"Everything she tried to do she learned quickly," mom Elsa says of Rachael (in high school).
Courtesy Rachael Ray
When she's not working or escaping to her upstate retreat, Ray is likely to be found at a bar where her husband's band is playing or relaxing with her large network of friends. One place you won't find her: in the gym. "I do some calisthenics at home when I can, but that's few and far between," she says. "Other than that, I just stare at my Crunch [gym membership] card in my wallet." As for dieting, "I don't deny myself," she says. "I don't want to be a size zero that badly. I got the fat pants, the skinny jeans. I try to eat well – I grew up with a Mediterranean diet, so I don't eat a lot of butter and fat. I eat a lot of vegetables and good, fresh-looking food."
Finishing her glass of Brunello, Ray still isn't ready to call it a day. "John and I will stay up long enough to have a laugh and share a meal, even if it's really late," she says of her foot-on-the-gas-pedal philosophy. "So we have a few hours less to sleep. Maybe life is a few days shorter. It will be richer for it on the other end."
