Deen Paula H. - It aint all about the cookin

Also by Paula Deen

T HE L ADY & S ONS J UST D ESSERTS

T HE L ADY & S ONS S AVANNAH C OUNTRY C OOKBOOK

T HE L ADY & S ONS, T OO!: A Whole New Bunch of Recipes from Savannah

By Paula Deen with Martha Nesbit

P AULA D EEN C ELEBRATES!

P AULA D EEN & F RIENDS: Living It Up, Southern Style

SIMON & SCHUSTER
Rockefeller Center
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020
www.SimonandSchuster.com

Copyright 2007 by Paula Deen

All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.

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Unless otherwise noted, all photos courtesy of the author. Photo of Paula Deen and grandson by Mac Jamieson for Cooking with Paula Deen magazine. Photo of Michael Groover kissing Paula Deen by Bob Busby. Photo of Paula Deen and Bubba Hiers by Russ Bryant. Photo of Bubba Hiers and family by Christine Hall.

For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Simon & Schuster Special Sales: 1-800-456-6798 or business@simonandschuster.com.

Designed by C. Linda Dingler

Manufactured in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Deen, Paula H.

Paula Deen : it aint all about the cookin / by Paula Deen, with Sherry Suib Cohen.

p. cm.

1. Deen, Paula H., 1947- 2. CooksBiography. 3. Cookery, Southern. I. Cohen, Sherry Suib. II. Title. III. Title: Paula Deen : it aint all about the cookin.

TX715.2.S68D438 2007

641.5092dc22

[B] 2006053501

ISBN-13: 978-0-7432-9285-6
eISBN: 978-1-416-53968-1

ISBN-10: 0-7432-9285-5

First of all, thanks to my darlin Michael, always Michael, my handsome, sexy, funny husband, who always makes me laugh so hard, I think Im gonna bust. And thanks to my precious family who come along for the excitin ride every dayBobby, Jamie, and Brooke; Aunt Peggy Ort and Aunt Trina; my baby brother and partner, Bubba Hiers, and his new partner, Dawn Woodside, and her sons, Iain and Trevor; my beautiful niece, Corrie, and cute nephew, Jay; and, of course, the great Groover kids, Anthony and Michelle, and Michelles new husband, Daniel Reed. I love and am so grateful for my brother-in-law, spiritual advisor, and Cajun connection, Father Hank Groover. My husbands baby brother, Nick Groover, the unwillin subject of Captain Michaels childhood taunts, is not only part of my extended dear family, not only our neighbor, but also the contractor of the beautiful home Michael and I enjoy so much; Nicks wife, Jodi, and their adorable children, Jordan and Lauren, are in my life forever now.

My lovin appreciation goes to my collaborator and newest friend, writer Sherry Suib Cohen, who helped me find the words I needed to tell my story. Sherry leaves Savannah talkin Southern (she thinks) and with an educated view of butter.

What would I do without Team Paula, which includes my never-forgets-anything, inspirational executive assistant, Theresa Luckey; my fabulously creative, witty, and indispensable right-hand man, Brandon Branch; the accomplished and devoted Michelle White, who wears so many hatsamong them extraordinary graphic designer; Cassie Aimar, my talented personal assistant; and my favorite accountant on the planet, Karl Schumacher, for their never-ending efforts to make sure the details of my personal and professional life work smoothly. My agent, Barry Weiner, is the closest thing Ive had to a father since my real father died; hes always there for cheerleading and wise words. I love you, Barry Cudayoure my hero. My literary agent, Janis Donnaud, is endlessly loyal and helpful and always in my corner. My attorney, Peter Smithwell, I just adore him; hes one of the finest men I have ever met.

My Lady & Sons restaurant family is also the absolute best! Dora Charles has been there from the start, makin me look good and keepin me sane. I couldnt do without Rance Jackson, my number one kitchen manager; Dustin Walls, my general manager; and Scott Hopke, who is our executive kitchen manager. Cookie Espinoza is our office manager, and she manages to keep everyone happy and on track. The entire staff, from the bussers to the wait-people, from the hostesses to the dishwasherseach and every one of them is so important to The Lady & Sons, and Im forever grateful for this team weve formed.

My Simon & Schuster publishing family feels like real family to me. Im immensely grateful to the following people who have turned my memories and ideas into this beautiful book. I love them all, but best of all I love my brilliant editor, Sydny Miner, who lavished such care, thought, and creativity on each page, youd think this book was her real-life baby. Im so beholden to Syd, my dream editor, and also to her personal assistant, Michelle Rorke, who has been marvelous and responsive throughout the whole publishing process. Linda Dingler and Jaime Putorti worked beautifully and imaginatively on the interior design, and I am really happy with Jackie Seows cover design. I also lucked out because Arden Ward took the cover photographdont yall agree? Thanks are also surely due to Randee Marullo and Sybil Pincus, the copy editors who diligently combed this book to make it the best it could be.

Im also so pleased that David Rosenthal, the enlightened and extraordinary publisher of Simon & Schuster, leads my book team, and that Deb Darrock and Aileen Boyle are the fine associate publishers of the best publishing house in America. Deep gratitude goes to Tracey Guest, director of publicity, and her staff for telling the world about Paula Deen: It Aint All About the Cookin, and the biggest hug to everyone else at S&S who made this very personal memoir possible.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to a remarkable woman whos recently come into my life and given me a new focus and such joy. She is Phyllis Norton Hoffman, the publisher and president of Hoffman Media, LLC. Phyllis had the foresight to spot a powerful connection between me and the women in Americanot just Southern womenand she offered me my very own stunning magazine, Cooking with Paula Deen. I was just astonished when she approached mewho would ever read such a thing?but today, the magazine is sold on newsstands internationally. The magazine is about cookin, naturally, but also about entertaining and decorating and quaint little towns, and business and beauty and the color of eggs andoh, just about everything thats on the minds of women like me.

My gratitude goes to four new and fabulous business partners who support me wonderfully: Pete Booker, Larry Pope, Jim Schloss, and Joe Luter III. Welcome aboard, all of you!

Im forever grateful to the Food Network and my producer, the wild and wonderful Gordon Elliott, who have literally changed my life and have made me, Paula Deen, into a television starI can hardly believe it! Judy Girard, Brooke Johnson, and Bob Tuschman of the network are deep in my heart forever. My two shows, Paulas Home Cookin and Paulas Party, have given me a chance to share a love of makin good meals and havin fun with my terrific fans, who are always challenging me to cook better, tell more secrets, and show my stuff even when my stuff aint so perfect. I relish every moment of my life journey and I cant wait to see what happens next! Think of it: Im a sixty-year-old, grey-haired, overweight woman and Im still employed. Life is a beautyful thing.