The Rachael Ray Example: Why "yum-o" is a word you should know

It A highly published and aired woman, Rachael Ray makes her mark with very quick, simple, inventive cuisine. Although some may argue that her tack is more along the lines of fast food.

When a gourmet grocer from New York goes full-blown Hollywood it’s difficult to ignore the cooking methods she uses. If Rachael Ray were a guest instructor (which she cannot be because she has no formal culinary training) she might have a chef training class on “throwing a dish together” because that is her trademark school of cooking. Her culinary curriculum might contain section headers with epithets like “Yum-o,” Easy-Peasy,” and her cooking lessons could have menu titles with “let’s run a knife through it” for dishes including “Stoup” (idiosyncratic cross between soup and stew), and “sammies” (including her Philly cheese-steak sammie and the chicken cutlet BLT sammie).

Work hard, play savvy, and eat with people more famous than you

Resplendent feedback of her best-seller’s list “30 Minute Meals” books and her acclaimed Food Network® shows $40 a Day, 30 Minute Meals and others have christened Rachael Ray as the patron of true American cuisine: quick, simple and good. You won’t find any fancy recipes or traditional ethnic expressions of finely crafted and time-honored gastronomy techniques, but you will find fantastic alternatives to fast food, solutions to the busy American family life, and really good-tasting food using accessible ingredients and affordable methods.

And of course, do not overlook the flagship of her operation – the ubiquitous Rachael Ray Show features celebrities (like Drew Carey, Christie Brinkley, Diane Sawyer, Emmitt Smith, etc.), food, tips, and speed cooking courtesy of Rachael Ray. You can also see Oprah Winfrey (O) and Rachael Ray (Rach) fix up some Pizz-O, which contains EVOO (of course, this is a Rachael Ray recipe), sweet and hot Italian sausage, garlic, portobello mushrooms, red peppers, ricotta cheese, thyme, store-bought pesto, smoked mozzarella, pre-made pizza dough, and proscuitto. Sounds delicious, fast, and filling!

Why Rachel Ray still should've gone to culinary school

Give the people what they want. That’s the key. When you consider the amount of popularity, likeability and favor that an aspiring chef must acquire to become successful and appeal to a roomful of hungry patrons, serving the public interest quickly takes the seat at the front of the cooking class. The question, “Who are you cooking for?” never holds as much meaning as when asked in reference to preparing food for a mass audience. If you cook for yourself and you have a refined palette, are you sure that the majority of diners you serve will share your stylistic cuisine integrity? If you cook for your clients’ taste buds, can you be positive about your understanding of their appetite and flavor preference?

This is where Rachael Ray has it pegged. She understands her audience, and her book sales, show ratings, and recipe extravaganza are proof in the pudding. The lesson: know your stuff. Where Rachael Ray lacks in formal training she makes up for in dedication, experience, love for food, and downright cosmic luck. But when all is said and done, that kind of luck can only be due to perseverance and preparation.

How will you prepare? The recommendation at hand is to start learning the fastest way you can: go to school!

As you can see, Culinary School is a smart way to launch your career.

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