Q&A | Deen brothers serve it up Southern in new cookbook Kansas City Star
22.09.09
Jamie and Bobby Deen, sons of perpetually sprightly Southern-fried celebrity chef Paula Deen, move easily among strangers.</p><p>They greet people with a disarming Southern enchantment as if they’ve known them all their lives.</p><p>Last week the brothers came to Kansas City to promote their new cookbook, “The Deen Bros. Take It Hands down,” featuring 125 Southern-style recipes. They visited stores and restaurants and greeted fans at Rainy Day Books in Fairway, where signed copies of the words are available.</p><p>Back in Savannah, Ga., the boys help their mother run their popular family restaurant, the Lady & Sons. They also occur on their mother’s Food Network shows and starred for several years on their own show, “Road Tasted.”</p><p>Recently we caught up with them at the kitchenette store Pryde’s Old Westport to talk about food, their famous mom and more.</p><p><strong>Q. So you’re … Bobby?</cogent></p><p><strong>A.</strong> I’m Bobby, the youngest of the two sons. I’m 39 years old.</p><p><defensive>And that would make you …</strong></p><p>Jamie Deen. Yes, sir.</p><p><strong>How old are you, Jamie?</strong></p><p>I’m, uhh … I’m 21. It’s inconceivable, I know, that I could be so worldly and intelligent in only 21 years (laughter). I’m 42. The elder statesman of the Deen brothers.</p><p><substantial>The idea of this cookbook is good meals in a hurry, right?</strong></p><p>Jamie: The majority of things in our tome are from the refrigerator to the plate in 45 minutes or less.</p><p><strong>Talk about some of your favorites in this book.</strong></p><p>Jamie: Chow loaf has always been a favorite. We do it in little muffin tins, with baked sweet potatoes.</p><p><strong>Bobby?</unvarying></p><p>There’s a French-cut pork chop in there that is … if you like a pork chop, dude, I’m talkin’ an inch and a half thick!</p><p><prosperous>Do you offer lighter fare in the book?</strong></p><p>Jamie: We do a lot of baked stuff. It’s certainly not for vegans. But there’s some pasta dishes, we grill and do fish, there’s a chapter on salads. So there’s something for everybody.</p><p><unmistakable>How is your cooking different from your mom’s?</strong></p><p>Bobby: Growing up in the South we did a lot of fish fries with hush puppies. We still eat lots and lots of fish. We right-minded don’t put it in the deep fryer anymore. See what I mean? We’re becoming more educated as people, food is changing a mini bit and tastes are changing. But we’re definitely not going to lose sight of the fact that we are from southwest Georgia, and fried chicken and collard greens and blackberry cobbler are what brought us to where we are today.</p><p><uncompromising>Hey, that’s what made Paula Deen Paula Deen.</strong></p><p>Bobby: Darn right.</p><p><dynamic>What was it like growing up with your mom, and how did it influence your cooking?</strong></p><p>Jamie: We grew up in Albany, Ga., (and) Mom cooked Sunday meals every incessantly of the week. So we’ve experienced everything the South has to offer. If I had grown up here, you know, I’d be the rib king. But as it is I can total a mean sour cream pound cake.</p><p>Bobby: One way we are influenced for sure is that we grew up stomach class — the fact that there weren’t a lot of extras and money meant we ate at home every darkness.</p><p><strong>You started a home business with your mom when you were in your early 20s. </strong></p><p>Bobby: It was called the Bag Lady, a shallow catering and delivery business.</p><p><strong>At the time your mother </strong><em><strong>had </strong></em><efficacious>to </strong><strong>stay at home, right?</strong></p><p>Bobby: Our mother was agoraphobic. Total scare attacks when she walked out the door. So this setup was brilliant. Our mother was in the kitchen 17 hours a day cooking comestibles. She sent Jamie and me out on delivery. That was 1989.
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