If you thought her career was over, you might want to think again. Paula Deen is ready for her comeback, y'all!
The Associated Press reported that the Queen of Butter received a standing ovation from a crowd of several hundred people at Miami Beach's South Beach Wine and Food Festival on Sunday.
The event marked the celebrity chef's fourth public appearance since her controversial use of a racial epithet that left her without support. But before making her dish of chicken and dumplings before a huge crowd, Deen made a serious statement.
"We have come off of a very hard summer my family and I, my team, my partners," Deen said to a cheering crowd of fans, the AP reported. "But you know--I have heard on more than one occasion ... that I've never apologized. So if anybody did not hear me apologize, I would like to apologize to those who did not hear me."
"I am not a quitter," the former Food Network star added.
The crowd cheered, "You don't need to apologize," and "We want you back, Paula!"
Deen responded, "Ya'll's cards and letters that I got, helped me get out of bed every day."
The 67-year-old chef tried to prove she was back in the food game, by riding her former Food Network colleague, Robert Irvine, like a horse across the stage and yelling to the crowd, "I'm back in the saddle!"
"This is a warning to you," Irvine told Deen. "You've apologized. You've eaten crow. You're done. Don't do it anymore. I've been there... It's so good to have you back. This family is the best on the planet."
Last summer, during a dispute with a former employee who accused her of racial discrimination and sexual harassment, Deen admitted using the "N word."
Deen's business empire later crumbled as Walmart, Home Depot, Sears and Target cut all ties with her. Food Network also declined to renew her contract when it expired at the end of June. The lawsuit was later settled in August.
Earlier this month, Deen announced that she received an investment between $75 million and $100 million from Najafi Companies to help make a comeback. She reportedly plans to use the money to form new deals and move away from a "pure licensing model, in which she sells her likeness and expertise to others."
Deen has made her fortune with business ventures that include restaurants, cruises, cookbooks, cookware and other products that focus on her touting of traditional Southern cuisine.
