I attended the recent Ukrainian Dinner Event at Veselka Restaurant in NYC’s East Village. The venerable Ukrainian eatery, founded 71 years ago, hosted a fundraiser on behalf of cooking show star and TV personality Rachael Ray and her husband, musician John Cusimano. Having interviewed Rachael on numerous occasions and simply hung out with her on others, I consider her not only a friend but one of the most admirable people in America. She is a national treasure, not for her quirky catchphrases and 30-minute meals (though I do like both) but for her kindness and generosity towards all. The Rachael Ray Foundation alone has raised over 35 million dollars for helping animals and humans in need.
I was reminded of Rachael’s most wonderful traits as the people behind UNBROKEN, the Ukrainian charity she champions and generously funds from her own pocket, heaped praise upon her in an effusive manner not typically associated with eastern European mannerisms. (I mean, have you ever seen a Ukrainian gush? I have…now). A few days later, I sat down with Rachael in Union Square on a glorious autumn morning to talk about the Italian influence in her benevolent nature and a few other things (as our chats tend to roam).
I might be mistaken, but I don’t identify you as Ukrainian…
There’s nothing Ukrainian about me other than my love for the Ukrainian people.
How did you get involved with Ukraine and UNBROKEN?
Well, actually, it was because during Covid our house upstate burned down and our dog died. I immediately rescued a new dog, a half-pit, half-Weimaraner, named Bella. Bella was being trained by a woman whose brother worked for Senator Rob Portman of Ohio, and they had just gotten back from a trip to Ukraine. I wanted to go to Ukraine, so I was introduced by the dog trainer’s brother who had just been there to the man who took all of the senators and their staff in and out of the country.
Why did you want to go to Ukraine?
Because I watch too much news. I'm a news junkie. I always have been. So, from watching all the news about what was happening in Ukraine, to the Ukrainian people, I just decided that I have to help them. They're defending all of us. They're defending democracy. And these are not only soldiers. This is everyone in Ukraine, young, old, engineers, architects, doctors, nurses, grandmothers. They're defending all of us. I needed to be with these people. I wanted to be with these people. I wanted to stand with these people. I wanted to understand what makes them this way because this is the way every human should be. So I figured out a path, and now I've been seven times. The recent fundraiser we had was for our eighth trip.
Do you think that it's fair to say that you're a benevolent soul?
That's not for me to judge.
OK. I’ll judge it as true. How much of your think sensitivity to other people, your desire to help other people, and your willingness to do so is rooted in your Italian background?
Everything. My grandfather was one of 16, 14 lived. My mother was the firstborn of 12, but only 10 survived. I was raised in a multi-generation home, and my grandfather, Emmanuelle, a Sicilian immigrant, was my best friend as a child. We spent all of our time together. Everything I know of life came from him and Mama. My mother was his first born, so she was always at his side. They were very similar people. He was a very respectful man who loved his children, and he loved women. He was my best friend, and he taught me to respect the value of work itself, the gift of being an American, and the honor of having any job in life. Everything I know is because I come from that multiple-generation, immigrant household. It's how I live my life. It's how I build my businesses. It's everything I believe in. Be fair. Include everyone. Never be in it for money. Never be overambitious. Always be appreciative of any job. I have never worked for money. It drives my husband a little bit nuts, but he tolerates me because he has a little bit of me in him, too. He's Italian, through and through. I'm a mutt. My father was an American with many backgrounds, but the strong side of me is my grandpa and my mama and being Rachael Domenica Scuderi. My last name is Ray, that's legit, but the first three sections of my name are what I most identify with being.
You live much of the year in Tuscany. What's the big difference between living here and living in Italy?
Everything. The air is just different. The light is different. I'm awake every day around four o'clock in the morning. It's just become my habit since Covid. Bella always gets up when I get up, and she follows me around the house. I love the sound of her little toenails tapping on the tiles. When I go to our little gym and do my workout, she gets on the bed and waits for me. When I go downstairs, she comes downstairs, and we go outside. We're always outside together when the sun comes up, when the light really comes out, and she's just so happy, and the air smells so good. I love watching the sunrise in Tuscany. It's just amazing. I spend as much time as I can in Italy because I know it makes Bella happy.
And it makes you happy, too…
It makes me very happy. It's my joy.
What are your thoughts on Italian lifestyle?
There's very few angry Italians. You're going to meet very few animals or people that are going hungry. In the streets, people take care of each other. They take care of the cats. Even in Rome, where Caesar was stabbed, they have a cat shelter, and all of the doctors come, and all of the people give food to the animals that are homeless. People take care of each other in Italy, and everyone is calm. Things don't open on time. Reservations change. You could be a little early, or you could be a little late. Nobody cares. Everything is: This is our plan, but if the plan isn't perfect, it's going to be fine. There's that permission that this is just life. That's the way life is, and that's what I love about that feeling. This is the idea of what we're going to do. If it doesn’t work out exactly, it's fine. It's going to be okay. Same thing with the government. If this person wins and that person lost, it's gonna be fine, and it's not gonna matter in the long run. As long as we're kind to each other and we're well fed, it's gonna be okay.
What do you like to cook when in Italy?
Same thing I like to cook wherever I am. Whatever it is the people I’m feeding want. Whether it’s my husband or the people working on or visiting our property, I want to make what they want to eat. Any cook or chef will tell you they don't care what they eat. They just want to please the person they're feeding, and that's how I cook. I want what John wants or what Maria wants or what my friends want, what they're looking forward to, and that keeps my life fresh, because I'm constantly thinking, What's going to please this person or that person? I'm a person of service, and I love that feeling. I go to bed thinking about the next day's food for whoever it is I'm feeding, and I get excited because it's always different, and that makes my life fresh every day.
