Auntie Fee
O'Dell was born in South Los Angeles. She had  ten siblings. Her father was James O'Dell, a carpenter, plumber, and electrician. She says she learned how to cook by the age of nine, while preparing some of his favorite dishes, which included gumbo, hog's head cheese, and red beans and rice. But the relationship with her father was a difficult one. When she informed him that she was pregnant, at age 15, their relationship became worse.