The Unexpected Place Trisha Yearwood Stored Butter On Set

For a solid decade, country hitmaker Trisha Yearwood dished up homestyle favorites on her now-concluded Food Network show, "Trisha's Southern Kitchen." Yearwood was born in Georgia and made her way to Nashville as soon as she finished high school, giving her cred as an authentic southern belle. Yearwood is likewise familiar with the ins and outs of whipping up hearty, belly-warming southern fare that brings families together. In 2022, Yearwood invited Delish into her studio kitchen for a behind-the-scenes peek at how her kitchen set — a functional kitchen in a home Yearwood owns, by the way — is put together for maximum functionality and authenticity.

Like her Food Network co-star and sister in soul food, Ree Drummond, who films the show "Pioneer Woman" on her own property, Yearwood has customized her kitchen. It was meant to suit her preferences in a way that's balanced with the realities of shooting a TV show. One of those little nuances is a drawer to the left of her sink that stores two sticks of butter covered with a paper wrapper. 

Yearwood's butter drawer might raise an eyebrow at first glance, but, when you think about it, the idea makes perfect sense. As Yearwood has explained, she almost always needs softened butter for food demos, and keeping it available and yet tucked away on set is a genius hack.

Trisha Yearwood says that a friend filled her in on saving butter wrappers to grease pans, which is a waste-not recommendation in the same vein as the tip about storing butter wrappers in the freezer. But that's not the only sensible aspect of Yearwood's kitchen. She maintains a "pantry," which is a dedicated cabinet with all the ingredients she will need for the day's recipes. The groceries have all been "Greeked," or had brand logos obscured or removed. Additional ingredients and recipe components are stored in the fridge, which Yearwood humorously claims is much cleaner and neater than her personal refrigerator. Right off-camera, there is a large baking rack with multiple shelves where even more prepped food is stored, along with baking sheets and other necessities.

Before the studio kitchen was used for filming, Yearwood divulges, it was just her personal kitchen in the very first house she bought herself. She recalls making fettuccine alfredo for superstar husband Garth Brooks when they were dating and thinking at the time that she knew she was going to marry him. The kitchen has undergone significant renovations to make it more camera-ready, including installing the cooktop on the island facing the camera. Now, Yearwood says, she prefers this stove position because she can converse with guests while cooking at home.