What Jamie And Bobby Deen Have Been Doing Since They Left Road Tasted

When Bobby and Jamie Deen decided to walk away from "Road Tasted" in 2007, the signs might not have looked very promising for their budding television career. The still relatively new series had been their first independent venture on the small screen. Before this rather short stint on the Food Network reality show, the brothers were perhaps best known for being the children of Paula Deen, celebrated entrepreneur, restaurateur, chef, and cookbook author. Just like their mother, Jamie and Bobby's focus had been on Southern-style meals.

What they found out pretty quickly, however, was that success and fame did not come without its challenges. The boys would have already seen how difficult it was for their mother to balance celebrity and her own personal life. Among other things, she had to deal with divorcing their father Jimmy Deen in 1989.

Yet, the end of the road for Jamie and Bobby on "Road Tasted" was not the end of their personal and professional growth. They both went on to become family men and also followed firmly in their mother's career footsteps. Here is a look at what the Deen brothers have been up to since their very first ever TV show.

Jamie and Bobby Deen took their first steps towards emerging from their mother's professional shadow when they started out on their own show in July 2006. In Food Network's "Road Tasted," the duo would drive across the United States in search of some of the best family-run food businesses and sample local foods in various parts of the country. Their journey took them from small roadside diners to cozy town bakeries, as each stop also helped to showcase the diverse tastes in different parts of America.

Jamie and Bobby's brotherly banter made viewers feel like they were completely part of the trips, as did their strong shared passion for food. But they didn't just taste the various dishes, they were also interested in finding out the stories behind them. They accomplished this by meeting the people responsible for each unique culinary creation and talking to them about their sources of inspiration.

"Road Tasted" also stood out for just how interactive it was! The show was about more than just food and passed-down recipes. What the Deen brothers had set out to design here was not just a TV series, but an experience. If you saw something delicious on-screen, for instance, chances were you could order it and have it delivered straight to your doorstep.

The Season 2 finale of "Road Tasted" aired on Food Network on July 23, 2007 – it was the last episode of the Bobby and Jamie Deen-hosted reality show. The pair were obviously oblivious to some of the challenges that would face them in the coming years, but they already had a plan for what they wanted to do next.

"We'll be working with mom on her show, and we have some more [other] ideas in the works," Jamie told Cary Magazine in a 2009 interview. In the same interview, Bobby was transported back to an even earlier time when they had both worked for their mother at one of her restaurants. "She was incredibly hard on both of us," he recounted. "But as hard as it is to work with our mom, it's been great to see how much of an inspiration she has become to women."

Food Network did not put a stop to "Road Tasted" simply because the original hosts decided to leave. The show was revamped and a new duo brought in to take over the leading duties. The new faces were prominent couple Pat and Gina Neely, who have continued to host the series to date.

Despite the success that the brothers had enjoyed in a few years on "Road Tasted," Jamie Deen decided to step back from the show after the birth of his son. Jack Linton Deen was born on August 21, 2006. His totally smitten father chose to prioritize his family and spend more time at home. Jamie admitted that he was finding it challenging balancing between family and their filming schedule. He told Cary Magazine, "After my wife, Brooke, and I had our son, Jack, I realized it was too hard. I needed to be closer to my family."

While there wasn't one standalone reason for the show's cancellation, Jamie's decision to focus on his new family responsibilities certainly contributed a great deal to his and his brother's departure from the series. The birth of his second son Matthew in 2010 only deepened his commitment to family life.

When asked to explain his devotion to his boys in an article on Paula Deen's website, he said, "It's tough to say; everyone loves something, but until you have a child, it's hard to quantify. Your heart is outside your body." On April 12, 2020, he joyfully announced the arrival of his third son Davis Deen via Instagram.

Jamie was not the only one expanding the Deen family tree. In 2013, Bobby broke the news that he had gotten engaged to producer and director Claudia Lovera. The then-famous bachelor took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to announce, "I'm so excited to share the news that she said Yes! Claudia makes me a better person ... and she's a great cook!" Paula also tweeted her congratulations, saying, "Y'all, please join me in congratulating Bobby on his engagement! Welcome to the family, Claudia." Having once ranked sixth on People's Hottest Bachelor list, Bobby was finally off the market. Three months later, the two tied the knot in a private ceremony at Paula's Savannah, Georgia home.

For the most part, Bobby and Claudia Deen settled into a private, low-key lifestyle. However, the couple would surprise their fans in 2018 with even more exciting news: they had become parents to triplets. Despite having been initially terrified, Bobby expressed how thrilled he was to now be a father to super twins, as he fondly refers to Olivia, Amelia, and Linton.

For a period of time, Bobby Deen wasn't happy with his body weight. This is what he told TheAlternativePress.com in a conversation about food, fitness and his famous mother. He said that he embarked on a journey of healthy living after looking at himself in the mirror and estimating that he "had 20 extra pounds" on him.

The Deen brothers did not come from the most stable family background. In a 2012 Q&A with Indianapolis Monthly, Bobby spoke about having grown up with an alcoholic father and an agoraphobic mother. "I grew up in a really dysfunctional household. My father comes from a long line of alcoholism. And he was a functioning alcoholic my entire life inside of my family's home," he recalled.

Despite his challenging upbringing and the struggles to maintain a healthy lifestyle as an adult, Bobby managed to get a grip on his weight and of course settled into his own family life. "I'm infinitely better for the people around me," he told South Magazine in an interview. "If I were left to my own devices, I would be an utter failure." Bobby is said to have lost around 33 pounds during that initial drive from him to drop his weight.

Personal struggles and family commitments played a big role in Bobby Deen following his brother Jamie out of "Road Tasted." Once the dust settled, though, the younger sibling landed right on his feet, with his very own cooking reality TV show. His solo project was titled "Not My Mama's Meals," tongue-in-cheek because its entire premise was around him providing alternative personal takes on his mother's recipes.

Unsurprisingly, healthy eating is a massive consideration to the unique twists that Bobby brought to some of Paula Deen's classic dishes. He presented his goal as being to preserve his mom's original flavors as much as possible, while cutting out potentially unhealthy ingredients such as fat and sugar.

Bobby had the privilege of featuring some massive names on "Not My Mama's Meals." Paula herself was a regular guest on the show. Fans of the reality TV series also got the opportunity to watch retired boxer Laila Ali, actress Debi Mazar ("Entourage," "Extra Virgin"), as well as celebrity chefs like Daphne Oz and Bobby Flay, among many other stars. Bobby Dean's show on the Cooking Channel spanned four seasons with a total of 50 episodes between January 4, 2012 and November 27, 2013.

Bobby Dean might have leaned on his mama's legacy to build his first solo show, but he managed to transcend her shadow with a few of his own gigs on Food Network after that first one ended in 2013. Following a one-year hiatus, Bobby returned to TV as the host of "Holiday Baking Championship" in November 2014. The show usually features bakers from across different parts of the country. They engage in various challenges inspired by themes of the festive season and are then evaluated by a panel of judges. Different gifts are usually up for grabs, including a five-figure cash prize.

Bobby was at the helm of "Holiday Baking Championship" for three installments, between November and December in 2014, 2015, and 2016. The line-up of judges for each of those seasons and beyond included British chef and former model Lorraine Pascale. Nancy Fuller of "Farmhouse Rules" and "Ace of Cakes'" Duff Goldman completed a group of three.

"Holiday Baking Championship" turned into a resounding success for Food Network, spawning multiple spinoff shows around different themes. Among these offshoots is "Spring Baking Championship," which Bobby also hosted for the first two seasons in 2015 and 2016 before eventually moving on to other pursuits.

Paula Deen built a significant portion of her success through cookbook writing. This would turn out to be another element of her career that her two sons would take up and emulate. Jamie and Bobby wet their toes with the title "The Deen Bros. Cookbook: Recipes from the Road" in March 2007. Together, they would also go on to publish "Take It Easy," "Y'All Come Eat," and "Get Fired Up."

On an individual level, Bobby would turn out to be the more prolific writer between the two. Like his first post-"Road Tasted" TV show, he also capitalized on his connection to mother Paula Deen in order to build his own voice as an author. One of his popular cookbooks is titled "From Mama's Table to Mine: Everybody's Favorite Comfort Foods at 350 Calories or Less." Once again, his dogged focus on healthy eating is evident in this title as well.

A more inward-focused project by the younger Deen brother was "Bobby Deen's Everyday Eats: 120 All-New Recipes, All Under 350 Calories, All Under 30 Minutes." The book is rated 4.6 stars on Amazon, with an avalanche of positive reviews for its "great recipes" and "healthy food."

Jamie and Bobby Deen literally grew up in the restaurant business. In the late 1980s, Paula had started a small catering business called The Bag Lady. Being a single mom, this was her way of trying to make ends meet. And guess who were her delivery guys? Jamie and Bobby. Little did they know that the days they spent running meals to customers from their kitchen were laying the foundation for what would become a family empire.

Word spread about Paula's amazing food and her business started to scale up. In 1996, together with her sons, they opened The Lady & Sons. The restaurant quickly gained national attention after receiving The International Meal of the Year award from USA Today. Jamie and Bobby are in charge of operations at The Lady & Sons, and are responsible for maintaining the high standards that the brand is known for.

Additionally, the brothers are involved with Paula Deen's Family Kitchen, a restaurant chain offering Southern-style family dining. The first location opened in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee back in 2015. Then came the Nashville, Branson, and Myrtle Beach restaurants. At Paula Deen's Family Kitchen, Jamie and Bobby develop the menus and manage the brand portfolio ensuring consistency across locations.

Bobby Deen must have a very keen sense of adventure. On top of being the brother who has done a little more writing than Jamie, he even went a step further when he took on an acting role in 2017. He played a character called David Ellis in a dramedy film titled "In Search of Liberty" by Tom Solari. The story follows a historical character who leads a modern family through various adventures, where they are able to learn about and appreciate the American heritage a lot better. Other cast members on the project included Jimmy Hagger, Karen Boles, and Simone Giraffe.

Bobby recounted his experience working on the project in a YouTube video on the film's official channel. He was unable to pick out one favorite scene from the whole movie. "There were no wasted scenes, especially as far as the information that we're trying to give out is concerned," he explained. "Every scene is informative and important to the movie. This is an educational movie, but not in a boring way at all."

Director and producer Norm Novitsky is known for his staunch activism, mostly in support of the U.S. Constitution. The Savannah Morning News reported that production had even made some free tickets available for members of the public to go and watch the movie in theaters.

In 2015, Paula Deen was caught up in a controversy about race on social media and Bobby was right at the heart of it all. A photo had been posted on Paula's X, formerly known as Twitter, account, from a 2011 Halloween costume party. The picture depicted Bobby in dark makeup as the character known as Ricky Ricardo from the CBS sitcom "I Love Lucy." The post kicked up a storm on social media and Paula's team was forced to quickly delete it and offer a statement explaining what had happened.

CBS News ran the release on its website, where the Deen family representatives insisted that the post had not come from Paula herself. "Paula immediately had this picture taken down as soon as she saw the post and apologizes to all who were offended," spokesman Jaret Keller said. The team also revealed that the social media manager behind the offensive post had been subsequently dismissed.

This was not the first time that Paula Deen had been involved in a racial controversy, either. In 2013, a lawsuit accused her of workplace discrimination, including using a racial slur and planning a Southern plantation-style wedding with wait staff dressed as slaves. While Jamie and Bobby were not involved in the scandal, the fallout was massive. Paula lost endorsement deals, TV contracts, and much of her public standing.

Jamie and Bobby Deen didn't just stumble into success in the food world. They were deliberately exposed to the good, the bad, and the ugly sides of it and emerged on the other side as industry experts just like their mother. After Paula and her boys opened The Lady & Sons, the restaurant quickly became a Savannah favorite and really started to put the Deen name on the map.

In 2002, when Paula landed her first Food Network show, she made sure that her sons had a seat at the table. The siblings frequently appeared alongside her. She introduced them to her audience and in 2006, they launched "Road Taste," their own travel food show.

The beautiful collaborative dynamic within the Deen family would again be seen when they partnered with Novo Nordisk on a national diabetes initiative in 2012. All the while, Jamie and Bobby have continued to help run The Lady & Sons, at the same time building their own highly profitable food brands. Through it all, their mother's legacy remained firmly imprinted on their own career milestones. While their hard work and charismatic personalities played a huge role in their success, it all started with Paula Deen.

They may have left "Road Tasted," but the Deen brothers have remained significant figures in the culinary world. Jamie is best known for his show, "Home for Dinner with Jamie Deen" on Food Network, where he whips up family-friendly Southern recipes. He is also involved in gigs like the New York City Wine & Food Festival and local charity events, as well as being a highly sought-after public speaker. Jamie has also had features on Fox News, CNN, and "The Today Show."

Bobby Deen has been getting his fair share of the limelight as well. In an interview with CBN, he opened up about his journey, the impact of his mother on his cooking, and his efforts to make Southern food healthier. He has had appearances on cooking specials and is a frequent guest on shows like "The Chew." Both brothers are also active on YouTube, where they share their cooking expertise and spread their love for Southern flavors.