Who is Rachael Ray? Meet Selena + Chef Season 4 guest who started her culinary journey from a candy counter

Rachael Ray will be a guest on Selena Gomez's cooking show Selena + Chef, which is all set to return with its fourth season on HBO Max. On Thursday, August 18, 2022, the hit culinary series will return with three episodes and will feature a number of popular celebrities as guests, who will grace the set via video call and guide the host through a series of fun summer-themed recipes. One such guest is Rachael Ray.

Rachael Ray is an American chef and television personality who began her culinary journey from a candy counter. She is now known to promote quick, easy-to-prepare meals through her television programs and a number of cookbooks, including Rachael Ray 30-Minute Meals (1998), Rachael Ray: Memories and Meals from a Sweet and Savory Life (2019), and This Must Be the Place: Dispatches & Food from the Home Front (2021) among many others.

---

More on popular celebrity chef Rachael Ray

Rachael had extensive experience in the kitchen from a young age when she helped her family out in their chain of restaurants in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. She began to pursue her culinary career in New York City and instantly rose in her capabilities to become a store manager and buyer for New York gourmet marketplace Agata & Valentina. She then moved upstate where she managed the pubs and restaurants of Sagamore Resort on Lake George.

The star launched her television career at Albany’s gourmet market Cowan & Lobel. She offered cooking classes during the holidays with her combined knowledge of business and culinary skills and promoted the market's sales.

The chef's most popular show, 30-Minute Mediterranean Meals, gained local media's attention, following which Albany’s CBS affiliate station gave her a contract to produce a weekly cooking segment called 30-Minute Meals for the nightly newscast. Her simple and quick recipes, combined with her calm demeanor, made the show an instant success, earning it two local Emmy nominations in its first year.

Looking at her performance on local television, Rachael was hired by Food Network, where she hosted a number of well-received programs, including 30 Minute Meals, $40 a Day, Tasty Travels, and Inside Dish. The chef then developed a brand image and became known for making quick meals.

In 2005, she started her own publication called Every Day with Rachael Ray, serving as editor-in-chief.

She then expanded her empire by creating a line of kitchen items as well as home furnishings. Her talk-show experience began with her launching a syndicated program called Rachael Ray. Two years later, the star debuted her own pet food brand Nutrish. She also returned with her breakthrough show, 30 Minute Meals, which began airing on Food Network in 2019 after a seven-year gap.

The chef has a whopping 1 million followers on Instagram, where she posts updates about her cooking show, recipes, and details about her non-profit Yum-o! "helping kids & their families develop healthier relationships with food & cooking."

---

After the first three episodes of Selena + Chef that will air this Thursday, three more will hit screens on August 25 and the final four episodes will air on September 1, making the total to 10 episodes in Season 4.

As per Deadline, the new season "will be set at a beach house where Selena will continue to learn the joys of cooking with all-star chefs," with each episode highlighting different charities.

Other popular chefs who will make their appearance on Selena + Chef include Adrienne Cheatham, DeVonn Francis, Gordon Ramsay, Kristen Kish, Ludo Lefebvre, Matty Matheson, Nick DiGiovanni, Paola Velez, and Priya Krishna.

Don't forget to tune in to an all-new season of Selena + Chef this Thursday on HBO Max.