are hundreds of people that work with me. We're a team and we all believe in one thing: that the good life should not be just for the rich, the privileged, and the special."
Rachael Ray doesn't want her brand to come across as pretentious
At the core of her brand's success lies a love for food, cooking, and the people you share it with. Rachael Ray made it clear that exploiting this passion has never been and never will be her intention. "I feel very much the same person today as I've been since I was a waitress trying to bring my customer what they want," she went on to share with Parade. "I'm happy to be working in and around food. It makes people happy and that's a great way to make a living."
Considering she's the queen of the 30-minute meal, it makes sense why Ray likes to keep things simple with her brand. You won't find overcomplicated recipes in her cookbooks or fancy kitchen gadgets in her cookware line. Ray even told QVC that sometimes she and her husband will eat their food straight from the pot. It all comes down to her approach, that "everybody should be able to make dinner for themselves and feel good about that," as she told Parade. The last thing on her mind is turning her brand into something as inaccessible as an "empire."