Michelle Obama tapes cooking show with Paula Deen
Russ BynumMichelle Obama took a break recently from the campaign trail to get her hands messy breading shrimp as she helped prepare a deep-fried dinner with the Food Network's first lady of Southern cooking, Paula Deen.
The wife of Democrat Barack Obama got cozy with Deen in the kitchen during a recent taping of the Savannah celebrity cook's TV show "Paula's Party," scheduled to air on the cable network Sept. 20.
Michelle Obama and Deen swapped stories about their families' favorite meals as they cooked fried shrimp and french fries at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va., where the network converted a cafeteria into a TV kitchen.
"She was getting her hands dirty," Deen said in an interview Friday. "I think they are like us — they like real food, not a bunch of prissy food."
Obama told Deen her husband's personal favorite is a steaming bowl of chili, and the first meal she ever cooked for him was a seafood gumbo. Deen, one of the Food Network's biggest stars, traveled to Norfolk for the taping three weeks ago.
Deen has also invited Republican John McCain's wife, Cindy, and his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, to spend equal time in her kitchen.