Georgia’s Queen of Southern cuisine will soon be heading for the Queen City to host her new touring production, “Paula Deen Live!”
The show will feature best-selling author, restaurateur and Food Network star Paula Deen, along with her husband, Michael Groover. Deen will not only be cooking up some of her famous cuisine, but she’ll also be sharing behind-the-scenes stories from her time spent on her cooking show. The show promises to be entertaining and full of surprises.
“Generally speaking my shows are all improvised,” said Deen. “My experience has been that it’s best to feed off the audience’s energy. Some of the most hilarious things happen when you don’t plan them. I’ve had my britches fall off once and another time I was hit in the head with a ham. We don’t rehearse this stuff, it just happens!”
Deen’s life in the world of cooking began in her grandmother’s kitchen in Albany, Georgia. Working for hours alongside her grandmother, she learned her recipes backwards and front. When Deen’s life took a tragic turn early on with the loss of her parents, an unhappy marriage, and the onset of a debilitating illness, it was her grandmother’s recipes that she turned to. Little did she know that she would find her dream within them. She and her sons moved to Savannah where she opened up a restaurant and soon thereafter, published her first cookbook and eventually made her way to the Food Network. There she became an Emmy Award winning host and spread her fun-loving personality to audiences everywhere.
Deen’s inviting and humorous personality that audiences have witnessed over and over on the Food Network is what makes her live show so engaging. She not only cooks, but she shares jokes and advice with her audiences in hopes of creating an intimate and fun experience for them.
“Once I walk on stage, there’s no telling what will happen,” said Deen. “I always start with good intentions in the kitchen but by evening’s end I’m so involved with the audience and crying with laughter.”
“When I’m onstage I have one mission: to have fun,” Deen added. “I want everyone in that audience to leave their worries back home and have a good time.”
The show will take place at Shea’s Performing Arts Center on April 20 at 7 p.m. Tickets will be available starting this Friday, February 11. Tickets for reserved seating are priced at $44.75 and can be obtained at the Shea’s Box Office, participating ticketmaster outlets, including Macy’s stores, www.ticketmaster.com, or by phone at 800-745-3000.
Shea’s Performing Arts Center is located at 650 Main Street. The box office hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, visit the Shea’s website.
Sarah Maurer
I moved to Buffalo to attend Canisius College in 2007 and began writing for Buffalo Rising as a journalism intern in 2010. Working with Newell and meeting numerous entrepreneurs, activists and everyday folks who were working to make their city better made a huge impact on my decision to stay here. After witnessing all the positive development and grassroots initiatives happening in neighborhoods throughout the city, I was inspired to pursue a term of service in AmeriCorps and a career in Buffalo's non-profit sector. I currently work in the housing department at the Lt. Col. Matt Urban Human Services Center of WNY and am excited to be a part of their ongoing efforts to revitalize the Broadway Fillmore neighborhood. I also volunteer as the project coordinator for Artfarms Buffalo. I continue to write for Buffalo Rising because I love having the opportunity to stay connected to those working toward positive changes for the Queen City.