Rachael Ray – Tours the Bay

I couldn’t cook AT ALL when I got married. I literally made food that was inedible. The meal that really made me realize I needed help was when I put shrimp and zucchini on the same dry skewer, with no spices or sauces, on a broken Bar-B-Q and attempted to cook. It was charred, raw in some places, and totally disgusting! Burned AND uncooked–I didn’t even know that was possible. It was time for help.

I started watching 30-Minute Meals and within a couple of weeks I was whipping up veal cutlets with sage and prosciutto in a white wine sauce. My husband has been in heaven ever since! The new Rachael Ray Cookbook, “Look to Cook” is absolutely wonderful! 600 photos illustrate this easy-to-use cookbook. Recipes like “Caesar Spaghetti” jump out at you and make you want to get cooking! An online tutorial (with no commercials) guides you through the cooking process with a timer on the side to let you know – this really will take YOU 30 minutes. It’s a brilliant idea!

Rachel Ray does phenomenal charity work and she took a few minutes to talk about it at her book signing at Santana Row this past Saturday. Her organization Yum-O was started in 2007 with former President Bill Clinton as an associate. Their goal is to educate, and “improve relationship(s) with food and cooking” for families. What’s wonderful for us “die-hard fans” is to know that she has been passionate about that since her show first came on the air. By teaching parents and children how to eat healthy and work together in the kitchen, she is making a difference in their lives. Another organization that is near and dear to her heart is her work with animal rescues. I got to hug one of the precious pit bull mix puppies this afternoon and it reminded me of when I first got mine. I have two pit bulls of my own and have found them to be loving and sweet dogs. Actually, one of the main reasons I adopted them was because of her show. 100% of the proceeds from her dog food Nutrish go towards helping animal rescues. Rachel Ray is one of my personal heroes.

The opportunity to meet her was a dream come true! I got my TBAF Make-Over this week (you can win one too just follow them on FB) so when Rachel Ray was signing my books, she stopped and said 3 times, “You are so beautiful.” Followed by, “You are bringing beautiful back in a big way.” So basically I can die happy! I wouldn’t be a food critic today, a decent cook, or maybe even alive if I hadn’t learned how to cook edible food by watching her show and reading her books!

I really want to thank Santana Row and Sur la Table for organizing this event and bringing a bit of luxury, and celebrity into our lives! I can’t wait to see what else you have coming up for us Bay Area shoppers! And of course thank you Rachael, for being who you are! The Bay Area loves you!