Paula Deen V. Barefoot Contessa

Paula...
Hey Y’all! You know, I meet so many wonderful people everywhere I go that are willing to share their life story with me, that I want to share a little bit of my story with all of you. Of course, there’s more in my new memoir – It Ain’t All About the Cookin’ – but, for now, I hope you pull up a chair and visit with me here for a while!

Everyone has a beginning, and mine really starts in my Grandmother Paul’s kitchen. I promise you, she knew everything you ever needed to know about making the perfect Southern meal. Every day I was amazed at all the things she knew and shared with me – cooking techniques, tips, secret recipes, and, most importantly laughter, life lessons, and love! Of course I didn’t know it at the time, but those would be the things that would always pull me through.

Following this carefree and wonderful time in my life, I graduated from high school, and married my high school sweetheart. Like all young people, nobody could tell me anything at the time, and I set out believing I’d be the perfect wife and mom and he’d be the perfect husband and father. Well, needless to say, that’s where things started to turn. First, there was the sudden and heartbreaking death of my beloved father, followed by the loss of my sweet mom just a few short years later – when our mom died my little brother Bubba was only 16, I was 23, and had two little babies of my own to raise. Everything that held me together was gone, and I truly didn’t know where to turn and felt frozen in my tracks. I managed through the next decade or so, but again things took a major turn for the worse when my husband announced one day he had taken a job in Savannah. I was 40 years old and was having such severe panic attacks that I literally could not leave my house, becoming a prisoner in my own home.

But, you know – things happen for a reason, and one day it just dawned on me: I was going to take control of my life and my destiny! So, I decided to do what I do best – taking a lesson straight from Grandmother Paul – and started The Bag Lady. With $200 and the help of my boys, the real adventure began. Of course you can read The Lady & Sons history page, but from the beginning we were blessed with faithful patrons that have become like family to us that allowed us to blossom. Our bag lunch delivery and catering service turned into a full-service restaurant and we went from leasing a place at the Best Western hotel to our very own place downtown.
During that time I’ve had my first cookbook “discovered” and more published, had the honor of receiving the “International Meal of Year” designation by USA Today, of having not one, but two of my own shows on the Food Network, and opened up another restaurant – Uncle Bubba’s Oyster House - with my little brother Bubba. And, guess what? I’ve even been star-struck myself appearing on the Oprah Winfrey show and meeting Oprah herself!

All of my dreams really are coming true. I’ve married my soul mate, Michael Grover – gaining a whole other extending family with Anthony and Michelle in the process, managed to raise two wonderful and successful boys, Jamie and Bobby, and created a wonderful career by doing what I love best. And, the icing on the cake? The birth of my first grandchild, Jack, in 2006.

But, you know what, none of this would have happened if I hadn’t of taken the good with the bad, embraced both the heartache and joy, and taken control of my life when I thought it could not have gotten worse. Most of all, during good times and bad, I’ve had the love and support of family, friends, and you – my fans. From my heart, I always wish you love and best dishes, from my kitchen to yours. And I can’t wait to continue the adventure with you!


Ina....
I had no idea what I was getting into. In 1978 I was working in the White House Office of Management and Budget and thinking I’ve got to do something more creative. I came across an ad in the New York Times for a specialty food store for sale in the Hamptons and I decided to investigate. My husband Jeffrey and I drove to Long Island to see the store and I fell in love. I had no experience in the food business but I knew that it was exactly what I wanted to do. I made the owner a low offer thinking I’d go home and I’d think about it. She called the next day and said, “I accept your offer.” Yikes! I owned a specialty food store!

Eighteen years later, Barefoot Contessa was a store that was celebrated both for its style and delicious food. In 1996, I sold the store to two employees who continued those traditions. At that point, with nothing to do, I built myself an office over the store and tried my hand writing a cookbook. The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook turned out to be the most exciting thing I’ve ever done professionally and the response from readers has been absolutely overwhelming. In 2001 I published my second book, Barefoot Contessa Parties! In 2002, Barefoot Contessa Family Style was released, and I started my show on Food Network, also called Barefoot Contessa. In 2004, I published Barefoot in Paris about my favorite simple French food and my fifth cookbook Barefoot Contessa at Home, was published in 2006.

Along with my friend and business partner, Frank Newbold, I have also launched an exciting line of products for breakfast, lunch, and dinner called Barefoot Contessa Pantry that is available for sale in stores throughout North America.

In 2003, the owners of Barefoot Contessa, the food store, decided to close their doors and go on to new adventures. I’m excited to continue the traditions and build the brand with new cookbooks, new television shows, and lots of delicious products that continue to reflect not only our quality and style, but also my love of entertaining friends and family.

I live in East Hampton and Manhattan with my husband Jeffrey.