|
 Paula
Deen (born Paula Ann Hiers on January 19, 1947) is an American cook,
restaurateur, and Emmy Award-winning television personality.
Deen resides in Savannah, Georgia, where she owns The Lady & Sons restaurant and
runs it with her sons, Jamie and Bobby. She has also published five cookbooks.
On her television shows and in her books and appearances, she uses the surname
Deen from her first marriage.
Early life
Deen was born in Albany, Georgia. As documented in the Food Network special
Chefography and her official website, both her parents died by the time she was
23, and her husband decided to move away. Deen had agoraphobia and would not
leave her house. She was a proficient Southern cook, a talent she used to help
her deal with her condition. In 1986, she felt well enough to take a job as a
bank teller. After the family moved to Savannah in 1989, she divorced her
husband and expanded her cooking experience into a catering service.She made
sandwiches and other meals, which her sons Jamie and Bobby delivered.
The Bag Lady (as the business was named) was successful, and soon outgrew her
kitchen. On January 8, 1996, she opened her own restaurant, The Lady and Sons,
in downtown Savannah on West Congress Street. Within a few years, the restaurant
moved to a larger building in Savannah's historic district. USA Today named The
Lady and Sons the "International Meal of the Year" in 1999. The specialty is the
buffet,[citation needed] which may include sweet potatoes, macaroni and cheese,
deep-fried Twinkies, fried chicken, cheesy meatloaf, greens, beans, and creamed
corn. Every meal comes with a garlic cheese biscuit and one of Deen's famous
hoecakes. The restaurant is run by her sons when they are in town.
Books
In 1997, Deen self-published The Lady & Sons Savannah Country Cooking and The
Lady & Sons Savannah Country Cooking 2. The cookbooks were each filled with
traditional Southern recipes, such as Gooey Butter Cake (also known as Chess
Cake, a variation of a chess pie recipe). The cookbooks were very successful,
and she has since published two more. Deen has appeared on QVC and on The Oprah
Winfrey Show (first in 2002 and then twice in 2007). Her story is featured in
Extraordinary Comebacks: 201 Inspiring Stories of Courage, Triumph, and Success
(2007, Sourcebooks). Her latest book is the 2007 memoir Paula Deen: It Ain't All
About the Cookin.
Food Network
Deen's relationship with Food Network began in 1999, when her friend Erin Lewis
introduced her to Gordon Elliott,[citation needed] who then introduced her to
her agent, Barry Weiner. Elliott took her through the city for a series of
Doorknock Dinners episodes. She also appeared on Ready, Set, Cook! Deen was
invited to shoot a pilot named Afternoon Tea in early 2001. The network liked
it, but didn't yet have a place for her. The network eventually gave Deen her
own show, Paula's Home Cooking, which premiered in November 2002.
Personal life
Deen remarried on March 6, 2004, to Michael Groover, a tugboat pilot in the port
of Savannah. Michael has two children, Michelle and Anthony, from a previous
marriage. The wedding and preparation were documented by Food Network, and aired
in 2004.
Deen has one grandchild, Jack, who was born August 21, 2006 to Jamie and Brooke
Deen.
In April 2007, Simon & Schuster published Deen's memoir, It Ain't All About the
Cookin'.
Panic attacks
In her twenties, Deen suffered from panic attacks related to agoraphobia,
eventually becoming virtually housebound. She overcame the illness without
therapy.
Film debut
Deen made her film debut in Elizabethtown, starring Orlando Bloom and Kirsten
Dunst. She plays the aunt of Bloom's character, and her cooking is showcased
heavily. The film premiered on October 8, 2005. A Food Network special, Paula
Goes Hollywood, aired in conjunction with the film's premiere.
Cooking with Paula Deen
Deen launched a lifestyle magazine called Cooking with Paula Deen in November
2005.
Television
Paula's Home Cooking was originally taped in Millbrook, New York at the home of
Gordon Elliott, the show's executive producer.[4][5] Deen mentioned in an
interview aired on the March 13, 2006, edition of The Daily Buzz that the next
batch of episodes of her show would be taped at her home in Savannah, Georgia.
According to the first of those episodes, actual production at her new Savannah
home began in November 2005.
A televised biography of Deen was aired on an episode of the Food Network's
Chefography program in March 2006.
Deen's most recent series, Paula's Party, premiered on the Food Network in 2006.
In December 2007, Deen teamed with Cat Cora and faced Chefs Tyler Florence and
Robert Irvine in battle Sugar on the holiday special of Iron Chef America. Deen
and Cora won.
Paula's Best Dishes debuted on the Food Network on June 8, 2008.
In May 2008, Deen announced at the Metropolitan Cooking and Entertaining Show
that she signed a deal to host a talk show beginning in September 2009.
Deen has appeared in public service announcements for Civitan International.
Awards
In June 2007, Deen won two Daytime Emmy Awards (Outstanding Lifestyle Host and
Outstanding Lifestyle Program) for Paula's Home Cooking. |
