''Paula's Home Cooking'' is a

Food Network Food Network is an American basic cable channel owned by Television Food Network, G.P., a joint venture and general partnership between Warner Bros. Discovery Networks (which holds a 69% ownership stake of the network) and Nexstar Media Group ( ...

show hosted by

Paula Deen Paula Ann Hiers Deen (born January 19, 1947) is an American chef, cookbook author, and TV personality. Deen resides in Savannah, Georgia, where she owns and operates The Lady & Sons restaurant and Paula Deen's Creek House with her sons, Jamie ...

. Deen's primary culinary focus was

Southern cuisine The cuisine of the Southern United States encompasses diverse food traditions of several regions, including Tidewater, Appalachian, Lowcountry, Cajun, Creole, and Floribbean cuisine. In recent history, elements of Southern cuisine have spread t ...

and familiar

comfort food Comfort food is food that provides a nostalgic or sentimental value to someone, and may be characterized by its high caloric nature, high carbohydrate level, or simple preparation. The nostalgia may be specific to an individual, or it may app ...

that is popular with

Americans Americans are the citizens and nationals of the United States of America.; ; Although direct citizens and nationals make up the majority of Americans, many dual citizens, expatriates, and permanent residents could also legally claim Ame ...

. In the show, classic dishes such as

pot roast Pot roast is an American beef dish made by slow-cooking a usually tough cut of beef in moist heat. Tougher cuts such as chuck steak, bottom round, short ribs and 7-bone roast are preferred for this technique. These cuts are American terms; d ...

, fried

okra Okra or Okro (, ), ''Abelmoschus esculentus'', known in many English-speaking countries as ladies' fingers or ochro, is a flowering plant in the mallow family. It has edible green seed pods. The geographical origin of okra is disputed, with su ...

, fried chicken and

pecan pie Pecan pie is a pie of pecan nuts mixed with a filling of eggs, butter, and sugar (typically corn syrup). Variations may include white or brown sugar, cane syrup, sugar syrup, molasses, maple syrup, or honey. It is popularly served at holiday ...

were the norm, and overcomplicated or eccentric recipes were usually eschewed. Dishes that are flavorful and familiar were spotlighted, although the fat content and calorie count of the meals were often very high. Paula also showed off vignettes of Savannah,

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, where she co-owns The Lady & Sons with her sons

Jamie Jamie is a unisex name. It is a diminutive form of James or, more rarely, other names. It is also given as a name in its own right. People Female * Jamie Anne Allman (born 1977), American actress * Jamie Babbit (born 1970), American film and t ...

and

Bobby Bobby or Bobbie may refer to: People * Bobby (given name), a list of names * Bobby (actress), from Bangladesh * Bobby (rapper) (born 1995), from South Korea * Bobby (screenwriter) (born 1983), Indian screenwriter * Bobby, old slang for a constabl ...

. Deen's popularity, spurred by the show, led to a small role in the feature film '' Elizabethtown''. Despite its possibly Southern atmosphere, ''Paula's Home Cooking'' was taped in upstate New York until 2006; since then, shows had been taped at Deen's new home near Savannah. In 2008, Deen began work on a revamped version of the series called ''Paula's Best Dishes'', in which friends and family join her in the kitchen to prepare recipes. Deen's sons often appeared as guests on the show. They too proved to be popular among Food Network's audience and now have their own show, ''

Road Tasted ''Road Tasted'' is a television program shown on Food Network in the USA. The show was originally hosted by Jamie Deen and Bobby Deen, the sons of the popular Food Network host Paula Deen, as they drove around the United States searching for the ...

'', similar to ''

Rachael Ray's Tasty Travels ''Rachael Ray's Tasty Travels'' is a television show based on cook Rachael Ray and her travels around the world. The show is similar to her 2002 Food Network show, ''$40 a Day ''$40 a Day'' was a Food Network show hosted by Rachael Ray. In eac ...

''. Deen's husband, Michael Groover, also appeared sporadically as a guest, and Food Network taped the Deen-Groover wedding in 2004 as a special edition of the show. The success of ''Paula's Home Cooking'' led to a line of

cookbooks A cookbook or cookery book is a kitchen reference containing recipes. Cookbooks may be general, or may specialize in a particular cuisine or category of food. Recipes in cookbooks are organized in various ways: by course (appetizer, first cours ...

, a magazine, other television shows and specials, and related merchandise. Reruns of the show now air on Food Network's sister channel

GAC GAC or Gac may refer to: Companies and organisations * GAC Group, a Chinese automotive company based in Guangzhou, Guangdong * GAC Ireland, an Irish bus manufacturer established with Bombardier (1980–1986) * Games Administration Committee, ...

. On June 21, 2013, the Food Network announced that they would not renew Deen's contract due to controversy surrounding Deen's use of a

racial slur The following is a list of ethnic slurs or ethnophaulisms or ethnic epithets that are, or have been, used as insinuations or allegations about members of a given ethnicity or racial group or to refer to them in a derogatory, pejorative, or oth ...

made 30 years earlier, effectively cancelling the series.

References

External links

*
Paula's Home Cooking on The Food Network

The Lady and Sons Restaurant in Savannah Georgia
2002 American television series debuts 2012 American television series endings 2000s American cooking television series 2010s American cooking television series Food Network original programming Television shows set in New York (state) Television shows set in Georgia (U.S. state) English-language television shows {{US-nonfiction-tv-prog-stub