Rachael Ray Wants to Pay for Your Culinary Education

Food television star/cookware salesperson/talk show host Rachael Ray is offering a culinary school giveaway. Now through March 23, contestants in Ray's "Tuition Competition" can send in videos featuring "you cooking up your favorite recipe and explaining why you want a fresh start in your life." The winner will have the opportunity to attend New York's International Culinary Center, although based on a lawsuit filed against the school last year, whether that is a real prize is debatable.

Three finalists will compete in Ray's studio this May, and the champion will receive full tuition for a six- or nine-month program at ICC, plus a "culinary vacation" in Cancun, Mexico.

It's not the first culinary competition Ray has cooked up. Last year, North Carolina-based food blogger Fanny Slater earned a book deal after winning Ray's "Great American Cookbook Challenge."

For her latest contest, Ray is looking for amateurs who haven't cooked in restaurants or previously attended or applied to any culinary schools. In other words, she's looking for someone like herself.