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What's Cooking with Paula Deen? - Jamie drops by and lets you know what's been happening
Sep 9, 2017
In today's episode of what's cooking with Paula Deen, Jamie Deen drops by and talks about relaunching the Bag Lady restaurant in Pigeon Forge. The restaurant is serving the exact same food that Paula started with 29 years ago. The restaurant may start to grow to as a convenient but fresh alternative for folks.
Jamie also talks about how he has been able to cope with delegating control to other people.
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0:00
hey y'all it's Paula here welcoming you
0:02
to what's cooking with Paula Deen this
0:04
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
0:12
my son Jamie and he's gonna tell us all
0:16
about what he's been doing lately and
0:18
the exciting news have you had fun it's
0:24
a big vicious circle circle and it's
0:29
like you've come full circle right let's
0:32
see what you've been working on 28 years
0:36
ago this year I don't know June the 19th
0:38
1989 we opened the bag lady
0:41
on the bag lady and so we have just
0:45
relaunched the bag lady brand yeah super
0:49
excited with our friends and partners in
0:51
Pigeon Forge we got the bag lady open
0:54
again yes well we had already relaunched
0:57
the bag lady for our foundation in 2012
1:03
four years ago now we were able to start
1:06
our foundation and we just felt like it
1:09
should be named the bag lady foundation
1:12
and it was formed to help women to give
1:15
women a hand up and their children if if
1:19
they had any children so that was a
1:22
second good thing that the bag lady did
1:26
the first one was opening our little
1:28
lunch catering business so now we've
1:32
opened the lunch business full circle in
1:36
Pigeon Forge and so you're serving the
1:39
same thing that I started cooking when
1:43
we first got your eyes are in half shut
1:45
I am so sleepy I just got through eating
1:49
a cheeseburger you look like you're so
1:52
sleepy I am welcome to nap in with Paula
1:56
Deen so mom's tired today also I'll tell
2:01
you about the bag lady its sandwich Amy
2:03
just told me I look like they are I am
2:07
I'm sleepy this morning son I don't know
2:10
what okay that'll last for four minutes
2:14
I'll talk quick okay so the bag lady in
2:17
Pigeon Forge is sandwiches salads and
2:19
sweets we're doing all the original
2:21
things that we had chicken salad tuna
2:23
salad egg salad
2:24
it's a Quick Serve restaurants which is
2:26
which is different for us I've never
2:28
done a quick serve before yes and the
2:30
setup is different we have a space where
2:33
you can grab some things that are
2:34
pre-made uh-huh so the the flow of the
2:37
business and the level of the food the
2:40
quality is as is as always as high as
2:44
we're capable of the presentation is
2:46
real different because the way that you
2:48
might fluff up and present food in a
2:50
restaurant in a sit-down setting it's
2:52
not as you're not able to pull that off
2:54
in a carry-out situation right but it's
2:57
it you know it reminded me one of the
2:59
biggest challenges I had as our
3:01
businesses grown was to give up control
3:03
of everything because when we when we
3:05
first started it was I was in the
3:06
kitchen
3:07
Bobby was in the front house and you
3:08
were everywhere so we were personally
3:11
responsible for everything right and as
3:14
we grew it was either you know give up
3:16
some of that control and trust people to
3:20
to perform and they were always capable
3:24
of the problem as always with me or stay
3:26
small and stay the same I mean you
3:28
either have three people and you serve a
3:30
hundred people a day or you have a
3:32
hundred people and you serve 500 a day
3:34
what you got to pick and choose yeah so
3:36
when I first gotten there on that Monday
3:38
I just wanted to say get out of the way
3:40
I'll do this you know and that was the
3:43
first thing that came back to me it was
3:45
reminding me of those days but fine you
3:46
you you you took on the role the same
3:53
way I did um I was much nicer much nicer
3:59
and I told him I said my mom will be
4:03
here we don't have the same style of
4:07
motivation yes but I'd be right now the
4:10
fact that you wanted to do it yourself
4:12
and that was that was my way of training
4:15
oh the worst way to train
4:18
awful it's because I knew that I was
4:20
gonna be gone on Friday and I'm not
4:23
gonna be any help to them on Friday so I
4:25
had to give up the control operation Lee
4:27
you know our partners there they're
4:28
gonna handle it's you know the biggest
4:30
challenge there is that so few people
4:32
live in Pigeon Forge yes and so many
4:35
people visit
4:36
there's only several thousand people
4:37
live there right and there's 15,000
4:40
employees in that area and then
4:42
Gatlinburg only 2 miles away so the you
4:45
you really have to grow your staff from
4:48
the inside right and I don't think we
4:52
mentioned to you where the bag-lady
4:54
restaurant is you know Paula Dean's
4:58
family kitchen is located on the island
5:00
in Pigeon Forge Tennessee right over the
5:03
heel is Dolly Parton's Dollywood yeah
5:07
but the bag-lady restaurant is almost
5:13
directly in front of family kitchen on
5:16
the other side of the fountain yep our
5:19
restaurant faces the fountain and then
5:21
on the other side of the fountain they
5:23
can find the bag late if you walk out
5:25
our front doors it's at 11 o'clock okay
5:28
so it's just right there we have 17
5:31
seats inside we have 15 tables outside
5:34
and it's really built for people that
5:37
there's a lot of buses that come and
5:40
that's part of their tour for them so
5:42
they only have an hour yeah so we'll be
5:45
able to service all those people that
5:46
don't want to spend there's so much to
5:47
see they're on the island with the wheel
5:49
and the arcade for kids and shopping
5:52
it's just so fun yeah so we'll be right
6:00
back I'm gonna give Jamie a chance to
6:01
scare me again and get my eyes open wide
6:04
y'all the space that you live in really
6:08
affects the way you feel so my first
6:11
recommendation is start by updating your
6:14
window treatments with Smith & Noble
6:16
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6:18
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6:21
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6:23
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6:26
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6:26
you can work one-on-one or you can work
6:29
with one of their expert
6:31
and home designers or you can even do it
6:33
yourself to get started today
6:35
contact Smith & Noble to get my special
6:38
limited time offer 25% off on your
6:42
window treatments plus free design
6:44
consultation create a space that you're
6:48
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6:54
that Smith & noble.com slash hollow or
6:58
call one eight hundred six five nine
7:02
3300 that's one eight hundred six five
7:05
nine 3300 so Jamie why I know you've
7:13
been working on this project with kind
7:15
of without me you did discuss the menu
7:18
with me but why would you open another
7:21
restaurant so close to our other
7:23
restaurant the family kitchen in the the
7:27
busiest times has sometimes three hour
7:30
weights and there's a lot there's just
7:32
so many people go to that area and it's
7:35
just it's the 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 in our operating partners so a
7:45
lot of things kind of came in to play
7:47
but this is this is an idea I think that
7:49
could travel outside of that area this
7:51
may be the first of several its fresh
7:54
affordable food it's the same base we
7:56
see this in airports we could do it I
8:00
would love to have one here in Savannah
8:01
in Midtown where we started our original
8:04
yes routes because all those workers are
8:07
still there all the hospitals I'm just
8:10
our first route that Jamie and I ran
8:12
excuse me for interrupting that first
8:15
day was Medical Arts over there in
8:18
Midtown so it worked well in Athens yeah
8:22
Carlton downtown so it's a it's exciting
8:26
too it's so fun to be creative and yeah
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 inject a new life into
8:37
it and we're really proud I just I just
8:40
love love I think
8:43
who was after the first friends and
8:46
family you know where we would dear in
8:47
training people said gosh this looks
8:50
like a chain and that's a big compliment
8:52
it's a compliment a brand new it's just
8:56
days old and people say gosh this looks
8:58
like it yeah you know a chain and it's
9:01
it's one of those that you could easily
9:04
duplicate sure it's not nearly as
9:07
complicated as like our home cookin it
9:11
doesn't have to be there's there's a
9:12
time and a place for a three-hour dinner
9:14
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
9:27
it's neat I love it I'm super proud of
9:30
well I'm gonna be coming up for the
9:32
grand opening so June the 22nd
9:35
that's our we're an opening week you'll
9:37
be 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 22nd lookout staff here
9:48
comes mama you know I I only want
9:54
perfection for my friends that come
9:56
visit mm-hmm
9:57
I just won't perfect I can't remember
10:01
somebody called me or asked me the other
10:04
day they said tell me about this French
10:07
custard for the fruit because you're
10:10
serving a beautiful fruit salad right
10:12
it's the same it's the same one that
10:14
well the the fruit that we're serving is
10:17
just a side that comes with a sandwich
10:19
or with the trio or the bag lady but the
10:23
fruit custard we're building parfaits
10:24
that has nephron LOH granola French
10:28
custard fresh tropical fruit it's really
10:31
good the same way it's a it's a cooked
10:33
it's a little it's a little touch that
10:35
is I mean you could tell this is fresh
10:39
homemade stuff yeah well nothing is
10:41
machine than his master's ago years ago
10:46
I started making the French custard and
10:49
ain't Peggy had given me the recipe and
10:52
the person that gave that to or asked
10:55
did not be given out and so I've honored
10:59
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
11:09
I have never divulged that recipe the
11:13
only recipe that I've ever made that I
11:16
haven't shared because my Pig you asked
11:19
me not to so it's just cool weapon one
11:22
drop of yellow food coloring no it's not
11:24
y'all the word custard lets you know
11:29
that there's cooking involved it's not a
11:33
French cream it's a French custard so
11:39
are you gonna be up there with me on the
11:41
22nd well oh good good good good well I
11:45
can't wait to critique everything
11:47
somebody has to stand between you and
11:49
the staff I'm not that bad
11:54
I got my Georgia Bulldog sticker stuck
11:55
up in the kitchen and I've got a picture
11:58
Kaiser took a picture of me washing
11:59
dishes I said you hang this picture
12:01
somewhere back here so everybody can see
12:03
that we're not afraid to get in the dish
12:05
pet 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 open Memorial week
12:16
yeah
12:17
and they had some weather up there so
12:20
that kind of kept the numbers down but
12:22
it was good it's it's just you know a
12:25
chance to acclimate to your new space
12:27
and it's a small space and yeah it's um
12:30
there was construction going on up and
12:33
to the day that we open Wow so it was it
12:36
was tough and it's just like our
12:37
restaurants still improving and growing
12:40
and changing today oh yes you know
12:43
there's always room for improvement I
12:45
feel like you can always do better than
12:48
you did yesterday the food tastes
12:50
awesome just like how we wanted to taste
12:52
and it looks how we want it to taste and
12:54
now it's just going to be a matter of
12:56
what's the best way to produce it yes
12:59
and to operate the business and yes I'm
13:02
sure by the time we get there they'll
13:05
find their feet it's an easy operation
13:07
which is being based off of the business
13:09
we started out of our home it has to be
13:11
easy yeah it's not rocket science it's
13:14
delicious fresh food and just the
13:17
highest goes back to not cutting corners
13:20
you know using good stuff a good
13:24
mayonnaise a good chicken using the best
13:30
products that you can yep David and
13:33
Steve our friends that were there yeah
13:35
when I was there came in and had lunch
13:37
and I'm fixed
13:38
David had a chicken salad sandwich I
13:40
think was with that's David's favorite
13:43
sandwiches chicken salmon he told me
13:45
that was the best food that he'd eaten
13:47
during his visit I don't think you've
13:50
been to family kitchen yet he's probably
13:51
just being nice but he did say he
13:53
couldn't believe that it was as
13:55
affordable as it was good so I'd say
13:57
it's probably one of the most affordable
13:58
options there on the island it's set up
14:01
for families and kids probably in the
14:05
history of restaurant well it's a great
14:08
place and you also have a kid's menu we
14:11
have peanut butter and jelly sandwich
14:14
cheese it's kind of all kids stuff yeah
14:18
we have there there's a peanut butter
14:20
enjoy we have fruit we have the parfaits
14:22
we have hot turkey sandwiches yeah it's
14:25
the bag lady yeah you've just got to
14:27
make sure that you have some things that
14:29
appeal to the little ones because quite
14:31
often as you know they can be kind of
14:33
picky mm-hmm so that's great well what
14:36
else have you been doing going nothing
14:39
but work so if y'all would like to visit
14:42
with Jamie and me at the at the bag lady
14:45
restaurant on the island at Pigeon Forge
14:48
Tennessee we will be there June the 22nd
14:52
and I look forward to seeing y'all and I
14:56
look forward to seeing the work that my
14:58
son is done I know it's beautiful and
15:02
even though he makes fun of his mother
15:04
wanting everything perfect he there's
15:07
not a dime worth of difference between
15:09
the two of us no matter what he says
15:11
thanks for having me thank you for
15:14
coming in and sharing with our friends
15:17
or the news of the bag lady
15:19
she back in business y'all
15:23
have nice now okay you have a nice nap
15:25
too you know good night y'all
15:30
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 & Noble
15:41
Smith & Nobles beautiful handcrafted
15:43
blinds drapes shades and shutters are
15:46
custom made just for you and they offer
15:48
different service options to fit your
15:50
needs
15:51
you can work one-on-one or you can work
15:54
with one of their expert in-home
15:56
designers or you can even do it yourself
15:59
to get started today contact Smith &
16:01
Noble to get my special limited time
16:04
offer 25% off on your window treatments
16:08
plus free design consultation create a
16:11
space that you're gonna love but details
16:15
about my special offer go to Smith &
16:17
noble.com slash Paula that Smith &
16:21
noble.com slash hollow or call one eight
16:24
hundred six five nine 3300 that's one
16:29
eight hundred six five nine 3300
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