Paula Deen & Neely's Bar-B-Que
Friday, May 18, 2007 | posted by Mike
One of the really fun thing about running this site and scouring the InterGoogle for stories about famous chefs and food television is the excitement that surrounds a Food Network appearance for a local restaurant owner. I see it quite often with stories in papers local papers announcing the fact that some food TV personality will be profiling a hometown favorite. Think of the kinds of places that Alton Brown visited during his Feasting on Asphalt journeys and you'll know the kinds of folks I'm talking about.
These are entrepreneurs who could never even dream of paying for the kind of national exposure they get from an appearance on FN. That kind of plug would probably get them all kinds of visits from customers in the surrounding area. And in this day and age, even small places may have a website and mail-order operation going, so it could even be a gateway to something bigger.
The major regret of my recent business trip to Atlanta was that I didn't get a chance to track down some good, authentic Southern bar-b-que. I've been kicking myself ever since, and then I got an e-mail from the folks at Neely's Bar-B-Que announcing their appearance on Paula Deen's show:
Paula Deen, the queen of Southern cuisine says you have to pick a side, fried or barbecued, when it comes to southern cooking. Deen invited Memphis restaurateur of the year, Patrick Neely, co-owner of Neely’s Bar-B-Que and his family to her show, “Paula’s Party” to cook their favorite barbecue recipes. The episode called, “Fried vs. BBQ” will air on Friday, June 1 at 8 p.m., CDT on Food Network.
Patrick and his wife, Gina, Patrick’s two brothers, Anthony and Mark along with their mother, Lorine joined Deen and her two sons, Jamie and Bobby for the episode. The show features several Neely’s Bar-B-Que recipes such as barbecue spaghetti and pork ribs. “It was a big party in Savannah, when we filmed the show with Paula,” said Patrick. “She really enjoyed the different Neely’s recipes that truly reflect Memphis barbecue.”
This will actually be the second time that Neely's will be featured on FN, and their second time on the Network with a member of the Deen family. They were featured in an episode of Road Tasted last year.
See, now wasn't that a happy little story to cap off the week?
Labels: Paula Deen
