“I’m not a do-over kind of person.” - Rachael Ray

Checkout this week's new episode of #NoLimits Podcast featuring iconic TV personality and cook, Rachael Ray:

On today’s episode, a woman who’s truly built a massive empire. Everyone knows Rachael Ray from her award-winning show to her bestselling cookbooks to her Rachael Ray home brand there is so much more. But how did she begin and where did she get that incredible hustle from? You’re about to find out.

R: Rachael Ray, welcome to No Limits.

RR: Thank you.

R: I feel like I should be thanking you. Because we're here backstage The Rachael Ray Show now in its 12th  Season.

RR: Did they give you food?

R: We have water! We didn’t get to eat yet.

RR: Will you tell them we need green room food for them? You can’t come to our show and not eat.

R: What is green room food for your show?

RR: Everyone that works here. All of our culinary team. They take turns cooking for the greenroom, so they're like pop up restaurants. You know these kids and they are just mad skills talented. So they rotate so that they each get a chance to like play, really. So our green room food is never the same thing twice. It can be anything from fancy chicken and waffles to Tex-Mex to beautiful Mediterranean or Greek or you know Asian cuisine. And I think that's what gets people to come back to our show. You know the way to anybody's anything is through their stomach.

R: Well I would also argue you’re the way that people keep coming back for more Rachael. You have an incredible career at this point, I think of you as a hustler. And I say that with total admiration I hope…

RR: I dig it. That’s sexy. I like that.

R: An entrepreneur and hustler. And I look at all these different areas that you're in: the iconic TV personality. Bestselling cookbook author, businesswoman, how do you think about all these different areas?

RR: It's all very organic. You know I think that when it comes to building yourself or building a brand, you have to be true to that thing. And you also have to be interested in learning and growing you know for me. Our our motto as a team is accessibility. I never want to be the cheapest of anything, I want to be the best value. I never want to do something or touch something or go on an adventure that I don't feel is plausible for our readers or our customer or our viewer to be a part of. We're not about things that you can't touch, and jump, and do. I was raised by people that work a lot of hours and my mom would work 80 to 100 hours a week - she never complained about it. But we had a lot of fun in life. We're not people that are balanced in a lot of ways, very volatile personalities, Sicilians are you know and we like the feeling of working hard. And we also like to play hard. I mean my mom as long as I can remember we would go on an adventure just by going over to Vermont and going right instead of left and not knowing what street we're going down. You know my mother always taught us to talk to strangers not not to talk to strangers.

R: Did that ever get you in trouble?

RR: Never never. And I'm not one of those people that reflects on even negative things in a negative way. If I hadn't been mugged twice in a very short period of time I never would have moved back to the country had I never moved back to the country I never would have started 30 minute meals and so on and so forth. I'm not a do over kind of person. I just don't have that mentality.

R: No regrets.

RR: No, not as long as I'm breathing.

R: You also, again back to this idea of being an entrepreneur. I read that you started delicious liaisons.  

RR: I was a little kid. Yeah I drew a catalog. My mom had a rule when we were kids. If you were doing something creative, you could stay up all night long. You would have to drag your butt to school and if you fell asleep in class and got in trouble that's on you. But if you were doing something creative, you didn't have to go to bed. You could stay up all night long as long as you were painting pictures or writing or reading or creating something. And I drew a basket catalog for delicious liaisons and I would make these baskets.

R: How did you come up with that name by the way?

RR: Well dangerous liaisons I saw, it wasn't that creative really. And I loved you know anything to do with food and making baskets and making things pretty. You know I only made a couple of bucks at it but it was fun.

R: You actually did make money on it.

RR: A little bit, not much. I mean you know this wasn't like risky business. I didn't make 40 grand in a weekend or something.

R: You went to college at Pace University. 2 years you spent there and then you started at Macy's.  

RR: Macy's I started at a candy counter because I always wanted to work at Macy's my entire life and my, the person who had my job, my counterpart in Fresh Foods had some sort of H.R. issue.

And I was given her job and my boss told me that I was not qualified for the job. So don't get too used to it just draw the schedules and call it a day. But I worked very hard. I came in when the store opened and I’d work Iron Mans until the store closed, and you know I just got myself noticed and I got to keep the job and then I got a better job and a better job and so on and so forth. And I think that that's very much true in this country. To me the American dream is very much alive. If you work harder than anybody else and you don't complain about it, opportunity will will shine on you. Period.

R: How do you think about that at this point in your career acknowledging that the hardest working person gets ahead?

RR: I don't think about it, it's my makeup that's who I am. I I am not happy unless I'm working. And I like working my mind you know creatively. I started a furniture line but I draw that furniture I don't just put my name on things. I started to be a pots and pans drawing an oval pot because spaghetti is long. And so the pot should be long. You know it's like problem solving for me, drawing something and then and I've always loved to draw. If I didn't work in food, I would be some sort of artist. And that's what I enjoy. That's what I do when I'm not working working and everything that I do now that's considered work is what I would do on a day off from any other profession. So who cares like this to me is not work at all.

R: Your point about coming up with solutions for people based on your own life experiences. Joy Mangano from, the creator on QVC.

RR: Sure sure sure.

R: That’s how she came up with a lot of her inventions that ended up selling on QVC because she saw a problem…

RR: And you fix it. Exactly. That's what you know. All of my original products the moppine. That was my grandpa who was the main cook in my mom's family. It's one of 10. So he did a lot of cooking. And he kept his moppine, his kitchen towel in his waistband. And that's what you'd wipe your hands with and pick up pots with. We didn’t have pot holders and so I created a dish towel with potholders in the corner. Who knew. You know people love that towel. It's gone through like 52. You know re-toolings you know making it bigger, and stronger, and faster it's like the bionic moppine now. And the oval pasta pot in the oval five court, the companion pot. I wanted to design two pots that if you had a teeny tiny stove as I did in my teeny tiny New York apartment you can't fit two round things next to each other. So these are two very narrow things that hold an enormous amount. And one of them is shallow enough to just make one steak or one hamburger. So if you can only have room for two pans you can make anything in the world. With These two pans because they go in the oven on the stove and the whole spaghetti is long thing. You know we don't break pasta. It just shouldn't even be allowed. Like somebody should come into your kitchen and hit your hand if you snap pasta in half.

R: My assistant is shaking her head yes in the background right now.

RR Yes. So you know, you would have to stand there and just get this horrible facial waiting for the pasta to bend into the round pot. I gave it. Listen I'm not a rocket scientist. I gave the world an oval spaghetti pot.

R: What advice would you give to other people who are trying to figure out their way through solving a problem and creating a product that’s new to the market?

RR: Well start with that, solve a problem big or small. Doesn’t have to be a big problem just a little problem. I mean you have to find a niche you have to find what your talent is and then it really always comes back to taking work seriously but not yourself. You have to have a sense of humor to have any sort of stamina in any job and you have to value the work itself. I'm a big believer in that. You cannot be I was a pretty miserable dish machine operator. It's not a glamorous job especially when you're 14, 15 years old. You know it's very stressful. You're covered with old food. You know.

R: But it built a lot of character.

RR: But it is a character builder and I think that everybody should have to be a dish machine operator, teach humility to a lot of people that need it. But you have to value a job you have to value that you have the opportunity, that it is not a granted god given right that everybody on the planet even gets work. So you know I'm a big believer in that. And when I was an at will employer which I've been for many many decades that is crap that I don't take. If you tell me it's not your job once that's it - goodbye. See ya. My mom didn't take that as an excuse and I don't, it's the one thing that really pisses me off if somebody says I will not even try and do that because I don't ask anybody to do anything I literally wouldn't do myself. And that is something I just do not abide by. “That's not my job.” OK great. There’s other people that would love to have your job. You know I hate to say it looking back in all the years of managing kitchens and stuff, I got so sometimes I didn't even want to interview people that went to The Culinary. I'd rather have kids that went to SECC or Johnson & Wales - less expensive programs. But those kids were hungrier and they worked harder and they they didn't wear on their sleeve literally you know that they had a lovely secondary education that very few people can afford. I really love people that value work. I love being surrounded by them. And I think that's why so many of the people that work here some of them I've worked with for 20 years go all the way back to Food Network. I'm a very very loyal person. And the people that we work with here, we all believe in something we believe that everybody should be included. We believe in making a promise to people that they should live and enjoy every single day of their life and it should have nothing to do with their bank account or what they have access to in life. Every day should feel special and fun. And that's what this country is about. You should feel that way. We work really really hard here but we have tons of fun. People bring their babies, whole families have been made here. People have gotten married and now they have multiple kids. Everybody can bring their cat their dog literally.

R: Isaboo?

RR: Isaboo comes here all the time. Yes. Izzy turned 13. 13’s the new six. She's going to be the first 28 year old pitbull.

R: Awesome.

RR: Yeah. I mean everyone is welcome to bring every living thing that they love here because we work long hours. You know we want it to feel like a friendly community environment. We don't want it to feel like work.

R: What are your hours?

RR: Depends on the day I'm usually up by 5:30/6. If we do three shows. Not bad I'm usually home by six. Iron Mans at Macy's I would work from 4:00 o'clock in the morning get home after midnight running Agata & Valentina, anything in restaurants is 75 to 100 hours. I mean this is a cakewalk compared to that. But we do about 180 hours of this. The most we ever did was 263 shows in one year. 263 in one year. That was the height. Now, I do probably 20 to 40 extra half hour hours and 180 of these so I mean it’s a lot but it's nothing compared to 263. I was a little strung out that year. And when you add in book tours and stuff so.

R: Were you drinking a lot of caffeine?

RR: I drink a lot of water when I first wake up and when I go to bed. I drink a liter at night and a liter when I go running, or climbing, or whatever I do in the morning. After that I drink a big coffee and then all day long… It’s so hot in this room that I don't want to touch it. I drink Ruby’s tea, I drink African tea and sometimes ginger tea. And then the second…And bubble water, I love bubble water. San Pellegrino and I are good good friends. They should gift it to me for free. I'm their biggest customer. And then the second I get home I open wine. I'm a wino it was my first word was Vino so.

R:  When you look back on all of this. Was there ever a time along the way where you doubted the possibility of any of these things happening or falling into place?

RR: You know, my mom’s taught me my mom my grandpa are the most important pillars of my life period. Everything I learned of value I learned from from them. And I think that my mom taught me at an early age it’s about that work ethic thing, that if you work hard and you value that job and you try and be happy about having that job. The worst thing that can happen in your life is you go back to that job. So if you're happy with each step you make, it does give you a kind of fearlessness to try the next thing. And she always told all all three of us my brother my sister or myself if you can close your eyes and see yourself performing that task try it. Chances are you can do it if you close your eyes and you're still afraid of that idea. Chances are that's not for you. Don't do it. Now there are basic skills that we need. You have to learn how to drive a car, and balance a checkbook and things. But generally speaking, when it comes to your creative self I think that's a good rule.

R: Have you ever had to second guess or think through…

RR: I don't second guess. Not everything always works out but I'm not a second guessing kind of a gal, you just keep working. I mean and each day kind of directs me wherever it's going to go. There are many things I'm I'm not sure will work at all I thought I was going to get laughed off the block in furniture like what the hell's that kitchen girl doing drawn furniture but I drew some clever designs, and it turned out to be one of the largest launches in history. Now we've got seven different lines sometimes. If you bring a good product it doesn't really matter what they think of you as a person, they still want the product. So if you're doing a good job and you're giving people value we go back to that word value not not something cheap, not something knocked off but something original at a fair price. I think that that business math always works out. Always. You know whether you get liked or not is a whole separate thing and I've never really cared about that. I love me at the end of the day because I did an honest day's work and I've got a solid family and I got my pitbull and I got a sweet husband. I'm good. I've never been a person that paid attention to. You know I hate Rachael Ray and this person said this or this. I just don't care. I don't work for those people. I work for the people that buy our brand, for the people that I'm partners with on television shows and things. We owe each other respect and the best job we can do and I care about those opinions. The rest of it is a rollercoaster. So I don't really look at that either.

R: That's a very healthy attitude. Especially now. Where the opinions are free flowing around you 24/7.

RR: Yeah of course. I just think if I really go back to kind of Bambi math you know Thumper's mom said if you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything at all. You know if you want to make a statement about something fine make your statement about what you believe. Picking and I wish our politicians were acting more like grownups these days. But I think picking at people's person is ugly and no one should reduce themselves to that. I feel sorry for people that do. I just don't think that that's a skill anyone needs.

R: It's such a waste of time.

RR: It's horrible.

R: Anytime I'm hearing that, or it’s happening around me.

RR: Horrible.

R: It’s just like. Why. What’s the point?

RR: Why would you put negative energy into the universe.

R: Exactly.

RR: There's enough of it out there already.

R: Exactly. I agree with you.

RR: Nothing good can come of it.

R: You also spend a lot of time doing that good as well. Obviously we talked about Izzy your dog. And you you're part of the proceeds from your work goes to supporting animals.

RR: All of them. The the you know they give you talents or a license fee for attaching yourself to to any product right. So all of my fee of that for the animal food is what's funded our rescue money. We've given away over 23 million dollars because of that food. But I really just started making that food because I had no food to feed my own dog if I didn't make it. I didn't trust it. We've gone through that horrible period of time where people were killing their own furry family members. They didn't know it of course because we were bringing in food from all over the world, but primarily China was what was in the news with fillers and because they weren't being watched or tested or checked. People were killing their own cats and dogs. I didn't know what to feed my own dog. And my mom has rescued. I don't know dozens and dozens of cats but she has 14 of them living in between our houses and I didn't know what she should feed her cats. I mean I couldn't even give her advice. I said you've got to cook for them and others buy rotisserie chickens for half of upstate New York stray cats. It was crazy. And they only like the dark meat. So we got really sick of chicken salad and chicken curry can I tell you. So you know we really started it for selfish reasons too. Because we're animal lovers ourselves but it's funded. And the model was really based on something that President Clinton taught me. And Oprah commented to me. I mean that's namedropping crazy. I can't believe I know those people. But the point is that if you want to do good works A) pick something that's personal it’s what Oprah told me to pick, something is personal to you. I want to help feed children. I make my living through food. So we should be feeding people and eradicate hunger among American kids. I want to help kids afford school. It's a real big deal when you come from small town and your family's poor. It's really hard to pay for any quality of school. So we took a portion of all of our proceeds and started Yum-o and that's because President Clinton told me if you can drop a business plan people want to be in business with you, you could take that same model and just use it to fund instead of doing these dinners and pop ups.

He came to our first fundraiser for Yum-o and he's like not for nothing. This is fun and it's great. And the kids are having a good time. It was a one night only restaurant and children. Children chefs our first recipients for a scholarship program were the chefs for the evening and it was President Clinton and Carly Simon. It was this big thing he said. Not for nothing but net net net. You're not going to make a lot with this don't do these things. Everybody does these things don't sell $20,000 dollar tickets to something that costs $200. You know Billy Joel gave us tickets to his concert and stuff. He said don't don't do this: just make a business model you know how to do that. You're doing that. Just make that funded: brilliant. Like the revenue comes in period. You don't have to ask anybody for a donation, you don’t have to do anything other than your normal job of making a dish towel that does something different or a pot or a pan that does something different. That's what funds that and we used that as the model for the animal rescue because I don't have a human child. I have a pitbull. So you know it just made sense for us. But one begat the other one came first the chicken or the egg.

R: Which is I think is really smart for people out there because a lot of people will face that question of, I want to make a difference in the world and they start going at it. And it's not impossible to do it but they start going at it from I’m going to create the nonprofit - you figured out how to create…

RR: A for profit. Right.

R: That goes directly… there are a handful of business models like that. The Toms model, the buy one give one shoe.

RR: Exactly.

R:  Kind Bars they do things along those lines too.

RR: And the socks guys, there's the socks guys. Bombas. Yes they're good socks.

R: They are, those are really good socks. They were on Shark Tank I think that’s how they got found.

RR:  I'm a big shark fan.

R: Yeah so so so it is kind of you were at the forefront of that but now there’s a lot more of these companies that are realizing and I think it’s a lot of the young people creating companies…

RR: It’s awesome. I mean you can make a product you're proud of, and fund the thing that is most personal to you. I love it it's a beautiful model.

R: As far as the food industry goes, tastes have been changing obviously or I would say obviously. Do you agree with that – have tastes changed?

RR: I don't know. I never eat out. I think that the economy forced a lot of restaurateurs and great chefs to take their food to the streets. And I think that that's brilliant. You know you got your food truck craze and everybody went more casual instead of more upscale. I think that that's a good thing. I don't pay attention to trends in anything because I think America especially always comes back to the middle someplace. And I'm a very high low girl. My favorite restaurant in New York is Le Coucou. It is the most fabulous, I've been to Paris and my experience was so sad it made me cry every day that I was there. Le Coucou.

R: Is it because of the service?

RR: It's like everything everything. One of our camera people was actually born in Normandy is a Frenchman and he got into a fist fight and was arrested.

R: Oh my god!

RR: It wasn't just us like the actual Frenchman doesn't like Parisians apparently either. So much so he got arrested. It just wasn't what I thought it was going to be as a little girl and it was just you know it's nobody's fault. Our van got broken into. It was pouring sleet. I had packed my bag like I was going to be an American in Paris. And I was freezing my butt off, and it was just horrible. It was just horrible. And I took seven years of French so I thought I would try and speak French and everywhere I went people were like I don't know what you're saying even though clearly they did. I just cried all the time, all the time. But I mean that was 30 years ago but now I'm 50 now and I was in my early 20s. It's almost 30 years ago. But now Le Coucou is like the most fabulous thing in the world and it looks like the Paris that I wanted Paris to be in my mind you know. But I also love going to you know dosa cart you know and having a four dollar dosa. I love living in my hood which is lower Manhattan. I love eating lower east side. I mean I very rarely will willingly put on a dress and go out to dinner you know but I'm a high low girl. I love being able to go to that world and that's great. I also love that food has come to a place where everyone is represented and everyone is included in every price point can be met and you can have great fare. And I think I'm blessed that I can spend part of my life in New York City. And part of my life in upstate New York there's a lot to love about country life too. But I miss I miss the candlestick maker, and the shoemaker, and the fishmonger - the experience that I can only now have because I'm fortunate enough to be able to live in New York part time. I can't have any more in the country and that breaks my heart. When I was a kid we did have the shoe repair guy and the butcher shop and the fish shop - we don't now. Not that I have anything in the world against Target and Wal-Mart. I mean I love it, it's great it's convenient there's a lot under one roof, but I do miss that you can't have a small town experience unless you live in a big city. That freaks me out. As an American that freaks me out.

R: Yeah. The specialties, people who specialize in one craft are just so rare now.

RR: We don't have a farmers market where I live in upstate New York. I have a garden but if you don't grow it… Upstate New York it’s very few. Unless you live in like Saratoga or one of the more affluent places. I go to the farmer's market next to my apartment and I carry 13 bags of groceries home to upstate New York and then once my garden's working I can cut that back to 5 or 6 but I want to know where every piece of seafood and meat comes from because I am fortunate enough at this point in my life that I can afford those couple extra pennies. But I also love that Target cares and Walmart cares and they've started sourcing sustainable seafood and they sell edamame you know and they care. And I totally get both, and I totally appreciate both. But it's sad to me that we've lost that the small town in the small town in a lot of ways. I mean I come from way way up north. I'm much closer to Canada than New York.

R: I grew up in Minnesota I went to Canada a lot as a kid.

RR: I love Minnesota.

R: Really?

RR: I love it. I love the whole Midwest I love. Like for me a perfect weekend or a perfect week off would be like Pittsburgh.

R: Nothing against Pittsburgh but of all the cities.

RR: Yeah but when I was watching the Super Bowl I was like that is the prettiest stadium I've ever seen it looks like a museum of modern art. I love cold places.

R: And Minnesota has great food. Growing in Minnesota there’s a lot of really great food there. And theater too.

R: And Wisconsin.

RR: And Wisconsin too. We get cheese and cheese curds.

R: I had to explain what cheese curds were to my producer Taylor over here.

RR: Oh come on, Taylor live a little. Take a weekend in Montreal have some poutine kid.

R: I don't even know the answer to this. Maybe there is no answer to this, but how do these foods like kale for example becoming a thing out of the blue?

RR: I don't know but if you are buying kale for any more than like a nickel you're silly. I mean kale was cool when I was a kid…

R: Where do get it for a nickel?

RR: In the grocery store! Just buy a bundle of kale. But people I see them standing on line to buy kale chips and kale snacks. I mean seriously? All you have to do is turn the oven on and it's $7 dollars for like this little box that's worth literally 2 cents of crispy kale and that shocks me.

R: Does that not make you want to get into crispy kale market then Rachael?

RR No, I would never - I would never steal from people I just wouldn't do it. I consider that crazy like you can tell people how to make it, and there's a lot of them that put a bunch of stuff on it. Like ground cashews and fake cheese and stuff for vegans, that I get but just a box of crispy kale for 8 dollars. I don't get. Just turn your oven on. I mean, I grew up with my grandpa he was my babysitter when I was little. And for me kale was always cool. Like I had no friends in kindergarten because I had sardine and onion sandwiches for lunch and for me, you know we always had kale in a jar and kale in the soup and kale salad and like so to me kale’s no big deal how it became this craze here. I really don't know it's a weed and it grows into December. You can't kill it once you cut it, it just keeps growing back. I mean I love this stuff, but I don't get the fascination with woohoo kale everything.

R: What what's been the toughest lesson along the way?

RR: I don’t really know that. Again I'm one of those people that I look at tough times as being very necessary. Like if I could meet the little kid that mugged me twice by the by. Same kid.

R: The same kid?

RR: Same kid. Yeah because I maced him the first time and he came back and beat the crap out of me second time. But if I could meet that kid today I'd just hug it out like you know cause if that didn't happen so many other things wouldn't happen. We’re just not those people. My mom's not that way. My grandpa wasn't that way. We're… If if it doesn't kill you. It's a motto for a reason. It really does make you stronger and more appreciative, and it’ll ground you. You know I have flipped a couple of cars in my life. One time cause I didn’t want to hurt the buck like I didn't want to hurt the deer so I hit the guardrail instead and flattened my truck so hard that I broke the axle and I crawled out of the car covered with gasoline and went to work. Demanded that my mom drive me to Albany so I could go to work because I had a cheese order coming in.

R: Oh my god.

RR: Like I don't my brain just wasn't raised around people that feel sorry for themselves. We don't do that. We just get up and go to work.

R: What's the worst advice you’ve been given?

RR: I know this is like a signature thing for you and I really, I really thought about this driving all the way to work today. And I for the life of me, because I'm just I'm not built that way. I only think about the advice that's worked.

R: Yeah. No, that makes sense.

RR: It's like I try and stick by that. I remember once. I don't know if I was 16 or 18 or what I was but I was young. I remember literally sitting down with my mom used to have these big legal pads and she would draw out the schedules, she used to have to schedule for seven different restaurants and she would draw these big schedules on the lined paper and I never used lined paper so I'd go take this paper and I drew a line down the middle and I literally made a list of everything I liked about myself and everything I didn't like about myself. And since that day I always keep that line in my head and I don't really think about it as advice. I think about, do I feel good about who I was today and how I made people feel today. And I really do make that line down my head almost consistently every day of my life ever since then. So I'd be like I don't know I'm 50, 49. So that’d be a long time. I've been keeping that tally in my head and I do remember the advice that works. Working harder than anybody else. Being grateful for a job, my grandfather taught me once when I was having a fit and I didn't ever want to go back to school and those kids are so mean. He would tickle me until I choked. Which makes you even more upset than getting spanked is somebody laughing at you and trying to make you laugh when you want to be dramatic and you want to cry and you want people to suffer and feel your pain. Right. So for somebody to make you laugh is like triple mocking you. Right. So then you're choking seething anger on top of your sadness. And on top of your cracking up laughing right. And he basically made me count my fingers and toes. And then he knocked on my head and I still had ten toes, and I still had ten fingers. And what was in my head? A brain. So he said what the hell are you crying about. I mean, that's where my head's at. If people give me crap advice maybe I lost a little money maybe I made the wrong choice here or there. I don't care because I still have 10 fingers, 10 toes, and a brain. I really don't care about the rest of it.

R: I love that answer seriously. That’s wisdom! Rachael Ray, thank you so much for joining us on No Limits.

RR: Thank you.

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