Have you ever seen her in action? Paula Deen is one Southern charmin’, pork cookin’, butter usin’, funny, slick talkin’, audience attention grabbin’, finger lickin’, lip smackin’, business savy heck of a cook! I had a chance to see her Live at the Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Show and between the belly busting laughs, salivating mouths and captivating feeling I was bombarded with a ton of wisdom! Yep, Paula Deen has inspired me tremendously.
Now we all know that I don the Flexitarian Tiara proudly, with my love of vegan baking, vegetarian eating and occasional meat loving trysts! So clearly, Paula’s cooking style, albeit tasty, isn’t one that I employ often. But I’m not here to write about her food, instead I opt to share lessons I learned watching her in her empire success.

1. Families First – Paula Deen shares the talent and wealth. If it’s not featuring her sons in her show, or hiring family help for her restaurant Lady and Sons, or loving on her hubby on TV and at live events, or bigging up her cousin Johnnie Gabriel’s cookbook and bakery which is right here in Marietta, GA, then she’s planning family vacation cruises from the oldest to the youngest (which by the way, the public can buy a ticket too). Eitherways she doesn’t fall short of mentioning some funny family story or just plain telling it like it is and spreading pure Deen Love.
2. The Sun Never Sets on an Empire- Paula has taken her famous Lady and Sons restaurant and expanded it to a top rated cooking show on Food Network, a line of cookery at Target, several cookbooks, a home furnishing store, a Paula Deen Beach House Vacation Rental, an annual cruise, a soon to be frozen seafoods product coming to a grocery store near you, and only God knows what else is to come. With all of these products and services, she has successfully branded herself as a lifestyle and you can have your own piece of Paula Deen wherever and whenever.
3. Life is Real and Laughter is Contagious- Paula was late to the show because she was having troubles with her Depends (yep, grown folks diapers) and made it clear that she had to wear them less she sneeze, laugh, or fart too hard and let out more than she bargained for! Then she went on to tell us how her husband had “hooves” for feet and she wouldn’t have married him had she known! She ain’t do much cookin, but she did a whole lotta talkin’! She even had a Q&A and took precious time with every one in a back and forth conversation that really made you think that you were sitting on the porch with your grandma. Every thing was “y’all this and baby that”. NO matter how big we get, we have to remember not to take things seriously. Have fun with the fans, enjoy the spotlight, make love to the camera, laugh off the embarrassing mishaps, and put our all into the moment. Life is real and it happens everyday and when we laugh, life becomes all the sweeter.
Thanks Paula.

More from Metro Cooking and Entertaining Expo

Where the fun begins and where I see myself captivating audiences in the future

Gabriel’s Bakery booth – Paula Deen’s cousin and she has the best Red Velvet Recipe I’ve tried in a long time!

Goodies I bought at the Expo including new kitchen tools,  Gabriels Caramel Pound Cake and a Butter Pecan Ooey Gooey Cake!

My fellow Harvard Homie who is a Foodie too and creator of Chinese Southern Belle.

A few chefs teaching the babies, gotta get them in the kitchen young! IF McDonald’s can, why can’t we?!?!

Me leaving full and somewhat satisfied- You know what they were missing? Vegan & Veggie fare….but no worries, I’ll be the one to fill that void!