One year ago Food Network Celebrity chef Rachael Ray and her husband John Cusimano's lives changed in a matter of minutes. During the season 15 premiere of the Rachael Ray Show, Ray explained how the fire had started in their upstate New York Home. The talk show host shared for the first time, personal footage of the aftermath, and spoke with one of the first responders who were on the scene of the Lake Luzerne home.
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Rachael Ray Shares First Look at Rebuilt Home
"On August 9th, my house burned. 15 years of memories; 40 years of notebooks, drawings, thoughts, my life's work," Ray shared with the audience back in 2020. "It took about one hour for this house to come down - and in my mind it took decades before it was even built. In the years that I lived here, I learned an awful lot. In the few weeks since it burned I think I've learned even more. Today we're going to share what's left of our home with you."
Rachael Ray's home was ignited within minutes, Ray sharing that the fire started in the chimney, but they were unaware of it until a man on an ATV started screaming from outside
"A person was going through our backyard on an ATV and was kind enough to come down the hill and say, 'Your roof's on fire.' Literally screaming it in our backyard," Ray shared. "We went outside (and) sure enough, that was the case."
From the Flames Comes a New Book
While living in the guest house, Rachael Ray and her husband John have had a lot of time to process losing their home. Earlier this year the couple shared that construction of the home should be finished by December. With the new season of the Rachael Ray Show starting next week, we can hope to expect a tour of the new build on her tv show.
This Must Be the Place
Losing her home also helped Ray figure out was "home" was really about. This Must Be the Place: Dispatches & Food from the Home Front is Rachael's newest book coming out this November. Personal and containing a collection of stories, people, and recipes, Ray invites readers into her home. When the pandemic forced production of her tv show to stop, Rachael and John set up shop in their kitchen, producing episodes using their iPhones.
I wanted to write this book because for the first time in my fifty-two years, everyone on the planet was going through the same thing at the same time. We were all feeling the same fear, heartsickness, worry, and sadness, but due to the nature of the virus, it was hard to connect. I connect through cooking, and I noticed that's what many others were doing as well. We took to the kitchen to share something of ourselves—and cooking became the discipline, diversion, and devotion that got us through.
The book is currently available for pre-sale and is hitting store shelves on November 7, 2021.
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