Paula Deen

As a young girl growing up in Albany, Georgia, Paula Deen never dreamed she would become an American icon. As a young mother, Deen was living the American dream, married to her high school sweetheart and raising two adorable boys, when tragedy struck. Her parents died, her marriage failed, and she began a prolonged battle with agoraphobia. With her boys in their teens and her family near homelessness, Deen took her last $200, reached deep inside her soul and started “The Bag Lady,” a home-based catering company that marked the start of Deen’s professional cooking. With sons Jamie and Bobby delivering “lunch-and-love-in-a-bag,” beginning in June 1989, Deen turned around her life by sharing what she knew best, traditional Southern cooking.

Deen’s first business, The Bag Lady, showcased her strengths and stabilized her family. She moved her catering company to a small restaurant at a Best Western motel in Savannah, eventually opening her first restaurant, The Lady and Sons, with Bobby and Jamie five years later. The restaurant quickly gained traction, and the popularity of Deen and her cooking led to her first cookbook, 1998’s "The Lady and Sons Savannah Country Cookbook." This publication enabled fans to try Deen’s recipes at home and led to her first television appearance on QVC. Her genuine warmth and folksy personality made her a natural for television. In 1999, USA Today food critic Jerry Shriver named The Lady and Sons “International Meal of the Year.”

Deen’s rise to prominence continued when she premiered “Paula’s Home Cooking” on the Food Network in 2002. She expanded her television presence with “Paula’s Best Dishes” which debuted in 2008. Her engaging on-screen presence earned her two Emmy Awards. Additionally, other family-led shows, including Bobby’s “Not My Mama’s Meals” on the Cooking Channel and Jamie’s “Home for Dinner with Jamie Deen” found success, further cementing the Deen family’s place in culinary television.

Deen’s business interests are extensive. She co-owns The Lady & Sons and Uncle Bubba’s Oyster House with her brother, Bubba. Her brand, Paula Deen Enterprises, spans 17 different licensees and offers a broad range of products from cookware to furniture. She authored 14 cookbooks, which have collectively sold over 8 million copies, and she runs a bimonthly magazine, Cooking with Paula Deen, which boasts nearly a million readers.

An active community participant, Deen uses her platform to support charitable efforts. She serves on the board of the Bethesda Home for Boys and works with America’s Second Harvest and Smithfield Foods Helping Hungry Homes™, contributing significantly to hunger relief efforts. On New Year’s Day 2011, she was honored as the Grand Marshal of the Tournament of Roses Parade, showcasing her appeal and recognition beyond the kitchen.