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Jamie Deen sits down with his mom Paula Deen and talks about the opening of their new restaurant the Bag Lady in Pigeon Forge.
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0:00
hey y'all it's Paula here welcoming you
0:02
to what's cooking with Paula Dean this
0:05
week sponsored by my friends at Smith
0:07
and Noble it's a great day here an
0:09
exciting day here because I'm here with
0:13
my son Jamie and he's going to tell us
0:16
all about what he's been doing lately
0:19
and the exciting
0:20
news hey y'all have you had fun it's a
0:25
big vicious circle circle and it's like
0:30
you've come full circle right let's see
0:32
with what you've been working on
0:34
28 years ago this year I don't know June
0:37
the 19th
0:39
1989 we open the bag lady out of our
0:42
home open the bag lady and so we have
0:45
just relaunched the bag lady brand yes
0:48
super excited with our friends and
0:50
partners in Pigeon Forge we got the bag
0:53
lady uh open again yes well we had
0:55
already relaunched the bag lady uh for
0:59
our found Foundation uh in
1:02
2012 four years ago now we were able to
1:06
start our foundation and we just felt
1:09
like it should be named the bag lady
1:11
foundation and it was formed to help
1:14
women uh to give women a hand up and
1:18
their children if if they had any
1:20
children so that was the second good
1:23
thing that the bag lady did the first
1:26
one was opening our little lunch
1:28
catering business
1:30
so now we've opened a lunch we've
1:34
business called the bag lady Full Circle
1:36
Y and Pigeon Forge and so you're serving
1:39
the same thing that uh I started cooking
1:43
when we first open your eyes are half
1:45
shut I am so
1:47
sleepy I just got through eating a
1:50
cheeseburger you look like you're so
1:53
sleepy I am welcome to napping with
1:56
Paula
1:58
Dame so Mom tired today y'all so I'll
2:01
tell you about the bag lady it's
2:02
sandwiches Jamie just told me I look
2:04
like my were half closed they are and I
2:07
am I'm sleepy this morning son I don't
2:09
know what
2:11
whoa all right I'm awake now okay
2:13
that'll last for four minutes I'll talk
2:15
quick okay so the bag lady in Pigeon
2:17
Forge is uh sandwiches salads and sweets
2:20
we're doing all the original things that
2:21
we had um chicken salad tuna salad egg
2:24
salad it's a Quick Serve restaurant
2:26
which is which is different for us I've
2:28
never done a Quick Serve before yeah and
2:30
the setup is different we have a a a
2:33
space where you can grab some things
2:34
that are pre-made uh so the the flow of
2:37
the business and the level of the food
2:39
um the quality is is is as always as
2:44
high as we're capable of but the
2:46
presentation is real different because
2:47
the way that you might fluff up and
2:49
present food in a restaurant in a sit
2:51
down setting it's not as you're not able
2:53
to pull that off in a carry out
2:55
situation right right but it it's it you
2:57
know it reminded me one of the biggest
3:00
challenges I I had as our business is
3:02
grown was to give up control of
3:03
everything because when we when we first
3:05
started it was I was in the kitchen
3:07
Bobby was in the front house and you
3:08
were everywhere uhhuh so we were
3:11
personally responsible for everything
3:13
right and as we grew it was either you
3:15
know give up some of that control and
3:18
and trust people to uh to to perform and
3:23
they were always capable the problem was
3:25
always with me or stay small and stay
3:27
the same I mean you you either have
3:29
three people you serve 100 people a day
3:31
or you have 100 people and you serve 500
3:34
a day you have to pick and choose so
3:36
when i' first gotten there on that
3:37
Monday I just wanted to say get out of
3:40
the way I'll do this you know and that
3:43
was the first thing that came back to me
3:44
it was reminding me of those days but
3:46
son you you you
3:48
you you took on the
3:52
role the same way I did oh I was much
3:56
nicer oh much nicer and I told him I
4:01
said my mom will be
4:04
here we don't have the same style of
4:08
motivation yes but I'm talking about the
4:10
fact that you wanted to do it yourself
4:13
and that was that was my way of training
4:16
uh the worst way to train ever it's
4:18
awful it's awful because I knew that I
4:20
was going to be gone on Friday and I'm
4:23
not going to be any help to them on
4:24
Friday so I had to give up the control
4:26
operationally you know our partners
4:27
there they're going to handle it's you
4:30
know the biggest challenge there is that
4:31
so few people live in Pigeon Forge yes
4:34
and so many people visit there's only
4:36
several thousand people live there right
4:38
and there's 15,000 employees in that
4:41
area and then Gatlinburg only two miles
4:43
away so the you you really have to grow
4:47
your staff um from the inside right uh
4:51
and I don't think we mentioned to you
4:53
where the bag lady restaurant is uh you
4:57
know Paula Dean's family kitchen is
4:59
located on the island in Pigeon Forge
5:02
Tennessee right over the hill is Dolly
5:04
Parton's uh Dollywood yep but uh the uh
5:10
bag lady restaurant is almost directly
5:14
in front of family kitchen on the other
5:17
side of the fountain y uh our restaurant
5:20
faces the fountain and then on the other
5:22
side of the fountain they can find the
5:24
bag lady if you walk out our front doors
5:25
it's at
5:26
11:00 okay so it's just right there
5:29
there we have 17 seats inside we have 15
5:33
tables outside and it's really built for
5:36
people that there's a lot of um buses
5:39
that come and that's part of their tour
5:41
for the area so they only have an hour
5:44
yes so we'll be able to service all
5:45
those people that don't want to spend
5:47
there's so much to see there on the
5:48
island with the wheel and the arcade for
5:51
kids and shopping it's just so fine
5:54
yeah your eyes are shutting
5:58
again so we'll be right back I'm going
6:00
to give Jamie a chance to scare me again
6:03
and get my eyes open wide y'all the
6:06
space that you live in really affects
6:08
the way you feel so my first
6:11
recommendation is start by updating your
6:14
window treatments with Smith and Noble
6:17
Smith and Noble's beautiful handcrafted
6:19
blinds draped Shades and shutters are
6:21
custom made just for you and they offer
6:24
different service options to fit your
6:26
needs you can work one onone or you can
6:28
work with one of their expert inhome
6:31
designers or you can even do it yourself
6:34
to get started today contact Smith and
6:36
Noble to get my special limited time
6:39
offer 25% off on your window treatments
6:43
plus free design consultation create a
6:46
space that you're going to love for
6:49
details about my special offer go to
6:52
Smith and noble.com
6:54
slaa that's Smith and noble.com slpa or
6:58
call one 1 800
7:01
659
7:03
3300 that's 1 800 659
7:08
3300 So
7:10
Jamie why I know you've been working on
7:13
this project with kind of without me uh
7:17
you did discuss a menu with me but why
7:19
would you open an another restaurant so
7:22
close to our other restaurant uh the
7:25
family Kitchen in the the busiest times
7:28
has sometimes three hour weights ooh and
7:31
there's a lot there's just so many
7:33
people go to that area and it's just
7:36
it's the um it's so different from
7:39
anything that's up there yeah and we
7:41
have the opportunity in a really good
7:43
location and our operating Partners so a
7:45
lot of things kind of came in to play
7:47
but this is uh this is an idea I think
7:49
that could travel outside of that area
7:51
this may be the first of several it's
7:53
fresh affordable food it's the same
7:55
basis what set I would love to see this
7:57
in airports
7:59
we could do it I would love to have one
8:01
here in Savannah in Midtown where we
8:03
started our original yes um routes
8:06
because all those workers are still
8:08
there all the hospitals um our first
8:11
route that Jamie and I ran excuse me for
8:13
interrupting that first day was Medical
8:16
Arts yeah over there in Midtown so it
8:19
worked well in um Athens yeah Charleston
8:23
downtown so it's a it and it's exciting
8:26
too it's so fun to be creative and
8:29
Stephanie pay in our corporate office
8:31
she and I you know took the old branding
8:35
that we had and injected new life into
8:37
it and we're really proud of it I just I
8:40
just love love love our logo always have
8:44
after the first friends and family you
8:46
know where we would during training
8:48
people said gosh this looks like a chain
8:51
and that's a big compliment for that is
8:53
a compliment it's a brand new it's just
8:56
days old and people say gosh this looks
8:58
like it's you know a chain uh and it's
9:02
it's one of those that you could easily
9:05
duplicate sure it's not nearly as
9:08
complicated as like our home cooking it
9:11
doesn't have to be there's there's a
9:13
time and a place for a three-hour dinner
9:15
and the reality is most people want
9:17
something that you know won't make them
9:19
look like you after eating a big
9:21
cheeseburger you want something light
9:23
for lunch you know so you got the rest
9:25
of your day to go through it's uh it's
9:28
it's neat I I'd love it I'm super proud
9:30
of it well I'm going to be coming up uh
9:32
for the grand opening so June the 22nd
9:36
that's our grand opening week you'll be
9:37
there on the 22nd okay it's our grand
9:39
opening week and I will be in the bag
9:42
lady on June the
9:45
22nd look out
9:47
staff Here Comes
9:50
mama you know I I I only want Perfection
9:55
for my friends that come visit I just
9:57
want perfection
10:00
I can't remember somebody called me or
10:03
asked me the other day they said tell me
10:06
about this French custard for the fruit
10:09
because you're serving a beautiful fruit
10:11
salad right it's the same it's the same
10:14
one that well the the fruit that we're
10:16
serving is just a side that comes with a
10:19
sandwich or um with the trio or the bag
10:22
lady but the fruit custard we're
10:23
building parfet that has vanilla granola
10:28
French custard um fresh tropical fruit
10:30
it's really good it's the same one that
10:32
it's a it's a cooked it's a little it's
10:34
a little touch that is um I mean you
10:37
could tell this is fresh homemade stuff
10:40
yeah like nothing is machine nothing is
10:43
mass process years ago years ago I
10:46
started making the French custard and a
10:50
Peggy had given me the recipe and the
10:53
person that gave that to her asked that
10:55
it not be given out and so I've honored
11:00
I've honored her wishes I have never
11:02
given out that recipe but somebody
11:04
called and wanted to know what it was if
11:06
I had a recipe for it and I said yes but
11:10
I have never divulged that recipe the
11:13
only recipe that I've ever made that I
11:16
hadn't shared because my Aunt Peggy
11:19
asked me not to so it's just cool
11:21
whipping one drop of yellow food color
11:23
no it is not
11:26
y'all the word custard lets you know
11:29
that there's cooking
11:32
involved it's not a French cream it's a
11:34
French
11:38
custard so are you going to be up there
11:40
with me on the 22nd I will oh good good
11:44
good good well I can't wait to critique
11:47
everything somebody has to stand between
11:49
you and the
11:51
staff I'm not that bad son I got my
11:54
Georgia Bulldog sticker stuck up in the
11:56
kitchen and I've got a picture Kaiser
11:58
took a picture of me washing dishes I
12:00
said you hang this picture somewhere
12:02
back here so everybody can see that
12:04
we're not afraid to get in the dish
12:07
pit well I can't wait to see it I know
12:09
it's Grand and awesome it's already had
12:12
a lot of vistors you you opened it up
12:14
when very soft we opened Memorial week
12:17
yeah and uh they had some weather up
12:20
there so that kind of um kept the
12:22
numbers down but it was good it's it's
12:23
just a matter of kind gave y a chance to
12:26
accl to your new space and it's a small
12:28
space
12:29
it's um there was construction going on
12:32
up until the day that we open wow so it
12:35
it was it was tough and it's just like
12:37
our restaurant's still improving and
12:39
growing and changing today 20 some odd
12:42
years later yes you know there's always
12:44
room for improvement I feel like you can
12:46
always do better than you did yesterday
12:49
the food tastes awesome just like how we
12:51
want it to taste and it looks how we
12:53
want it to taste and now it's just going
12:55
to be a matter of what's the best way to
12:58
produce it yes and to operate the
13:01
business and I'm sure by the time we get
13:03
there um they'll find their feet it's a
13:06
easy operation which is being based off
13:09
of the business we started out of our
13:10
home it has to be easy yes I mean it's
13:13
not rocket science it's delicious fresh
13:15
food and just the highest but it it just
13:19
goes back to not cutting Corners you
13:21
know using good stuff a good mayonnaise
13:25
uh a good
13:26
chicken uh
13:29
using the best products that you you can
13:32
yep Dave and Steve our friends that were
13:34
there when I was there came in and had
13:37
lunch and I fixed um David had a chicken
13:40
salad sandwich I think with with Co slth
13:42
that's David's favorite sandwich is
13:44
chicken salad he told me that was the
13:46
best food that he'd eaten during his
13:48
visit I don't think he'd been to the
13:50
family kitchen yet he was probably just
13:51
being nice but he did say he couldn't
13:53
believe that it was uh as affordable as
13:55
it was good so I'd say it's probably one
13:58
of the most affordable options they on
14:00
the island it's set up for families and
14:02
kids it's awesome it's the greatest
14:04
restaurant probably in the history of
14:07
restaurants well it's a great place and
14:09
you also have a kids menu uh we have um
14:12
peanut butter and jelly sandwich grilled
14:15
cheese yeah it's kind of all kid stuff
14:17
though you know like we have there
14:19
there's a peanut butter and jelly we
14:20
have fruit we have the parfaits we have
14:23
hot turkey sandwiches yeah it's uh the
14:25
bag lady yeah you've just got to make
14:27
sure that you have some things set
14:29
appeal to the little ones because quite
14:31
often as you know they can be kind of
14:33
picky mhm so that's great well what else
14:36
have you've been doing what else you got
14:38
going on nothing but work so if y'all
14:41
would uh like to visit with Jamie and me
14:44
at the at the bag lady restaurant on the
14:47
island at Pigeon Forge Tennessee we will
14:50
be there June the
14:52
22nd and I look forward to seeing y'all
14:55
and I look forward to seeing the work
14:58
that my son is is done I know it's
15:01
beautiful and even though he makes fun
15:03
of his mother wanting everything perfect
15:07
he's there's not a dime worth of
15:09
difference between the two of us no
15:10
matter what he says thanks for having me
15:13
Mom thank you for coming in and sharing
15:16
with our friends sure the news of the
15:18
bag lady she back in business y'all have
15:23
a nice nap oh okay you have a nice nap
15:26
too good night y'all good night y'all
15:31
the space that you live in really
15:33
affects the way you feel so my first
15:36
recommendation is start by updating your
15:39
window treatments with Smith and Noble
15:41
Smith and Noble's beautiful handcrafted
15:44
blind drape Shades and shutters are
15:46
custom made just for you and they offer
15:49
different service options to fit your
15:51
needs you can work oneon-one or you can
15:53
work with one of their expert inhome
15:56
designers or you can even do it yourself
15:59
to get started today contact Smith and
16:01
Noble to get my special limited time
16:04
offer 25% off on your winter treatments
16:08
plus free design consultation create a
16:11
space that you're going to love for
16:14
details about my special offer go to
16:17
Smith andy.com
16:19
paala that's Smith andy.com slpa or call
16:24
1 1800
16:26
659 3300
16:29
that's 1 800 659 3300
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