Rachael Ray was up to something big.
Ray’s production company, Free Food Studios, has partnered with A&E Networks. The deal will bring “in the kitchen” content and a variety of new shows from Ray and other talent over the next two years.
The project means Ray, 55, finds it hard to find a moment to relax – but she’s fine with it.
“I don’t do very well with downtime. I love to work. I like that. I like to keep my brain very active, and if I’m not writing shows, I’m drawing ‘food,’ as I call them — recipes on paper — and writing books and things like that,” the iconic television chef tells PEOPLE. “I don’t like to be idle. I was never good at it.”
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She even jokes that she wrote “120 pages” of one of her cookbooks on her honeymoon. “I’m really bad at doing nothing!” she says proudly.
Ray says her day starts as early as 3 in the morning
“I can not sleep. I wake up at three or four in the morning and just start working because I can’t stop thinking about it,” he says. “I don’t sleep very well. I’ve never been. Even when I was a little girl. My nickname was Little Hoot because I was a night owl.”
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Her husband of more than 20 years, John Cusimano, prefers a little more R and R. “He likes to sleep. Unfortunately, once I get up and turn on all the lights and start typing and turn on the coffee, he’s forced to get up pretty early as well,” jokes Ray. “He’s usually up between five and six… The other morning he said, ‘You do realize it’s three in the morning, right?'”
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John Cusimano and Rachael Ray. Jim Spellman/WireImage
Another main reason why Ray likes to stay hyper is that she is always curious about trying new things and taking on new business ventures.
“I am always for everyone, and I am a person over 50 years old. I try to remain relevant, which is an honor for me,” she says. “It’s cool to be over 50 and get new opportunities that keep coming.”
Ray said goodbye to her syndicated daytime talk show, The Rachael Ray Show, in May. He says it’s connecting with real people like the show’s inspirational guests that really “gives me goosebumps,” so he plans to bring that same level of authenticity to A&E.
“At heart I think I’m a waitress, whether I’m serving furniture or a pot, pan or plate of food. I want to give people something smart, useful and accessible. I like people to feel included,” she says.
The partnership will return Ray to her roots, metaphorically and physically. The lineup of upcoming content includes Rachael Ray Meals in Minutes — new appearance on Ray’s beloved Food Network show Meals of 30 minutes. He will also be cooking out of his home in Italy (Ray is Italian on his mother’s side) for Rachael Ray’s Tuscany, what is the working title.
“People will see more of what they came to enjoy in my work during the pandemic when John and I worked alone for over two years. I think people love that, they really feel like they’re with you at the kitchen counter or in your home with you,” she says. “That’s the vibe I want people to have with my work in Italy.”
This new course in her long-running career is her most challenging yet, but in true Ray style, she’s up for any task.
“We’re going to be working on so many different things,” she says. “I have to set the bar higher, so I want to rise to the occasion and make sure I do my best every day.”
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Source: HIS Education