Guest Author - Pam Garlick

There’s more than food being cooked up in Paula Deen’s cooking school. On a recent trip to Savannah Georgia, I was fortunate enough to attend Paula’s class. Okay, I guess I really should be honest, the reason I went to Savannah was to attend Paula’s class. It was a treat for my mother, who attended to my needs following two surgeries last year. However, it was just as much a treat for me.

For anyone who doesn’t know Paula Deen, she has one of the most popular cooking shows on Food Network TV, called “Paula’s Home Cooking”. It’s so popular, in fact, in September she will have a second show airing called “Paula’s Party”. I have no doubt it will be a party.

That brings me back to her cooking school. I got home two nights prior to Father’s Day and decided to use that special occasion to delight my family. Oh and delight it did! My family loved Paula’s dishes, cooked with my own hands.

I met some great people at Paula’s school. In fact, it turned out there was a fellow Pennsylvanian sitting at the table next to me. Pittsburgh resident, Diane Essary, was so thrilled to be at the class she could hardly contain herself. Her exuberance was infectious. She wanted to be at the class so much she and her husband even made the trip with 5 children in their vehicle. I don’t know who should be complimented more, Diane, or her husband who stayed outside with the kids during the class. Or, perhaps the kids, who she said were perfect angels during the long ride.

My mother and I shared a table with Chattonooga Tennessee resident, Carolyn Blair who brought her daughters Karen Page and Lisa Leigh to the class as a gift for their birthdays. Carolyn explained that her husband was delighted to do this for his daughters, and then told her he wanted to pay for her to attend with them.

For those of you who have seen Paula’s show, I can only say that she is every bit as delightful in person as she is on TV. She doesn’t put on any airs. She’s quick to laugh and the friendly banter between her and her husband, Michael, and her brother, “Bubba” is spontaneous. Not only that, it is infectious.

She tells it like it is, insisting, “Life is a fabulous gift.” Then Paula adds, “Life should be a celebration.”

It wasn’t always that for Paula. Prior to her rise in popularity she lived a difficult life. Her parents died when she was nineteen, leaving her to raise her then, 12 year old brother as well as her sons Bobby and Jamie.

It’s easy to see family is important to Paula, who is eagerly anticipating her first grandchild in just two months. However, it’s doubtful becoming a grandmother will slow her down. As well as her new show, she has partnered with Smithfield Hams and Back to Basics, and has a new cookbook coming out soon, as well as her memoirs.

Perhaps part of the reason Paula lives her life to the fullest, is due to the fact at one time it was extremely difficult for her to even go outside of her house. “I was on the train of agoraphobia,” she explains, attributing her ability to overcome the disorder to her faith. “My God is a kind God,” and a God with a sense of humor, she adds, returning to her usual humor.

I highly recommend Paula’s cooking school to anyone planning a trip to Savannah. In fact, I recommend it to anyone who just loves to cook and wants a good time.


Check out some of Paula's products. They are great! I've tried them.