Talk about ladies who lunch.
Local businesswoman Diane Pfeifer recently broke bread with first lady Michelle Obama and television cook and author Paula Deen in Washington.
The proprietor of Grits Bits, which sells cookbooks and gourmet snack items, she was recently offered the chance to attend the Congressional Club's annual First Lady's Luncheon earlier this month, and was invited to ship enough Grits Bits for everyone there.
The event honored the first lady and featured Deen.
“What you see is what you get with her,” Pfeifer said of her fellow Georgian. “Sweet, funny, and most of all, Southern!”
Unfortunately, she missed the chance to spend time with the first lady. She’d been invited to a private reception, but it didn’t happen, thanks to someone up to no good.
“After waiting and crowding around a platform where she was going to speak, we heard she’d been delayed and (were told) to be seated for lunch in the main ballroom,” Pfeifer said. “Mrs. Obama arrived, dressed fabulously, of course, and apologized for being late, citing ‘a little excitement outside.’ She gave a wonderful keynote address. While leaving, we discovered the reason for her delay. There was a bomb threat in the hotel parking garage.”
Pfeifer did relish the chance to meet Deen, though, as both women are in the cooking and cookbook business. Pfeifer’s company launched in 1987 with cookbooks. Customers soon demanded more.
“People kept coming up to me and saying, ‘Honey, I have your book. I need something I can open up and eat!’” she recalled. So she headed into the kitchen and created Grits Bits, delectable mini wafers in cheddar cheese, jalapeno cheese, Vidalia onion cheese and sweet cream butter varieties. They’re available in specialty shops and at trade shows.
“I do not sell in the grocery stores or anything like that,” she said. “I’m very boutiquey. I’m the only one in the company. It’s just me.”
Which meant she had to hustle to fill the order for 1,800 boxes. As a result, though, she has a famous new fan. Although Deen has been adhering to a healthy new lifestyle since being diagnosed with diabetes, she indulged in some of Pfeifer’s delicacies.
“She loved my Vidalia onion Grits Bits,” she said. “It’s exciting!”
