We'll refrain from commenting on how Rachael Ray's bra is totally showing in the NY Times photograph that accompanies her big Dining section feature, and we'll not take potshots at her because it's a little too easy (and there are people who do it better, anyway). But Gothamist would like to point out this part of the RR's history:
She had grown up around Lake George, but the cycle of small-town life and low-paying jobs was wearing thin. In 1995, Ms. Ray headed to New York City. She worked first at the Macy's Marketplace candy counter and moved up the ranks quickly, learning about everything from buying cheese to how to shop for Liza Minnelli's holiday food gifts. When Macy's tried to promote her to a buyer in accessories, she moved to Agata & Valentina, the specialty foods store.
She stayed in the city for only two years. After a bad break-up, a broken ankle and a violent mugging in front of her Queens apartment that left her scraped and shaken, she headed home.
See that, folks? You think Rachael Ray can hack through dining on $40 (but does she really tip?) or make a meal in 30 minutes (thanks to buying more expensive, already prepared foods), but shopping for Liza Minnelli will send you on a road that makes you flee the city.
Sur La Table's director of promotions tells the Times that Ray outsells and outdraws Mario Batali at events. Slate had an article on why food snobs should stop picking on her and Popcrazy has an interview with her. Do you love Rachael Ray and her chub hands, or is her voice the sound of fingernails on a chalkboard?
