In the Shondaland series take back homeYou will learn that home is more than a place to lay your head at night. It is a space where families gather, memories are formed and a sense of calm begins. From cheerful plants to scents that evoke illicit comforting vibes, the ways in which you can maximize and own your home are diverse. So settle in, and let’s take a look at all the ways we make the spaces and spaces of our homes.
It’s been 20 years since Rachel Ray tapped her local fame as a chef and television personality in upstate New York in her first contract with Food Network. And to say it has come a long way in those two decades is to downplay the size of its empire today.
Her Emmy Award-winning daytime talk show, Rachel Rayon the air for 16 seasons and has a magazine, Rachel Ray in the season, in addition to the production lines of kitchenware, pets, home decor and fashion. The The New York Times The bestselling author has released 28 books – the latest of which is quite unlike any she’s written before.
Ballantine books
Ray started her new cookbook, This should be the place: Missionaries and Food from the Home Front, in 2020 when she and her husband, John Cusimano, were quarantined at their home in Lake Lucerne, New York, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Her time in the northern part had a deep resonance with her. “After hundreds of days here, away from the people, the city, and the life I love, I feel closer to the world – to viewers, readers, colleagues, friends – than ever,” she wrote. “In the long months of 2020, I would have known them all much more deeply and in a more objective way.”
The meaning of home has certainly changed and evolved for Ray and Cusimano. The home became a movie studio, office space, and experimental kitchen, while Cusimano became Ray’s photographer during filming Rachel Ray on their iPhone. Faced with these unique issues day in and day out, Ray felt compelled to simultaneously document the feelings of anxiety, fear, and loss that everyone around the world was experiencing.
These feelings were exacerbated by the additional losses: in 2020, their old house burned down in a wildfire caused by the accumulation of creosote in their chimney. Fortunately, no one was hurt in the fire. Then the couple had to say goodbye to their beloved 15-year-old dog Isabo, who was battling cancer.
Ray’s thoughts on gratitude and home can be found in the articles throughout the book, which also features over 125 recipes for the dishes she was cooking at the time for showcasing. “I tried to write recipes for food that make people happy and also comfort them, especially during this difficult time,” she wrote. “Over the course of the year, I have cooked well over four hundred meals, between feeding the public with content and feeding my family. I always say, you can’t make everyone happy at the same time and on the same day, but maybe you can make them all happy in a year. I’ve certainly tried.” ” As a whole, this must be the Place A time capsule of sorts, chronicling the experiences, emotions, and flavors of this unique time in her life.
Shondaland sat down with Ray to talk about her new book, working with her husband, and how the pandemic has changed her.
Chelsea Greenwood: How did this book project come about?
Rachel Ray: For the first time in 53 years, the entire world was going through the same thing at the same time, and I wanted to think about what our family went through and the rollercoaster ride that it was.
CG: How does it feel to open up about your life in this personal way?
RR: I did it in my last book, Rachel Ray 50. These were memoirs of the first half of my life. This is a continuation of those notes about the past two years.
CG: What are some of your favorite recipes from the book?
RR: This was not related to our favorite family. It’s about 125 recipes from the batch of work I’ve done during this pandemic. Three of my favorite recipes are Sesame Mushroom Ramen, Crab Fra Diavolo and Spaghetti, and Shrimp and Chorizo Paella.
CG: The description of the book says the pandemic has changed your direction. How is that?
RR: We are becoming more intimate with our larger audience and community. We have connected with people in new and very meaningful ways, and the transparency of our lives in this way has been very liberating.
This content is imported from Instagram. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, on their website.
CG: Why do you think so many people have turned to cooking and baking during the pandemic? Why was that attractive?
RR: Well, when you are trapped inside your house, everyone has to redefine what that means. They focus on “I’ve never been able to fix this or clean that up”, and they have more free time; Therefore, they cook more. And now I think we all value our daily lives more, and I think that’s why so many people live a hybrid life with less time in the office and more time at home.
CG: What is it like to produce your show at home with your husband?
RR: John is gradually getting better at it. But it would be strange to move from the guesthouse to our reconstructed house. I feel like I’m on the move, and I feel like I’m going to work all over again in a new place.
CG: What is the main message you want to share with your readers?
RR: We’ve all lost so much in the past year, but I’ve found gratitude in a new definition of what “home” means—it’s a state of mind and a state of bliss. It’s not about your stuff; It’s about whether you have a life you’re proud of and people in your life who love and care about you. This is the state of the country.
Chelsea Greenwood is an award-winning lifestyle writer and editor, whose work has been featured in in styleAnd the Figs are popularAnd the SelfAnd the AchieveAnd the EagleAnd the Brit + CoAnd the Is learningAnd the vice. Follow her on Twitter Tweet embed.
Get Shondaland directly in your inbox: Subscribe today
This content is created and maintained by a third party, and is imported on this page to help users provide their email address. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io
