Paula Deen is coming back. 
 
 Less than a year after her association with a racist slur led to the loss of her TV contract and many sponsors, Deen has created a new company. Paula Deen Ventures includes all the restaurants, cruises, cookbooks, cookware and other products that focus on her touting of traditional Southern cuisine. 
 
 Deen is partnering with Phoenix-based Najafi Media, which specializes in consumer distribution. Jahm Najafi, founder and chief executive officer, said in a statement Wednesday that he has "a deep respect for the hard work, unique content and quality products which Paula has built around her brand." 
 
 A spokeswoman for the company declined comment to CNNMoney when asked for details about the partnership. 
 
 Deen's sponsors dropped the food mogul like a hot potato last June after she admitted, during testimony in a racial discrimination lawsuit, that she had once used a racist slur to describe an African-American man. She later offered a tear-soaked apology via YouTube and NBC's "The Today Show." 
 
 The Food Network, owned by Scripps Networks Interactive (SNI), let her contract run out , and she was dumped by a slew of sponsors and business partners, including pork producer Smithfield Foods, the casino chain Caesars (CZR), the diabetes drugmaker Novo Nordisk (NVO) and retailers Wal-Mart (WMT), Target (TGT), Home Depot (HD), Sears (SHLD) and JCPenney (JCP). 
 
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 Deen was already worth $10 million when the scandal hit, according to Brian Warner, managing editor of celebritynetworth.com. 
 
 Najafi is clearly betting on the zeal of loyal fan base, with costumers continuing to packing into her restaurants in Savannah, Ga., and buying her branded products. For example, Amazon (AMZN) pre-sales for her "New Testament" cookbook surged 1,300% in the wake of her scandal before Ballantine Books decide to cancel the release. 

 Paula Deen is trying to reheat her career. 
 
 A recently formed new company, Paula Deen Ventures, said it has received an investment of between $75 million and $100 million from Najafi Cos., a private-equity company led by Jahm Najafi, who owns BMG Music Service and the Book-of-the-Month Club. 
 
 Phoenix-based Najafi Cos. said the cash... 

 Paula Deen $75 MIllion For Huge Comeback 
 
 Breaking News 
 
 -- like the Phoenix -- is rising again ... thanks to a $75 MILLION infusion of cash from a Phoenix-based investment company that could put Paula's wares in the back pocket of airplane seats.Jahm Najafi clearly thinks the Paula Deen brand is still a marketable commodity, because his company is fronting the cash.As for Najafi's plan ... we found it extremely interesting that in 2012 he bought SkyMall magazine ... which you've probably leafed through and then failed to buy anything from inside. So the question -- will Paula's pots and pans end up in the mag?As you know ... Paula was unceremoniously dumped by virtually all of her sponsors after confessing she used the N word to describe a person who robbed the bank she was a teller at in the 80s.By the way ... in addition to SkyMall, Najafi owns the Book of the Month Club and Columbia House.
– Get ready to see much more of Paula Deen. The celeb chef seems to have rebounded from last year's mess over her use of a racist slur with an investment of $75 million from a private-equity firm, reports CNN Money. Deen is teaming with Najafi Cos. to create Paula Deen Ventures, and she's reportedly in talks with retail chains and TV networks about partnerships. (The Food Network says it is not among those talking to Deen.) Deen tells the Wall Street Journal that she's confident she will succeed given that "hundreds of thousands of my fans sent me messages of love and support," especially through the We Support Paula Deen Facebook page. TMZ notes that Jahm Najafi, owner of the company backing Deen, also owns SkyMall magazine and wonders whether "Paula's pots and pans (will) end up in the mag."