Paula Deen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Paula Deen

Deen in 2009
Born	Paula Ann Hiers (1947-01-19) January 19, 1947 (age 78) Albany, Georgia, U.S.
Cooking style	Southern
Spouse	Jimmy Deen ​ ​ (m. 1965; div. 1989)​ Michael Groover ​ (m. 2004)​
Current restaurant(s) The Lady & Sons Restaurant, Paula Deen's Family Kitchen (5 locations)
Television show(s) Paula's Home Cooking (2002–2013) Paula's Party (2006–2013) Paula's Best Dishes (2008–2013) Positively Paula (2016–present) Paula Deen's Sweet Home Savannah (2017–present)
Award(s) won 2007 Emmy for Outstanding Lifestyle Host

Paula Ann Hiers Deen (born January 19, 1947) is an American chef, author of cookbooks, and a TV personality. She lives in Savannah, Georgia. There, she runs The Lady & Sons restaurant with her sons, Jamie and Bobby Deen. Paula Deen has written fifteen cookbooks.

Growing Up and Starting Out

Paula Ann Hiers was born in Albany, Georgia. Her parents were Corrie A. Hiers and Earl Wayne Hiers Sr. When Paula was 19, her father passed away. Four years later, her mother also died.

Before her father's death, Paula married Jimmy Deen at age 18. They had two sons: James ("Jamie") in 1967 and Robert ("Bobby") in 1970. In her twenties, Paula struggled with feeling sad and anxious. She found comfort in cooking for her family. This was something she could do without leaving her house.

Paula's grandmother, Irene Paul, taught her how to cook Southern food. Paula described it as "real farmhouse cooking, the kind that takes all day." In 1989, Paula and Jimmy divorced. Paula needed to support herself, her two sons, and her younger brother. She tried different jobs. Then, she started a catering service called The Bag Lady. She made lunches for office workers, and her sons Jamie and Bobby delivered them.

Paula Deen's Restaurants

Lady & Sons restaurant in Savannah, Georgia

After her home-based business became successful, Paula took over a restaurant in a Best Western hotel in Savannah in 1991. She named it The Lady. In January 1996, Paula and her sons opened their own restaurant. They called it The Lady & Sons. It was located in downtown Savannah.

A few years later, the restaurant moved to a larger building. Paula also opened several casino buffets. These were at Harrah's casinos in Mississippi, North Carolina, Indiana, and Illinois. These buffets were later renamed in 2013. Paula also co-owned Uncle Bubba's Oyster House in Savannah. This restaurant closed in 2014. It reopened in 2017 as Paula Deen's Creek House, but closed permanently in 2023.

In 2015, Paula opened Paula Deen's Family Kitchen in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. In 2017, another location opened in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Two more Paula Deen restaurants opened in Texas in 2018, but they closed the next year. In 2020, a Paula Deen's Family Kitchen opened in Nashville, Tennessee. Another one opened in Panama City Beach in 2021.

Cookbooks and Magazines

In 1997, Paula Deen published her first cookbooks herself. They were called The Lady & Sons Savannah Country Cookbook and The Lady & Sons, Too! A Whole New Batch of Recipes from Savannah. Both books shared traditional Southern recipes. She has since published many more cookbooks.

Paula has appeared on QVC and The Oprah Winfrey Show. Her life story was featured in a book called Extraordinary Comebacks. In 2007, she released her memoir, It Ain't All About the Cookin'. She also started a lifestyle magazine called Cooking with Paula Deen in 2005. This magazine is still published every month. In 2019, Paula released her latest cookbook, Paula Deen's Southern Baking.

Television Shows and Appearances

Paula Deen started working with Food Network in 1999. She appeared in a series called Doorknock Dinners. In 2001, she filmed a pilot show. The network liked it and gave her her own show, Paula's Home Cooking. It first aired in November 2002. This show was filmed at her home in Savannah, Georgia.

Deen throwing out the first pitch before a baseball game in Washington in 2010.

Paula also hosted two other Food Network shows: Paula's Party (starting in 2006) and Paula's Best Dishes (starting in 2008). A TV biography about her was shown on Food Network's Chefography in 2006.

In 2013, Paula Deen faced some challenges. Due to comments she made, Food Network decided not to renew her contract. In 2015, Paula launched her own channel on Roku. In September 2015, she competed on the 21st season of Dancing with the Stars. She finished in 9th place.

In October 2016, Paula launched a new TV show called Positively Paula. She also appears on the home shopping network ShopHQ. There, she sells kitchen items and food products. In April 2021, it was announced that Paula Deen would be a guest host on MasterChef for its 11th season. She joined other famous chefs to help mentor home cooks.

Paula's Personal Life

In 2004, Paula Deen married Michael Groover. He is a tugboat captain in the Port of Savannah, Georgia. Paula has two children from her first marriage, and Michael also has two children. Their wedding was shown on a Food Network special in 2004.

Paula supports Bethesda Academy, a school for boys in Savannah. She has asked Old Savannah Tours to donate money to the organization from ticket sales.

Other Projects

Paula Deen made her movie debut in Elizabethtown (2005). She played the aunt of the main character. Her cooking was also featured in the film. A Food Network special, Paula Goes Hollywood, aired when the movie came out.

Awards and Recognitions

In June 2007, Paula Deen won a Daytime Emmy Award. This was for Outstanding Lifestyle Host for her show Paula's Home Cooking. In October 2010, she was chosen as the Grand Marshal for the Tournament of Roses Parade. She led the 2011 Rose Parade before the Rose Bowl Game on January 1, 2011.

Challenges and Criticisms

Healthy Eating Discussions

Paula Deen has received criticism for using a lot of sugar in her recipes. Some people, like natural food advocate Christina Pirello, have spoken about this. Barbara Walters also questioned a cookbook Paula wrote for children. Walters asked, "You tell kids to have cheesecake for breakfast. You tell them to have chocolate cake and meatloaf for lunch. And french fries. Doesn't it bother you that you're adding to this?" Paula replied, "All things in moderation."

In 2011, chef Anthony Bourdain commented that he would "think twice before telling an already obese nation that it's OK to eat food that is killing us." On January 17, 2012, Paula Deen announced that she had been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes three years earlier. She then became a spokesperson for a company that makes medicines for the disease.

Career Changes

In June 2013, Paula Deen faced a lawsuit. This led to a lot of public discussion. As a result, many companies ended their contracts with her. Food Network, Smithfield Foods, Walmart, Target, and QVC were among those that stopped working with her. However, some companies chose to continue their deals. During this time, sales of Paula Deen's cookbooks actually increased. Former US President Jimmy Carter suggested that Paula Deen should be forgiven. He said she had been "punished, perhaps overly severely, for her honesty."

Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Paula Deen para niños

• List of American restaurateurs
• List of Food Network Canada personalities
• List of people from Georgia (U.S. state)