 As
a young girl in Albany, GA, Paula Deen lived an idyllic life
with a loving family that included doting parents, grandparents,
and a large extended family. If there was one consistent theme
in the household it was laughter around the dinner table and
great southern meals frequently cooked by Grandmother Paul. Little
did Paula know that these special meals and Southern traditions
would take her places she never dreamed.
After graduating from high school
in 1965, Paula married her high school sweetheart and soon started
a family that produced two sons. . By her twenty-third birthday
Paula’s happy life spun out of control and tragedy took
over her life. Both Paula’s parents died unexpectedly within
a year’s time leaving Paula devastated and in charge of
not only her young babies but also her younger brother Bubba.
It was around this time of her life that Paula began to develop
symptoms that are associated with agoraphobia. At times she felt
so fearful and paralyzed that she was unable to step outside
the safety boundaries of her home.
For twenty years, Paula battled
her agoraphobia and her once loving marriage crumbled under the
stress of a badly shaken family life. Left with two growing sons
and no source of income, Deen reached into her Southern roots
and drew inspiration from what she knew best - her kitchen stove.
 Her
culinary career began in June 1989 out of her kitchen with “The
Bag Lady”, a home-based lunch delivery service in Savannah,
with the help of her two sons Jamie & Bobby. With $200 given
to her by her husband, Paula spent fifty dollars on groceries,
roughly forty dollars on a cooler, and the rest on a business
license and incidentals.
In a few short years “The
Bag Lady” was successful enough to search for a work space
outside her kitchen. For five years, Paula prepared meals at
a Best Western hotel in Savannah. It wasn’t long before
Paula started to develop a loyal following who loved her style
of home-cooked Southern meals that nurtured the soul as much
as the appetite. In 1996 the timing was right for her to open
her own restaurant, The Lady and Sons, in downtown Savannah.
Within a few years, the restaurant moved to a larger building
in Savannah's historic district. It wasn’t long before USA
Today food critic Jerry Shriver named The Lady and Sons the "International
Meal of the Year" in 1999.
In 1997, Deen published her first
cookbook, The Lady & Sons Savannah Country Cookbook. As luck
would have it, a major publishing house picked it up when one
of their literary agents walked into the restaurant to escape
a rainstorm. Shortly after that, Deen’s cookbook was appearing
on QVC. In the years to follow she published many more cookbooks,
all of which made the national bestseller list. To date Deen
has sold more than 8 million books in print. Most recently, her
first children’s cookbook Paula Deen’s: My First Cookbook
remained on the New York Times bestseller list for several months.
Other popular titles include Paula Deen Celebrates, Paula Deen’s
Kitchen Classics, The Lady & Sons Just Desserts, and Paula
Deen & Friends.
In addition Deen launched her
magazine, Cooking with Paula Deen, in November 2005 and today
is a category leader with a circulation of over one million,
outselling competitors in bookstores and mainline newsstands.
In this bi-monthly magazine Paula shares the warmth of her kitchen,
delicious home-cooked recipes, gardening tips, and seasonal decorating
ideas.
“Paula’s Home Cooking”
premiered on the TV Food Network on November 16, 2002. The program
features Deen doing what she does best - being herself, teaching
people how to bring joy into their kitchens and homes. With Deen
it’s about teaching viewers to bring out the best in their
families and creating happy memories no matter what the budget
is.
In Fall 2006, Deen launched her
second program, “Paula’s Party”, on the Food Network.
She invites guests to participate in her cooking classes. Viewers
get an inside look of what makes Deen so special - a clever wit,
her jovial laugh and sheer genius at making people feel good.
“Paula’s Best Dishes”
premiered on the Food Network in June 2008. During this show,
Paula recreates viewer recipes while sharing personal stories
and family traditions. Secrets from some of America’s great
cooks are revealed as she prepares these favorite dishes.
In March 2008, Meyer Corporation
teamed up with Paula Deen to launch her Signature Collection
of cookware, bake ware, cutlery, kitchen tools, teakettles, mixing
bowls and other kitchen accessories. This collection reflects
her immensely popular Southern approach to cooking and entertaining.
Paula Deen, award winning restaurateur,
best-selling author, and TV celebrity cook has garnered widespread
acclaim for her delicious down home cooking, seasoned with a
generous dollop of Southern hospitality.
Courtesy of Nancy
Assuncao, Public Relations; through EQAL Productions
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