Three months after a public relations nightmare that caused her cooking empire to crumble, celebrity chef Paula Deen marked her first public appearance over the weekend in Houston.

She was a guest on the Metro Cooking and Entertaining Show and was introduced by her sons Bobby and Jamie Deen before appearing on-stage herself, according to eater.com. Paula clutched a tissue and cried as an audience gave her a full 2-minute standing ovation.

Paula took a hiatus from the public eye after a public relations scandal where her deposition in a now-dismissed lawsuit showed her admitting she used racial slurs. Fallout from the scandal included her not only losing her show on the Food Network, but also millions of dollars in lost endorsements.

Tickets for the event cost around $63.00 per person, though some fans shelled out as much as $400 for VIP seats to the event.

Deen thanked her fans and supporters for still loving her despite her recent problems and also announced what may be her comeback, 

"The only place I would take my one-step back out is Texas, because Texas is full of loving, forgiving folks and y'all hearts are as big as y'all's state," she said. "I had a little rough patch this summer, but you know it was an opportunity to learn. I learned a lot about myself. I certainly learned a lot about my business, and I just want to thank y'all from the bottom of my heart. Hi. I'm back."

Deen explained this isn't a comeback per say for her, telling TMZ reporters, who caught up with her before she boarded her flight to Houston, that she "never went anywhere."

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