Dolly Parton has music hits that span decades, but now she’s opening up about a new initiative involving her efforts to bring Southern comfort food to family tables.
Parton is releasing her own line of frozen meals, including chicken and dumplings, shrimp and grits and country fried steak.
During “CBS Mornings” on Wednesday, Parton said the inspiration for the idea came from her childhood and family.
“I am a good Southern cook. I grew up eating good, Southern food and learned how to cook it coming from a big family and my aunts and my mom and my grandmas. So that’s just a natural thing for country women to know how to cook,” she said.
Parton added it stemmed from the success with her baking mixes with Duncan Hines.
“We thought, well, what else can we do because everybody loved it,” Parton said. “I have always wanted to have my own line of frozen foods, where you can really have – there’s good dishes, and just reach out into the refrigerator, pull them out and just eat them. Just heat and eat.”
Beyond her desire to create these Southern-style dishes, Parton spoke about the loss of her husband, Carl Dean. She said she’s grateful for the love and support she’s received since his death in March. The two were married for more than 60 years.
“I’ve been staying busy, which that’s always better for me. Of course… when you lose someone you love and when you have been with them for 60 years, that’s a big loss,” Parton said. “You have to learn new patterns, new ways, new thoughts and all that. I’ll always miss him, but I try to bring him into all the things I’m doing.”
When asked about an online petition to rename the Nashville airport after her, Parton laughed, saying, “I’m very flattered. … I don’t think anybody’s that serious about that. We all make jokes about if it was that. … It’s a nice compliment.”
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