Paula Deen Receives Standing Ovation at the Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Show in Houston, TX [VIDEO]

Celebrity cook Paula Deen received a stand-ovation from a crowd of 1,500 at the Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Show in Houston, TX on Saturday.

Trying to hold back her tears, Deen told the audience, "These are tears of joy, y'all," at the Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Show. "I've said all along that the one place I'd want to make my first step back out is Texas. Y'all's hearts are as big as your state."

The discrimination and sexual harassment lawsuit filed against Deen was dismissed completely in August. There were several black paula Deen fans at the show, Sherry Carter and her daughters who are residents of Houston said the allegations hadn't turned them against Deen.

"When I first heard about it, my feeling was, she got caught," Carter told the Houston Chronicle. "Just about everyone I know has used the word. At least she was honest about it." Others wore sashes and carried placards with Deen's photo as a way to show their support.

This was the first public appearance that Deen has made since June when she acknowledged using racial slurs in the past. The Food Network took her show off the air, she was dropped by Smithfield Foods, and several retailers took her products off their shelves.

Deen did two cooking demonstrations with her two sons Bobby and Jamie Deen, they also have cooking shows and cookbooks. You may visit the Paula Deen website here.