TORONTO — Celebrity chef Paula Deen, whose reputation was battered last year by charges of racism, will continue to stir up a comeback next month in Florida.
Deen will host a cooking demonstration Feb. 23 at the South Beach Wine and Food Festival in Miami Beach with her sons, Food Network hosts Jamie Deen and Bobby Deen.
The queen of Southern cuisine came under fire in 2013 after admitting during a legal deposition she used racial slurs. The ensuing public furor caused her to lose several endorsement deals and cost her renewal of her Food Network contract.
Deen made several tearful public apologies and insisted she is not racist.
The 66-year-old is hoping to reverse her fortunes in 2014. She is hosting a Celebrity Cruises voyage Jan. 18-25 and is schedule to appear Feb. 8 at a live cooking show in Williamsville, New York — about 170 km south of Toronto.
Deen had been a longtime supporter of the South Beach Wine and Food Festival, which takes place Feb. 20-23 and raises funds for Florida International University’s Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management.
The author is a recipient of the Key to the City of Miami Beach. Food Network in Canada is owned by Shaw Media, parent company of Global News.
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