How Rachael Ray Changed Anthony Bourdain's Mind About Her

Anthony Bourdain didn't mince words when it came to his disdain for celebrity chef culture. One famous kitchen personality who received his scathing criticisms over the years was Rachael Ray. Known for her Food Network cooking show, cookbooks, and hugely popular "30-Minute Meals" television segment, Ray seemingly embodied many of the reasons Bourdain hated celebrity chefs. He saw her brand of quick and convenient recipes as peddling culinary mediocrity. He referred to her as "bobblehead" and "freakazoid" (via Boston Herald). Part of Bourdain's scorn for Ray was also borne out of her endorsement of Dunkin', which he referred to as "evil" in 2007 (via Page Six). As he explained, juvenile diabetes was a growing problem, and she was encouraging donut consumption.

A surprising reconciliation of sorts came in 2009, when Ray booked the New York Dolls for her event at that year's South by Southwest music festival. Bourdain, a fan of the band, expressed dissonance regarding their shared music taste in a Facebook post: "I don't know whether to go out and shoot a puppy or send Rachael a fruit basket." In response, Ray promptly had a large fruit basket delivered to the late chef's residence. Bourdain showed his appreciation in an open letter, which said in part, "I thank you for your kindness to someone who has shown you no good reason for such a thing, your good humor — and for appreciating the New York Dolls." Perhaps most tellingly, Ray later revealed in a 2024 interview with Appetito, "The next time I saw him, he bent way down and gave me a kiss on my cheek. I burst into tears."

Despite the repeated jibes aimed at her, Rachael Ray never publicly responded to Anthony Bourdain in kind. Quite the opposite, she was a fan and expressed that sentiment well before sending the fruit basket. In a 2008 TIME magazine Q&A, she was asked whether she wanted to punch Bourdain for his apparent animosity. Ray replied, "No, I actually love and appreciate Tony Bourdain's work, and I think everybody has the right to their own opinion." So when she received an olive branch in the form of Bourdain's open letter, it meant something. She explained in a 2018 interview, "It was very sweet. I think that's a great example of how you turn a table, and that's important to me in life."

For his part, Bourdain also clarified how he felt about the Food Network icon and how his views had changed over time as he became a less angry person. "I was bitter and resentful, and I didn't have the time or the inclination to look for nuance when watching the Food Network," he said in Slate's aptly titled piece: "Eat Your Words: Anthony Bourdain on Being Wrong." In a subsequent 2013 interview (via Artful Living), the late "Parts Unknown" host claimed that he never really had any personal animosity towards Rachael Ray and that she just made for good comedic material. "Yeah, I like Rachael," he said. "She is always very good-natured about my making fun of her all these years."