Who knows if Paula Deen already has one of those nifty code names — “Rawhide” for Ronald Reagan, “Sunburn” for Teddy Kennedy — the Secret Service assigns to presidents or the folks who spend lots of time around them.

Allow us to suggest one anyway:

“Pot-stirrer.”

It's less to do with Deen's fame as a TV chef than with her irrepressible personality, which can't help drawing others into her orbit. Including a couple of normally stoic Secret Service agents whom Deen plied with cookies during last Saturday's "Painting, Paula and a President" fundraiser which she headlined with Jimmy Carter in Plains. The next morning, after a grinning Carter had introduced Deen to his Sunday school class as "the most famous Georgian there is," many people seemed to forget they were still in church in their zeal to meet her. Enter the Secret Service again to restore a bit of order.

Read all the coverage here:

About the Author

Keep Reading

Plenty of free activities for kids are part of the Peachtree Corners Festival on Saturday and Sunday, including bubble fun, sand art and face painting. (Courtesy of Peachtree Corners Festival)

Credit: Photo courtesy of Peachtree Corners Festival

Featured

Julian Conley listens during opening statements in his trial at Fulton County Superior Court in Atlanta on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025. The 25-year-old is accused of fatally shooting 8-year-old Secoriea Turner in July 2020. (Abbey Cutrer/AJC)

Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com