Paula Deen

Paula Ann Groover, better known as Paula Deen (born Paula Ann Hiers on January 19, 1947), is an American cook, restaurateur, writer, and TV personality.


Deen owns The Lady & Sons restaurant in Savannah, Georgia, where she resides, and runs it with her sons, Jamie and Bobby. She has also published four cookbooks. She is known for her bubbly, "down-home" personality, which makes her a favorite among TV viewers. On her shows, books and appearances, she still uses the surname Deen, from her first marriage.


Born in Albany, Georgia, she married her first husband after graduating from high school in 1965. As documented in the Food Network special Chefography and Paula Deen's Official Website, her parents both died by the time she was 23 and as a result she developed a fear of death which led to chronic agoraphobia. She was 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. She was robbed at gunpoint the next year, and that incident led her to deal with her agoraphobia head-on. After the family moved to Savannah in 1989, she decided to parlay her cooking experience into a catering service. She made sandwiches and other meals, which her sons delivered. She also adopted two sheepdogs, Nikki and Matty, to which she credits her day to day happiness.


Deen is the author of Paula Deen Celebrates!; Paula Deen & Friends: Living It Up, Southern Style; The Lady & Sons Just Desserts; and other books. She is the host of the Food Network's Paula's Home Cooking and Paula's Party, and has appeared on Good Morning America, Today, Fox and Friends, and The Oprah Winfrey Show. She is also the mastermind behind the Cooking with Paula Deen magazine that boasts a circulation of 1.3 million and is considered a category leader.


In 2007, Deen won not one, but two, daytime Emmy awards. The first Emmy award was for Outstanding Lifestyle Host and the second Emmy award was for Outstanding Lifestyle Program. The same day, Forbes Magazine ranked Deen as one of the 100 most powerful celebrities.


She is also the founder of The Lady & Sons restaurant and co-owner of Uncle Bubba's Oyster House.