Rachael Ray gives cooking advice, talks goal to feed hungry

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Rachael Ray's "The Rachael Ray Show" became part of ABC7's weekday afternoon lineup Monday. While Ray proudly calls herself a cook, she says she is not necessarily a chef.

"A chef is somebody who goes to a culinary institute and has a big toque -- can wear a chef hat legitimately," she said. "I grew up in restaurants and I think I'm a very competent cook, I know how to make the seventh grade sauces, and I could probably pass as a chef, but it would be a lie, I'm not a chef. I don't have the pedigree. And I'm kind of happy about that."

Ray says while cooking can be intimidating for some, it doesn't have to be.

"I think anybody that's uptight in the kitchen should put on music they like, whether it's a cup of tea or a glass of wine, have a beverage that relaxes you. Set the mood to have fun," she said

In person and on TV, Ray is a lot of fun. But she shows her serious side when she talks about something very close to her heart: Feeding the hungry.

"Our country's gone through so many hard years and a bad economy for a long time. The face of hunger really changed, and I think people understand it much deeper present day, because they know someone," she said. "It's their family, it's their neighbors, it happened to them, and there are so many more people today that are working poor and that are at risk of going hungry, so many of them are kids it just overwhelms me."

Her goal is to get 9 million meals to those who need it the most.

"It's such a doable, achievable goal. It really is. We can feed each other. We can take care of each other," Ray said.

"The Rachael Ray Show" airs Monday through Friday at 1 p.m. on ABC7 and on the WATCH ABC app.