Though he's far from a household name, Rachael Ray's husband John Cusimano is still quite
the renaissance man.
So just who is John Cusimano?
What makes their marriage work?
Keep watching to learn all about this entertainment law attorney and rocker.
Long before he was ever in the public eye, John Cusimano was a passionate musician, even
as a teenager.
According to the Rachael Ray show's website, he was even accepted to the Berklee College
of Music.
But Cusimano's parents had different ideas, and though a career in music was his dream,
he opted to attend the State University of New York at Binghamton instead.
Cusimano earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the university in 1989.
After graduation, he followed his parents' practical advice and moved on to law school
at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University, where he received a Juris Doctorate
in 1994.
He was later admitted to the bar in New York and New Jersey and practiced up until his
life took a hard left turn when he met Rachael Ray.
The two now share a fabulous home in the Empire State.
According to an interview with People, Rachael Ray made some serious leaps in logic upon
meeting her future husband for the first time.
"Do you remember when, when we met?"
"How could I forget?"
Ray told the outlet,
"[John] told me what he had made himself for dinner the night before, and I assumed that
if you're not a chef and you made what he told me he made, that he was gay."
She even had plans to fix him up with another one of her friends, but those got spoiled
when Cusimano revealed that he was not, in fact, gay.
The two ended up staying out together until 4 a.m., which Ray considers the couple's first
date.
Afterward, according to an interview with Vanity Fair, she called her friend Donna Carnevale,
who recalled,
"She said she was going to marry that man, she was going to marry him in Rome."
Not satisfied to be some well-coiffed arm candy to one of the world's most famous chefs,
John Cusimano also pursues his passion for music as the lead singer and songwriter of
a band called The Cringe.
The band has opened for everyone from Mötley Crue to Steel Panther to Alice Cooper and
has regularly played gigs all over New York City.
Sadly, however, Ray does not get private shows at the couple's home.
When the Rachael Ray show's website asked the famous chef if her husband ever sang to
her, she replied, quote, "No, not really."
Reflecting on all the good decisions Rachael Ray has made — going into the culinary world,
writing cookbooks, starring in a TV show — you might be surprised to learn what she considers
the smartest move she ever made.
Ray told the Rachael Ray show's website,
"Marry an entertainment lawyer.
Saved me a bundle."
Mid-interview hyperbole or not, it's still hard to argue with the logic of having someone
handle your professional legal issues pro bono.
In the same interview, Cusimano revealed that he was an entertainment lawyer who worked
primarily in film in New York city prior to meeting his wife.
Cusimano also went on to say,
"Then I met this one, and now I only have one client and her name is Rachael Ray.
So I just work on our businesses all the time."
It seems only fitting that a world-famous chef would get married in a place known for
its food.
And though Rachael Ray allegedly told friend Donna Carnevale after she met Cusimano that
she was going to marry him in Rome, she was not far off in her prediction, as the couple
were married at Tuscany's Castello di Velona in 2005.
Ray and Cusimano enjoyed the event so much that, ten years later, they hosted a lavish
vow renewal ceremony at the same Tuscan castle in 2015.
And though the event was special, People reported that the couple flies many of their friends
and family to Tuscany to celebrate their anniversary every year.
Trying to cook for Rachael Ray is probably a little like trying to serenade Christina
Aguilera, so John Cusimano has found a way to complement his wife's skill set: mixology.
He has been a regular on the Rachael Ray show, stopping in to craft drinks to pair with her
food, most notably the Negroni.
But his cocktail-making skills aren't just relegated to television.
In an interview with People, the couple divulged he does the same at home when they're dining
in.
Cusimano's around-the-house contributions aren't limited to the bar.
In an interview with Good Housekeeping, Rachael Ray revealed he does a lot more to help out
at home than simply making drinks.
Ray told the magazine,
"I never do the dishes, because my husband has an affinity for it.
And I'm also not allowed to touch the coffeemaker."
Though John Cusimano's music credits have been well documented, and he had a career
in entertainment law long before he'd ever met Rachael Ray, that's far from the extent
of his showbiz resume.
Yes, he's appeared on countless episodes of the Rachael Ray show, but he also has a handful
of acting and producing credits to his name.
In 2017, Rachael Ray's husband starred alongside Sarah Silverman and Pete Holmes in an episode
of Crashing.
He's also served as an associate producer on the English language version of Samurai
X, also known as Rurouni Kenshin: Wandering Samurai.
Impressive as that may be, his admittedly short-lived acting and producing days seem
to have slowed as he became more involved with his wife's television show.
Though the glamour associated with the fast-paced world of entertainment law might leave you
with visions of heated negotiations with high-powered studio execs over power lunches at the Beverly
Hills Hotel, there are other sides to the business, one of which is merchandising.
And when you're a name as big as Rachael Ray, that can mean millions of dollars in contracts.
Luckily for the 30-Minute Meals author, she's got someone to handle it all right under her
roof.
Though John Cusimano was an entertainment lawyer specializing in film prior to meeting
Rachael Ray, in an interview with Love is Pop, he disclosed how his career path changed
since then:
"I used to be in the film business working on independent movies.
Then I met my wife Rachel and she needed someone to start merchandising and licensing [...] So,
yeah, that's what I do."
Though Rachael Ray is an outspoken advocate for pit bulls, and even has her own line of
pet food called Nutrish, when it comes to human children, Rachael Ray and John Cusimano
have opted to forego parenthood.
She discussed why in an interview with People, saying,
"I work too much to be an appropriate parent [...] I just feel like I would do a bad job
if I actually took the time to literally give birth to a kid right now and try and juggle
everything I'm doing."
But just because the power couple doesn't have kids, this doesn't mean they haven't
participated in Take Your Daughters and Sons to Work Day.
During a 2017 airing of the Rachael Ray show, the couple's pit bull Isaboo paid the set
a visit in honor of the holiday.
Since Ray had had the dog since she was a puppy, it didn't seem like much of a stretch.
"It is bring your kid to work day so please welcome my child, my daughter, Isaboo."
Sadly, in May of 2020 Ray made the announcement on her Instagram page that Isaboo had passed
away.
Being rich and famous doesn't mean you have to spend a ton of money on Valentine's Day.
You can keep it simple and do the holiday like you were in high school even if you are
a celebrated TV chef.
In a Valentine's Day interview with People, John Cusimano and Rachael Ray revealed their
V-Day traditions are pretty simple.
Ray told the magazine,
"He makes me a playlist every year and I make him his favorite meal which is pasta carbonara."
Ray also gifts him a bouquet of salamis each Valentine's Day, which she said takes seven
or eight months to run through.
That, apparently, is the beauty of salted, cured meats.
But Ray also admits the celebration isn't always limited to her and her husband, as
she's thrown Valentine's Day parties for her mom and her friends as well.
When John Cusimano was courting Rachael Ray, the successful singer-songwriter used his
creativity to write her a special song.
While we can't argue with his talent, and his heart was certainly in the right place,
we do have to wonder a little bit about his selection of song titles.
Because of all the things he could name a song dedicated to a chef, he chose to call
the song "Burn."
This would be a bit like dating Danica Patrick and writing her a song called "Crash."
Or trying to impress Mia Hamm with a song called "Tear Your ACL."
Nonetheless, in an interview with Vanity Fair, Cusimano insisted that the ballad wasn't about
turning food into inedible balls of carbon.
Cusimano told Vanity Fair,
"It's about the way you feel when you're burning, whether with desire or you want to be near
that person and you're not."
Having a project on which to collaborate is a healthy part of any marriage, and the same
goes for celebrity chefs and their entertainment lawyer husbands.
And since John Cusimano has been a regular on the Rachael Ray show showing her audience
how to craft extravagant cocktails, it's only natural that he'd use those skills to collaborate
with her on something.
And so they did with My Year in Meals, a book featuring dishes from Ray and cocktail recipes
from her husband.
For his part, Cusimano's section is called My Year in Cocktails, and it can be viewed
by flipping the book upside down and starting from the back cover.
It features over 100 recipes ranging from basics like gin fizz and mai tais, to inventive
stuff like blackberry margaritas and Italian champagne spritzers.
In a video review of the book, food blogger Christy Bright warns you'll likely need to
hit the liquor store to buy most of the ingredients.
The recipes are intricate, and you probably won't have most of the stuff sitting around
your liquor cabinet.
It takes a strong and confident man to be married to an independent, successful, and
world-famous woman.
And if you're Rachael Ray, finding a man like that wasn't easy, especially with her demanding
schedule.
In a 2007 cover story for People, the TV chef said that most of the men she'd dated prior
to John Cusimano couldn't handle her lifestyle.
Ray told People,
"I can't give a man an enormous amount of attention.
When men I have dated over the years whined about, 'Oh, you make no time for me' — see
ya!
I just dumped them."
That was until one magical night in 2001, when she met the man who would be her husband.
Ray went on to tell People that Cusimano was, quote, "totally down" with her not being able
to give him much attention.
She drove the point home during an interview with ABC News, when she said,
"[John is] the only guy in the world I could have married.
The only man that can possibly exist that doesn't mind eating dinner at midnight, you
know.
[...] I mean, he's a really easygoing guy."
Even though they are celebrities and live a faster-paced, globe-trotting lifestyle,
John Cusimano and Rachael Ray enjoy ending their days as unglamorously as everyone else.
Cusimano told People,
"The place I'm happiest is curled up in bed with Rachael and the puppy."
His wife concurred, calling them "turtle-like" and saying their evenings consist of wine,
music, and reruns of Law & Order.
While Cusimano may have been referring to their late pit bull Isaboo at the time, he
likely enjoys the same nighttime cuddles with his and Ray's dog Bella Boo, who they adopted
in June 2020 after Isaboo's passing.
And we'd bet that Bella Boo gets the same special treatment.
According to Dogster, Ray made Isaboo a birthday cake every year made of ground beef, pork,
barley, carrots, bacon, roasted beets, and cream cheese.
What a treat!
Check out one of our newest videos right here!
Plus, even more List videos about your favorite celebs are coming soon.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one.