Only a Rachael Ray event would feature the cutest of puppies available for adoption and a caricature artist eager to sketch pictures of any four-legged friend in attendance. Then again, that’s because the daytime TV host, bestselling cookbook author and, now furniture designer, has a soft spot for furry creatures. And, last night, the Food Network star celebrated the launch of DISH, an ultra-premium food for dogs from her Nutrish pet food line that’s so tasty, the pet lover has even sampled it herself. Read on about Ray’s latest projects, the fact that a portion of all Nutrish sales go to Rachael’s Rescue, which has donated more than $14 million to date to pet charities and why this pitbull mom’s says she’ll never visit Montreal again.
What’s your philosophy when it comes to pet food?
I started the whole brand because there was that horrible animal scare where dogs and cats were literally being poisoned with the byproducts put in food. I wanted to find partners that would make food in America and make it to a standard I would be proud enough to eat myself. I can read every ingredient of ours like a menu. And, we’ve tried to made every generation of our food smarter and offer more diets. Just like humans are paleo or gluten-free, pets are too. My dog has allergies. Some dogs can’t have grains. I like DISH because it really is freeze-dried people food. I’ve eaten my own cat food, too. I had the mackerel and chicken on Morning Joe. It needed salt for me, but it was delicious!
So there’s truly no reason pets shouldn’t have access to good food.
We try to have the most affordable system. I don’t want to be the cheapest of anything but I want to be the best value for your dollar in everything that we are associated with as a brand. We work with so many great partners. I feel very proud of our pricing and quality.
Why won’t you visit Montreal again?
I’m so heartbroken to say this as Montreal is one of my favorite places to travel—I’m an upstate New Yorker—but I will never go again. Yesterday they made my daughter, my pitbull, illegal. There is no such thing as a bad human. There’s no such thing as an evil breed of dogs. It’s ignorance and I’m filled with heartache and sadness. Another reason I wanted to do this brand is to raise awareness. We only give money to no-kill shelters and, as of today, I asked our friends at North Shore Animal League all of our partners to please get on the horn to anyone you know in Montreal. Now they’re going to kill the pitbulls in the shelter, if they haven’t already and you won’t be able to adopt them. It’s horrifying. I was planning to go in two weeks with my dog and my friends. I won’t go.
Turning to your other big initiative, Yum-o!, I was so happy to read that you joined with Michelle Obama to support this year’s Healthy Lunchtime Challenge which will inspire kids to learn about healthy food choices.
She’s amazing. She has been such a great advocate for the health of our nation. We’re such a divided country right now. Everyone fight over healthcare and education and these kids who go hungry have such a stigma and the kids who are obese gets bullied. I’m so thrilled she took a simple thing and brought attention to it. School attendance, focus and getting your body moving is all interconnected and it’s all about having access to healthy choices.
And this fall you added furniture designer to your resume.
After two years working on it, the furniture line has just launched. I designed every space I live in at work and at home and I’m thrilled the world is receiving the furniture so well. Best of all, we have over 650 workers, largely single moms and women, working in American factories. All of our fabrics is produced here and our wood finishes are sustainable and all from America. We brought back upholsters—a whole generation forced out of their jobs.–and we have over 40 people in an apprentice program, too. It’s so cool to help create American jobs. It really is. Not only do we get to employ people but now we’re making a job force and bringing back things we haven’t done in generations. It’s who I am. My grandfather was an immigrant. He was a stone mason who worked 100 hours a week. There was no way he was too tired for family, food and life. He had pride in his work. Nothing makes me happier at the end of the day than a long day of work. Period. To see a whole new generation getting trained and apprenticeships coming back, it brings tears to my eyes. It honestly gives me chills.
