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Jeff Houck
The Tampa Tribune’s food writer since 2005, Jeff Houck covers the way people live through their food. He also hosts the Table Conversations food podcast and believes that everything crunchy is good.
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And Now, Your Moment Of Rachel
Posted Feb 15, 2006 by Jeff Houck
Updated Feb 15, 2006 at 08:57 AM
It’s becoming clear that it’s Rachael Ray’s world and we just live in it.
The Food Network star - and soon-to-be talk show host - has become this omnipresent media force in a very short time. She’s not up there yet with the Oprah, Google and iPod brands in terms of culture saturation, but all roads point in that direction. I didn’t help matters by writing a centerpiece story in the Flavor section about the culinary cupie doll.
How bad is the saturation level?
Richmond, VA —Whether it be for food, fast cars or adventure, what drives Rachael Ray, Danica Patrick and Eileen Collins is passion. It’s that passion that has earned them and seven other well-known women to become the recipient of the Bodacious Woman Awards (www.BodaciousWomanAwards.com).
The new awards, established by former AOL insider and author Mary Foley, recognize women in the news who are exceptional role-models. “Valentine’s Day isn’t the only day these women have passion. They’ve got it the other 364 days of the year as well,” says Foley, author of the award winning book “Bodacious! Woman: Outrageously in Charge of Your Life and Lovin’ It!” “Passion is what drives their success personally and professionally. You can’t make this up. What these women did over the last year is amazing. They are truly bodacious!”
“For example, with already several shows on the Food Network, two best selling cookbooks out this year, a new magazine, and a new talk show in the works, Rachael Ray knows how to heat up things up in and out of the kitchen. You have to have tremendous passion to do all that and do it well.”
“Danica Patrick may make some men’s hearts pound faster, but it’s being fast on the race way that’s gets Patrick going. She single-handedly revived the Indy Racing League (IRL) by earning her way to race in the Indy 500. The result was fourth place and the IRL rookie of the year.”
“Eileen Collins’ passion for adventure and exploration led to her being the first female Commander of a space shuttle expedition. Her most recent command had the added pressure and significance as the fist shuttle flight since the re-entry breakup of the shuttle Columbia.”
In addition to Ray, Patrick and Collins, there are seven other Bodacious Woman Award Winners including the rebounding Martha Stewart, eBay’s CEO Margaret Whitman, retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, talk-show host and dancer groover Ellen DeGeneres, Actress Geena Davis, and Professional Golfer Michelle Wie.
Uh, dancer groover? Is that actually a title?
You can’t make this kind of thing up, folks.
Not only is Ray being tagged with awards intended to aggrandize the award-giver, she’s now the topic of gossip columnists:
We had a ball laughing and talkin’ ... you would have thought we were longtime friends. It’s not like Rachael’s plate wasn’t already full, what with her Food Network shows that include “30 Minute Meals,” “Inside Dish,” “$40 a Day” and “Tasty Travels;” her new magazine, “Every Day with Rachael Ray,” which debuted in November and has already passed the 1 million-plus mark; her most recent cookbook that’s been a No. 1 New York Times’ bestseller, and her 12th book, 30 Minute Meals Express Lane (all the recipes are made with 10 items or fewer), coming out in April. Whew!
I asked Rachael Mae (I added the Mae): Do you take care of yourself? “Yes, I enjoy two glasses of red wine every night to relax while typing up my show scripts, recipes, articles for my magazine and next cookbook,” replied Ray. (Hey, folks, you know wine is good for your heart!)
Rachael also told me that she does not watch herself on TV. “Never, it creeps me out,” she said. She is a dog lover and lost her beloved red-nosed pit bull named Boo to breast cancer last year. However, she was happy to report that she and her new hubby, John Cusimano, were lucky to find another wonderful look-alike pitbull and named her Isaboo. I asked Ray what she thought about the issue of outlawing pit bulls because of vicious attacks on people.
“States and cities should not outlaw pit bulls,” said Ray. “I had Boo for 13 years and she never had a mean minute. Raising a dog is just like raising a child. I don’t believe any dog is born good or bad; it’s all in how you raise them.” She’s such a sweet and bubbly person. I told her, “Don’t ever change.”
Excuse me. I have to go behind this plant across the room and lose my breakfast.
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