KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) – Celebrity cooking show host Paula Deen in Knoxville today.

Fans got the chance to meet Deen, chat, and have her sign their cookbooks.

The visit was also a chance for Deen to return to a place that holds lots of special memories for her.

“She’s everthing that I thought she would be, just your normal southern girl.”

Courtney Kerr – Paula Deen fan

“I’m so excited to be back here in East Tennessee y’all. I have so many fond memories of when my boys were growing up when we had the resources, East Tennessee was where we headed to.”

Paula Deen

Deen lives in Savannah, Georgia, where she owns and operates The Lady and Sons and Paula Deen’s Creek House restaurants with her sons, Jamie and Bobby Deen.