Rachael Ray Revealed Her Mom’s Surprising Reaction to Getting Pulled Over ‘Often’ by Police

Television personality Rachael Ray often shares stories from her childhood. The 30 Minute Meals star released a new book in November 2021 and described some cherished moments with her mom that included her penchant for speeding.

‘This Must Be the Place’ released in November 2021

Ray was inspired to write This Must Be the Place during the pandemic. With the global lockdown due to Covid requiring the population to quarantine, Ray hoped to bring some comfort during such a tumultuous time.

“I wanted to write this book because for the first time in my 52 years, everyone on the planet was going through the same thing at the same time,” Ray wrote. “We were all feeling the same fear, heartsickness, worry, and sadness, but due to the nature of the virus, it was hard to connect.”

Motivated to provide a sense of unity through her recipes, Ray also included stories from her upbringing and filming her show from home during the pandemic.

“I connect through cooking, and I noticed that’s what many others were doing as well,” she pointed out. “We took to the kitchen to share something of ourselves—and cooking became the discipline, diversion, and devotion that got us through.” 

Rachael Ray recalled her mom’s driving – and speeding

In her book, Ray reflected on frequently taking long rides with her mom. Thanks to her mother’s penchant for leaning on the gas pedal, Ray revealed that they always arrived at their destination in “record time”.

“From the time I was a little girl to just a few years ago, going for a ride in the car with my mom could mean anything from errands with a specific purpose, made in record time, to a true adventure of any duration,” Ray wrote.

Ray explained how her mom’s speed would increase depending on whether or not they had a specific task that needed to be accomplished. Apparently, the local police didn’t take kindly to her driving habits though they were met with a surprising response.

“If she were pulled over for speeding, as often happened, Mom would argue with sympathetic officers to give her the ticket rather than forgive her for it because that was the right thing to do,” Ray recalled. “That, and just her love of speed itself, led to mandatory driving courses and temporary suspensions of her license over the years.”

Food Network star saw rides with her mom as an ‘adventure’

Despite some ill-timed pullovers by police, Ray relished the time she spent in the car with her mom and shared how her mother would make each trip an exciting quest if time allowed.

“If there was no actual rush, Mom would take us out for a drive and make a left when she was supposed to take a right, just to discover something new for herself and for her children,” Ray wrote in This Must Be the Place. “And that’s when the adventure would begin, and we would end up in countless special places she had discovered by sheer force of serendipity.”

Ray credited those spontaneous journeys for inspiring her love of exploration, noting, “This ever-present sense of discovery had an indelible effect on my life.”