Rachael Ray: Food Entrepreneur (Women of Achievement)

When one of her recipes calls for 'EVOO', cooks knowingly reach for the extra-virgin olive oil. And when she declares a dish 'Yum-O', those who have tried her dishes can nod in agreement. Rachael Ray grew up surrounded by great cooks in restaurants, so cooking was a natural and integral part of her life. She first began cooking at home with her mother, moved on to her own cooking demonstrations at local food markets, and finally ended up making successful cooking shows on television. But how did an untrained cook growing up in small-town upstate New York go on to become one of the Food Network's biggest stars? And perhaps most intriguingly, what role has she played in America's ongoing food revolution? ""Rachael Ray"" tells the story of a woman who has made a career of encouraging others to cook, eat, and love food as much as she does. From her catalog of cookbooks to line of cookware, Ray has become a powerful force in food education.

Dennis Abrams is the author of several books, including biographies of Barbara Park, Anthony Horowitz, Hamid Karzai, and Ty Cobb. He attended Antioch College, where he majored in English and communications. He currently lives in Houston, Texas.