Celebrity chef to open first Texas restaurant in Fairview

Merchandise from Paula Deen’s Family Kitchen includes aprons, mugs, spatulas, and her recipe book.

Nnenna Nchege, Staff Writer

Celebrity chef Paula Deen is bringing her southern charm and fan favorite recipes to Texas. Paula Deen’s Family Kitchen will debut its first Texas chain in the Fairview Town Center on March 26.  

“I adore all my fans in Texas, and bringing my Southern cooking to the Lone Star State is something I have dreamed about for years,” Deen said via The Dallas Morning News.

Senior Chandler Crews is currently in general training to be an employee of the new restaurant. He said he will be working there two to three days a week and one day on the weekend.

“My friend sent me a message about the restaurant on the 22 of February, and I applied the next day,” Crews said. “It looks like it’s good food to me, so I’ll be eating there sometime. Paula comes in sometime in April. She comes and blesses the food, apparently.”

The restaurant will serve Deen’s family-style southern cooking, which includes “Best Ever Southern Fried Chicken,” “Grandma Paul’s Fried Green Tomatoes,” “Georgia Fried Catfish,” and “Ooey Gooey Butter Cake.” Customers will also be able to purchase items from Deen’s home, kitchen, and lifestyle collection.

The 250-seat dining room will be constructed in a 12,633 square foot retail space vacated by Guy Harvey’s Island Grill.

Deen is licensing her brand to restaurant startup company Phoenix Hospitality and Entertainment based out of Clarence, New York. The company owns and will operate the restaurant.

A different franchise group is running two other outposts of Paula Deen’s Family Kitchen in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

A second location planned for San Antonio is expected to open four to six weeks after the Fairview restaurant.