Bobby  Deen

Not My Momma's Meals

Growing up in a traditional Southern kitchen, self-proclaimed “Georgia Boy” Bobby Deen went to work in that kitchen—his mother Paula’s kitchen-- when he was eighteen. And Bobby, now 41, has been an essential ingredient in the recipe that has made his mother an American hospitality and cooking icon. The warmth, humanity and kindness that are so much a part of Paula Deen’s persona are really family traits that were passed on to Bobby and his older brother Jamie. As the family continues to cook, write and effectively welcome the world to sit in the kitchen and be a member of the family, Bobby has his own style, interests and passions.

After high school, Bobby was the delivery man and an integral part of the now legendary home business that launched Paula Deen on the road to success. Bobby brought “lunch-and-love-in-a-bag” to the customers and the praise and feedback to Paula. The Bag Lady saved Paula and her two young sons from near homelessness. The business would soon grow into a restaurant, called The Lady and Sons.

Bobby Deen was in the front of the house and took care of the customers, leaving his mom to craft recipes that gave The Lady and Sons its first national exposure and enabled the launch of Paula and her family on a trajectory that has made them one of the most recognized and beloved families in America.

With The Lady and Sons firmly established, Bobby and Jamie began appearing to rave reviews on their mother’s cooking shows on the Food Network, and then launched their own show on the network, Road Tasted. The success of the program had Bobby and Jamie exploring America in search of more examples of love and warmth-infused cooking and began to draw younger people and a new audience to the growing number of Deen Family fans in America.

By mid-2011, the Deen Brothers had published four books, The Deen Bros. Cookbook-Recipes From the Road in 2007, Y’all Come Eat, released in 2008, Take It Easy in 2009 and Get Fired Up in 2011. They published four stand alone magazines in 2010 have plans for more in 2011. They’ve expanded their efforts with a line of spices, bbq sauces and t-shirts, all sold at the Paula Deen Store (http://www.pauladeenstore.com/Search/List/Deen%20Brothers%20Sauces/0/21/1/1/None).

Bobby and Jamie continue to work together; in 2011 they’ll again be judges in the Beringer Great Steak Challenge, and worked with the Grain Foods Foundation by supplying grain-based food recipes to promote a healthy diet.

But Bobby, after starting to lift weights, work out and master jujitsu with friends when he turned thirty, has developed a new passion: He still loves the traditional foods, but he’s developing healthier versions of some of the family classics because of the changes in his awareness and lifestyle that came with his training. He’s still a devoted sports fan, the Georgia Bulldogs, the Atlanta Braves and Falcons are his favorites, and he still plays the drums, something he started as a kid. Bobby Deen continues to grow and evolve. Somewhere around his 40th birthday, Bobby picked up an acoustic guitar and fell in love. He’s devoted to learning this craft; his collection now includes seven great guitars.

More recently, Bobby began shooting his own show “Not My Momma’s Meals”, where he develops healthier versions of the traditional foods he grew up on. “Not My Momma's Meals" premieres on the Cooking Channel in early 2012 as well as published a new cookbook, “From Mama’s Table to Mine: Everybody's Favorite Comfort Foods at 350 Calories or Less” is a New York Times bestseller and features 120 recipes of Southern comfort-food classics under 350 calories and jam-packed with flavor.