i hate rachel ray. . . uh, a lot less, after reading this.

[soupkitten]

rr's efforts to improve nutrition in u.s. schools

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/12/nyr...

[Firegoat]

just jumping on the publicity coattails of other chefs who have been working for this for a long time. Hard to take someone seriously when they are in D.C. trying to save children's nutrition one day, and the next day they are featuring hot dogs on their show.

[James Cristinian]

I did a search on the food network website and came up with seventeen results for her hot dog recipies. A couple were not hot dogs at all, and at least two featured chicken dogs. Given the thousands of shows she's done, I don't find this out of line. When she does burger recipies it's more often than not with turkey or chicken.

[Samalicious]

Ray began a charity that advocates child nutrition in 2006.

[Firegoat]

Just a tax shelter that is a do as i say, not as I do. Right after going to "lobby" with camera crew in tow... she went on TV to denounce the KFC Double Down on the Joy Behar show... yet.... she promotes a double decker chicken waffle sandwich with bacon and cheese and maple syrup gravy.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ra...

[LauraGrace]

Yeah, I don't know if I'd go so far as to impugn her motives because she sometimes makes unhealthy food. That "Monte Cristo" you linked to looks pretty unappetizing (although... grilled chicken, multi-grain waffles, and a handful of parmigiano? Maybe not *so* crazy unhealthy), but is one woman encouraging people to make one of her many home-cooked recipes *really* on par with a mega-chain aggressively marketing deep-fried fast-food garbage? Not the same thing at all, IMO.

It's a little like saying, "You denounced meth... yet... went home and made your friends one too many cocktails..." ;-)

[The Dairy Queen]

Don't chefs who have been working at this for a long time, such as Alice Waters and Jamie Oliver, WANT everyone to be grabbing at their coattails/jumping on the bandwagon? Aren't more voices better?

Rachael Ray appears to have mass appeal. If she can reach people that Waters and Oliver can't, that's great.

I think this is awesome, even if she's not the very first to do so:

"She has helped the New York City school system develop a healthier menu, creating a chicken taco dish for cafeterias using a whole wheat flatbread, roasted chicken and a ratatouille-style stew. Her latest coup was persuading the city’s schools to use whole wheat pasta in macaroni and cheese."

~TDQ

[Firegoat]

I'd prefer a nutritionist creating menus... not someone who admittedly is not a chef and has absolutely no training in culinary or nutritional science.

[The Dairy Queen]

That would be optimal, I agree.

~TDQ

[LaLa]

Looks like she has been doing this for awhile too......
Ray's nonprofit, "Yum-O organization", launched in 2006, aims to help children and families develop a healthy relationship with food. The organization introduces children and families to the kitchen, helps combat childhood hunger in the U.S., and raises money for food-based educational programs and scholarships

[ChefJune]

...and after you read Kim Severson's book, "Spoon Fed -- How 8 Cooks Changed My Life," you'll hate her even less! (imho)

[nofunlatte]

Why? I'm not going to read this book, so why don't you let us know why this will make everyone "hate her even less"**

**I don't hate RR and I never have--not crazy about her show or magazine, but, like ghg, I truly admire her business acumen and her realized ambition.

[ChefJune]

sorry, it's too big a part of the book to rephrase here. You'll be missing a great read.

[nofunlatte]

Sorry, have absolutely no interest in reading this. I guess I can go to Borders and scan the book for that section.

[JoeyH]

http://www.kimseverson.com/index.php/...

[chowser]

I always liked her as a person, even if I don't appreciate her shows and perkiness. This doesn't surprised me about her.

[goodhealthgourmet]

+1. i've always felt about RR the way i feel about Paula Deen - i may not like her TV schtick, but i have a lot of respect for her as a businesswoman. she's worked her butt off to get where she is, and her success is well deserved...i'm glad to see she's using her influence to support positive change. she did a sound bite in support of Jamie Oliver at the end of the Food Revolution finale, so i had a feeling she might step up to the plate at some point.

[goodhealthgourmet]

oh, and i meant to point out earlier that it's Rachael, not Rachel...i figure if we're going to support her we should spell her name correctly ;)

[LauraGrace]

Totally agreed, ghg, about RR and Paula Deen. Not my particular cup of tea, either of them (although, as with many FN personalities their earlier stuff is much better) but they've come by their success honestly.

[rockandroller1]

FINALLY someone else is stepping up to the plate on this instead of just Jamie Oliver out there alone. I applaud RR for this, and too despise her a little less now.

[LindaWhit]

Agreed. I still don't like her voice or her shows, but if another voice is added to the chorus, and it's her "big Italian mouth" as she put it in the article, good on her.