Paula Deen made her first public appearance in three months on Houston's Metropolitan Cooking Show, where the celeb chef was welcomed with cheers from the crowd and a standing ovation.
Paula Deen, the famous chef, made her first public appearance since the racial slur controversy after three months appearing on Houston's Metropolitan Cooking Show Saturday.
A huge crowd of nearly 1,500 people, who attended the show paying for special tickets to see Deen take the stage, gave her a standing ovation. The crowd was overwhelmed and cheered for nearly 15 minutes that brought tears in Deen's eyes.
The southern chef wiped the tears on her face and addressed the crowd. "These are tears of joy, y'all. I've said all along that the one place I'd want to make my first step back out was Texas."
The two-day event, which included two cooking demonstrations and book signings, was sold out as each ticket cost between $140 and $400.
On the show, Deen recalled the rough times she went through in the last three months. "I'm sure you know, unless you're living under a rock the last few months have been difficult," she said on the show. "It was an opportunity to learn. I learned a lot about my self and my business. I just want to thank y'all from bottom of my heart."
One of Deen's biggest fans, Lucas Boucher flew all the way from Los Angeles just to attend the show. "I started getting teary-eyed and I just told her we got her back and I said, 'I'm sorry you're going through this.' And she was crying," said Boucher, according to CNN affiliate KPRC.
Fans are hoping that the 66-year-old chef gets back her business after all that she has been through in the recent months.
In August, a federal judge dismissed the claims of accusing Deen of racism and sexual harassment. Despite this, Deen suffered major reputation loss as business partners like Smithfield, Wal-Mart, Target and Home Depot dropped all products and endorsement deals with the southern chef.
Deen will appear in two additional shows in Dallas on September 21 and 22.
