April 6, 2010

“Paula Deen’s Savannah Style Book Release

With its lush gardens, stately town houses, and sprawling plantations, Savannah is the epitome of old Southern style, and who better to give you the grand tour than Paula Deen, the city’s most famous resident and anointed Queen of Southern Cuisine?

In this gorgeous, richly illustrated book, Paula Deen shares a full year of Southern living. Whether it’s time to put out your best china and make a real fuss, or you’re just gathering for some sweet tea on the porch at dusk, Savannah style is about making folks feel welcome in your home. With the help of decorator and stylist Brandon Branch, you’ll learn how to bring a bit of Southern charm into homes from Minnesota to Mississippi. For each season, there are tips on decorating and entertaining. In the spring, you’ll learn how to make the most of your outdoor spaces, spruce up your porch, and make your garden inviting. In the summer, things get more casual with a dock party. Sleeping spaces, including, of course, the sleeping porch, are the focal point of this chapter. In the fall, cooler weather brings a return to more formal entertaining in the dining room, and in the winter, attention returns to the hearth, as Paula and her neighbors put out their best silver and show you how they celebrate the holidays.

Paula loves getting a peek at her neighbors’ parlors, so she’s included photographs of some of Savannah’s grandest homes. From the vast grounds of Lebanon Plantation to the whimsically restored cottages on Tybee Island, you’ll see the unique blend of old-world elegance and laid-back hospitality that charmed Paula the moment she arrived from Albany, Georgia, with nothing but two hundred dollars and a pair of mouths to feed. And she isn’t shy about giving you a window into her own world, either. From her farmhouse kitchen to her luxurious powder room, you’ll see how Paula lives when she’s not in front of the camera.

Packed with advice and nostalgia, Paula Deen’s Savannah Style makes it easy to bring gracious Southern living to homes north and south of the Mason-Dixon Line.

“Brandon Branch is a playful Southern gentleman. His style is equal parts Yankee chic and Southern elegance all muddled together in a monogrammed mint julep cup. An invitation to one of his Savannah dinner parties is the equivalent to getting the golden ticket from Willy Wonka. Brandon holds the position of Design Director for Paula Deen Enterprises and serves as Paula Deen’s Personal Assistant. Look for his newest book, co-authored by Paula Deen, Paula Deen’s Savannah Style, available Spring 2010.

Paula and I are thrilled about our new interiors book, Paula Deen’s Savannah Style, releasing April 6th, 2010 from Simon and Schuster. Nearly a year in the making, it has been a labor of love for all three of us…Paula, myself and this jewel of a city we call home, Savannah.”

Wednesday, April 7, 2010, New York, NY

Savannah Style book signing 7:00-9:00 PM. Barnes & Noble, 33 East 17th Street, New York, NY, Store tel: 212-253-0810.

Thursday, April 8, 2010, Atlanta, GA

Savannah Style book signing 7:30-9:30 PM. Borders Books and Music, 3637 Peachtree Rd, NE, Atlanta, GA 30319, Store tel: 404-237-0707.

Friday, April 9, 2010, Cumming, GA

Savannah Style book signing 6:00-8:00 PM. BJ’s, 1725 Market Place Blvd, Cumming, GA 30041, Store tel: 770-781-8735.

Sunday, April 11, 2010, Philadelphia, PA

Savannah Style book signing 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM. Wegman’s, 600 Commerce Dr., Collegeville, PA 19426, Store tel: 484-902-1500.

Monday, April 12, 2010

QVC Check local listings for times and channel.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010, Charlotte, NC

Savannah Style book signing 6:00 – 8:00 PM. Park Road Books, 4139 Park Road, Charlotte, NC 28209, Store tel: 704-525-9239.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010, Nashville, TN

Savannah Style book signing 7:00-9:00 PM. Davis Kidd Books, 2121 Green Hills Village Drive, Nashville, TN 37215, Store tel: 615-385-2645.

Thursday, April 15, 2010, Birmingham, AL

Savannah Style book signing 7:00-9:00 PM. Books a Million, 757 Brookwood Village, Birmingham, AL 35209, Store tel: 205-870-0213.

Friday, April 16, 2010, Plano, TX

Savannah Style book signing 6:00-8:00 PM. Legacy Books, 7300 Dallas Parkway, Plano TX 75024, Store tel: 972-398-9888.

Saturday, April 17, 2009, Houston, TX

Savannah Style book signing 2:00 — 4:00 PM. Costco, 12405 North Gessner Road, Houston, TX 77064, Store tel: 832-912-2353.

Monday, April 19, 2010, Los Angeles, CA

Savannah Style book signing 6:00-8:00 PM. Vroman’s Books, 695 E. Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91101, Store tel: 626-449-5320.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010, Savannah, GA

Savannah Style book signing 6:00-8:00 pm. Sam’s Club, 1975 E. Montgomery Crossroads, Savannah, GA 31406, Store tel: 912-352-3330.

We don’t allow prom parties, singles parties, spring break parties- any parties where it’s all young people without adult supervision. Not just us, but all the vacation rental companies on Tybee.  It just makes sense to not have people out of control.  But sometimes one gets past us….

That’s what happened this past weekend.  I should have known- three cars in front of one of the cottages usually means alot of people, but I didn’t see any signs of activity all weekend.   Plus it was Easter weekend so I can’t imagine a spring break group here for Easter.   Until Sunday check out….   We had a call and our housekeeper said the guests weren’t answering the door.  But all the cars were there so she knew they were there.  She let herself in and …….    Bachelor Party remains. Including the boys who were actually men. Adult Men. Adult Men who had seen the movie The Hangover…   The house was not destroyed by any means, it was just really, really , really messy. And the men were not moving!  They were incredibly hung over!  Kathy goes into the kitchen and makes them coffee and basically her military training stepped in. She lets them know it was time to leave! And they got dressed and left!

The funniest part of all this is when I called the guest Sunday night to let him know we were keeping the security deposit because of the extra cleaning required.  I could tell that 12 hours later he was still hung over but was super sweet and told us to go ahead to charge his card. He kept apologizing and thanked us.  Monday- we try and run the credit card and it’s declined.  So I call again and this time ( 24 hours later!) he’s not hung over and starts to tell me the story of Saturday night. I am laughing so hard because I think all these men who saw the movie are trying to re create the movie!  As he told me, he has absolutely no idea about what happened from about 8PM Saturday night until mid day on Sunday. And the only reason why he knows his credit card is over extended is because when he called the credit card company to ask why they had declined our charge- they told him he’d spent $500 at  strip club in South Carolina.  A strip club that he has no idea how he got there and how he spent the money!  He told me his best friend didn’t want to go to Las Vegas for the getaway but wanted a relaxing weekend on Tybee with his buddies.  But somewhere along the line I guess he was talked in to a less quiet weekend!   The good news, I haven’t found a tiger in any of the closets nor has Mike Tyson come looking for his lost tiger!   As we say- it’s never a dull day on Tybee with our cottages!   The best news- the guests who checked into their cottage at 4PM never had the slightest idea of what escapades went on just the night before!  Kathy- great job and keep up the good work on cleaning our homes!