Rosie Daley was born in New Jersey. One of thirteen children, as a child she shared the responsibility of cooking for her large family. She has worked in produce stores, health-oriented cafés, major commercial restaurants, and for corporations such as Ocean Spray, exploring all aspects of her chosen field, eventually taking on the position of Head Chef at the acclaimed Cal-A-Vie spa just north of San Diego. It was at Cal-a-Vie that Ms. Daley met Oprah Winfrey, who was so impressed with her delicious, nutritional cuisine that she invited Ms. Daley to be her personal chef. Accepting the position, Rosie developed healthy, tasty and uncomplicated dishes for Ms. Winfrey while gaining notoriety in the food world. She worked as Ms. Winfrey's chef for five years, and in 1994 published her first cookbook, In the Kitchen with Rosie: Oprah's Favorite Recipes, which has sold more than 6 million copies in hardcover, making it one of the best-selling cookbooks of all time.