"PaulaDeen" news and stories

Celebrity chef and Smithfield Hams spokesperson Paula Deen, in town for the South Beach Wine & Food Festival, donated 30,000 pounds of hams and other goods at a food bank in Pembroke Park on Friday.

People lined up in the "Ham Brigade" at Feeding South Florida to help pass the hams down to shopping carts that began to quickly fill up

Continue reading Paula Deen Donates Ham Without Getting Hit on CitysBest.com.

• Paula Deen's influence goes beyond cooking -- the Horseshoe Casino is renovating its buffet in her honor.
• Want a summery drink? Think pink -- or rather, rosé.
• Southerners take their fried chicken seriously. It can't just be good -- it needs to be honest.
• The Kentucky Derby is behind us this year, but who says you can't still have a mint julep?

Health food activists in Savannah are questioning the local school system's decision to partner with Paula Deen on a new culinary arts program.

According to a recent report by Georgia Public Broadcasting, some parents are horrified that the celeb chef responsible for the cookbook selected as the past decade's "unhealthiest" by a group of physicians will be steering the curriculum for high schoolers enrolled in the Paula Deen Academy of Culinary Arts.

A spokeswoman for Savannah's Brighter Days Natural Foods was unaware of the controversy when reached by phone, but wondered why the schools didn't pick a nutritionist as a consultant. According to Audrey Biloon, there's no shortage of talented Savannah chefs who don't bathe their vegetables in bacon grease or fry balls of butter. "You don't have to eat a high-fat diet in the South," Biloon contends.

Southern belle celebrity cook Paula Deen has teamed up with a gift wrap and stationery manufacturer to create a line of paper products.

International Greetings PLC and the Food Network star will bring to market a collection of stationary, recipe cards, organizers, boxes and food containers, the company announced in press release.

"I am looking forward to working with International Greetings in designing my signature paper products," Deen said in a statement. "I am confident that their reputation for quality and creative goods will result in great products at a good value."

The Paula Deen paper products will be available in May 2010 at more than 1,000 Michaels craft stores, and the manufacturer is in negotiations with other retailers.

Paula Deen had a bit of a freak out last week on the set of the "Today Show" after an NBC staffer accidentally walked into the shot and hid behind a kitchen island.

"Oh my goodness, can you all see? What is he doing in here? Does he work here?" Deen asked Al Roker as she prepared her Nutty Orange Coffee Cake to promote the New York City Wine & Food Festival. "He doesn't have a gun does he? Should we pull out our knives?"

Roker laughed along with Deen, although it became a bit awkward after he asked her what she was making.

"Nervous. That's what we're making -- nerves, nervous," she said. "Is he from this country?"

But all became hunky-dory once more when Deen learned the man did indeed work for NBC.

"Oh so you do work here, well here," Deen said as she handed him a slice of cake.



[Via Huffington Post]