The Food Network star, seemingly unfazed by the outburst, strutted into the room like a tiny powerhouse on a mission, ready to sign 1,000 copies of her new cookbook and somehow make each of her 450-plus fans — who started lining up at the bookstore as early as 6 a.m. — feel special.

Cary was lucky to get Ray this year; the celebrity chef’s official Web site features pages of fan complaints that she didn’t visit their neck of the woods, and Cary was one of the last stops on her 11-city East Coast tour, which kicked off in New York Nov. 6.

Which begs the question: With all the great shops, restaurants and hotels Cary has to offer, what was Ray’s visit here really like?

Linda Maloof, community relations manager at Barnes & Noble, said Ray’s list of requirements — communicated through her public relations representatives Carrie Bachman of New York and Charles Dougiello, director of publicity for the Rachael Ray show — were quite modest: bottled Fiji water and a simple, healthy snack tray of apples, grapes, cheese, nuts and hummus.

Most of the tray went untouched because Ray, who had just landed at Raleigh Durham International Airport at 1:30 p.m. for the 3 p.m. event, didn’t want to keep her fans waiting.

Dressed casually in jeans, a black T-shirt and bulky winter scarf, Ray was a bit breathless as she strode to the signing table, slinging off her coat and grabbing a Sharpie.

“Hey everybody,” she said in her signature raspy voice. “Let’s bring our first customer up here.”

A tightly planned session of signing, schmoozing and photo ops was about to begin, and it was clear that Ray’s publicity team and Barnes & Noble were leaving nothing to chance.

According to pamphlets announcing the event, each customer was allowed two books, one of which had to be “Rachael Ray’s Big Orange Book,” which was the only one she would personalize. No posed photos were allowed and no other memorabilia would be signed.

Maloof said this was one of the adjustments Ray requested from previous signings, which stretched far past its two-hour running time; they also had to further limit how many books she would sign.

“Last year, it was 10 books per person,” said Maloof, who’s been with Barnes & Noble for 14 years — which would mean Ray signing up to 5,000 books in one sitting. “We had to lower it to five during the signing, and this year, it’s only two per person.”

She noted that the planning and organization that goes into corralling nearly 500 people into an orderly, quick-moving line takes strategy, and extra hands on deck.

Maloof pulled in a handful of employees from surrounding Barnes & Noble stores to assist on the big day.

The fans were just happy to be there.

Maria Napoli, 17, had come from Holly Springs with her mother, Vita, and was one of the first to greet Ray.

“I like to cook in the kitchen with her,” Napoli said, barely containing her excitement, which was heightened when Ray took a photo with her — an exception she made for all the kids and even some of the adults — and complimented her Christmas sweater.

Many who waited for Ray were kids, like Clayton resident Tyler Greene, 12, who said he arrived at 6 a.m. to get his wristband and hopes to be a chef someday.

His mom Renathe said he’s been cooking since he was 7 and often makes dinner for the family.

“He’s going to be a good husband someday,” she said.

Even though the crowd remained well-behaved, Barnes & Noble requested police presence, and two uniformed officers stood guard by Ray’s table throughout the signing.

“We’re just here to make sure everything stays peaceful,” said Cary Police Sgt. Alex Gazaway.

Gazaway noted that the police are often called to celebrity events, which is not always such a bad gig.

“I hate to say it, but a lot of the older officers wanted to cover the retro concerts like Duran Duran,” he said.

Halfway through the signing an ambulance was called for a woman who fell near the entrance. Gazaway confirmed that the woman was uninjured and chatted for a while with the ambulance crew as they paused and took a peek at Ray.

Part of the planning took into account that large crowds can work up a powerful thirst.

The café staff at the bookstore beefed up for the increased patronage. Manager Billy Lesley, 30, said he doubled his employees for the day and had to make sure he had plenty of milk on hand for their most popular holiday beverage, the peppermint mocha.

“We’re prepared for the herds of people,” he said, even taking Ray’s order for a large iced coffee, no sweeteners with lots of skim milk.

Some fans even faked a sick day to make the event, like one man waiting in line, who preferred to remain anonymous.

“I watch her talk show when I get off my shift,” said the mystery man, who works the graveyard shift for a local beauty corporation. “I’m not like a stalker … well, I haven’t seen her yet.”

Tim Ryan, district manager for Barnes & Noble, said they changed the time to earlier in the day at Ray’s request, who wanted to visit some friends for the evening before flying to Baltimore the next day.

Ray herself confirmed that she’d be dining after the signing at Lantern Restaurant in Chapel Hill, which serves Asian dishes using local ingredients. After dinner, she said she was staying at The Umstead, a luxury hotel located in Cary near Umstead State Park.

Ray finished signing in less than two hours and remained gracious throughout the marathon session, patiently helping her fans with malfunctioning cameras and advising them to let her autograph dry so it wouldn’t smear.

Maloof grabbed a couple of Ray’s untouched grapes as she raced around, readying the last set of books to be signed.

For Ray’s fans, even a few seconds with her was enough for a lifetime.

Willow Spring’s D.J. Vittoria, 16, wore Ray’s favorite color, orange, and said he felt like he was going to cry after meeting with the friendly celebrity.

“I’m never going to wash my hand,” he said.

Contact Vickie Jean DeHamer at 460-2608 or vdehamer@nando.com.