Paula Deen, queen of Southern cooking, signing copies of It Ain’t All About the Cooking

* 9/22/09 7:00 PM at Book Revue – New York Avenue. Huntington, NY.
* 11/9/09 7:00 PM at Borders Books – Columbus Circle. New York, NY.

Buy This Book at Amazon – Free Shipping on Qualified Orders!

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.

Deen was born in Albany, Georgia. As documented in the Food Network special Chefography and on her official website, both her parents died by the time she was 23 years old. Deen had agoraphobia and would not leave her house. She is 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. In her 20s, Deen suffered from panic attacks with agoraphobia, eventually becoming virtually housebound. This was the result of an armed robbery that occurred while she was a bank teller. She overcame the illness without therapy. After that she and her sons moved to Savannah.In 1989, she divorced her husband and expanded her cooking experience into a catering service.

In 1997, Deen self-published The Lady & Sons Savannah Country Cooking and The Lady & Sons Savannah Country Cooking 2. Both cookbooks were 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). In April 2007, Simon & Schuster published Deen’s memoir, It Ain’t All About the Cookin’.

Deen’s relationship with Food Network began in 1999, when her friend Erin Lewis introduced her to Gordon Elliott, who then introduced her to her current 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. Since then, Deen has been given two more shows, “Paula’s Party” and “Paula’s Best Dishes.”

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 for a show aired in 2004.

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.

Deen has one grandchild, Jack, who was born August 21, 2006, to Jamie and his wife, Brooke.

In June 2007, Deen won two Daytime Emmy Awards (Outstanding Lifestyle Host and Outstanding Lifestyle Program) for Paula’s Home Cooking.

References: http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Hills/8944/

Related posts:

1. Jamie and Bobby Deen, Book Signing Event, “The Deen Bros Take It Easy”
2. Curtis Stone Book Signing Event, “Relaxed Cooking with Curtis Stone”
3. Rachael Ray, Book Signing Event “Rachael Ray’s Book of 10″
4. BAM! Emeril Lagasse Book Signing Event “Emeril at the Grill”
5. Alton Brown, Book Signing Event, “Good Eats: The Early Years”

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.