Cooking Lesson Auctioned For Record $210,000

When legendary tennis star Andre Agassi called TV Food Network cook Paula Deen last summer soliciting a private cooking lesson to auction at his annual Grand Slam for Children event, he had no idea the impact the butter loving chef would have on his charity's bottom-line.

The personal cooking lesson with the best selling cookbook author was auctioned for a record $210,000, which entitles the bidder and three guests to a private cooking lesson in Paula's Southern Cooking. According to Deen, "That's a lot of grits, honey."

"Listen y'all, this just proves that not everyone in America is counting their carbs and fat intake," joked Paula Deen. "I'm just glad that we're going to have some fun to benefit this great foundation."

On a more serious note, the TV Food star continued, "Andre's commitment to these children and his community is truly admirable. This is an honorable man who really cares about the future of these youngsters and he is giving them every opportunity to have a productive and fulfilling future."

The star-studded event attended by Jay Leno, Chris Rock, Venus Williams, Elton John, Ellen DeGeneres, Phil Collins, and John Mayer to name a few, was hosted on October 7th in Las Vegas. The event, which benefits the Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation, was created to provide at-risk youngsters of Southern Nevada with recreational and educational opportunities.

Since the foundation was launched in 1994, it has supported more than 20 organizations and raised more than $60 million for programs designed to enhance a child's character, self-esteem and career possibilities.