Paula Deen feels humbled by her MasterChef Legends status, exclusive

Ahead of her appearance on MasterChef Legends, Paula Deen graciously spoke to FoodSided about her experience on the show, her thoughts on Southern cuisine and the importance of keeping food traditions alive. Even though she might not be behind the stove on MasterChef Legends, her Southern hospitality and affable personality is well suited to this final audition round.

When Deen was asked about her feelings on being called a legend, she candidly said that she was “actually shocked.” In some ways, she felt that she had “some big shoes to fill,” More importantly, she “felt honored to be considered,” but is still a little hard for her to grasp.

As the “queen of Southern cuisine,” Deen shared that sometimes people think that Southern food only fits into a particular box. For her, it more than just another plate of fried chicken, with its perfectly crisp coating and succulent meat. When people take the time to explore Southern food, there are a bounty of ingredients on the table.

Deen clearly said, “just because we love fried chicken that that mean everything’s fried.” She continued on to say that over the past 25 years she hasn’t seen any other place else that serves “more vegetables than we do down here (in the South).” Sometimes perception isn’t always what it seems.

In some cases, Southern food and its recipes are steeped with tradition. Although grandma might have that recipe memorized in her mind, those food traditions need to continue onto the next generation of cooks.

For Deen, her exposure to cooking started with her grandmother. She asked her, “teach me everything, show me everything.” The first dish that Deen learned to cook was her grandmother’s chicken and dumplings.

While Deen had that experience with her grandmother, she encourages others to put those recipes to paper. She often hears how people wish that they knew the secret ingredient to that Sunday sauce or the nuance to make the perfect okra. Even though people want time to linger forever, life is much shorter than it seems.

In many ways, those dishes and memories with family in and around the kitchen are the comfort that people crave. For Deen, that time in the kitchen is where she “felt safe” and it is where she returns time and again. As she shared, “when the world starts falling apart those memories are even more sacred.”

While every cook, both professional and home cook, looks to food experiences for inspiration, sometimes those memories influence the flavors on the plate. That concept is often a key ingredient in the MasterChef Legends audition rounds, where many cooks pull from family recipes as their signature dish.

Although that dish can be the best plate of food at home, sometimes those memories might influence how those flavors come across. Deen commented that some of the signature dishes went back to the cooks’ early memories. From a special hamburger to an apple crumb pie, the connection to the food is as important to the home cook as is the recipe itself.

Still, those dishes needed to impress the MasterChef Legends judges. According to Deen, the chefs were mostly on the same page. Generally, she felt that everyone agreed which dishes were exceptional and others that were just tasty.

In the end, the food on the plate needs to stand out in some way. More importantly, the phrase that Paula Deen says rings even more true.

The statement, “Happy Cooking, Happy Eating” might not instantly jump out to some cooks, but it should. Deen believes that “putting love into your food is always going to show up on the plate.”

Watch Paula Deen on MasterChef Legends, Auditions Round 3 on FOX. Also, Paula Deen has numerous cookbooks and various cooking programs that can be found on her personal website.

Which MasterChef Legends chef resonates with your cooking style? Do you believe that Happy Cooking and Happy Eating makes a difference in the food on the plate?