Stephen Colbert and Evie McGee Colbert's Sullivan's Island beach house became a production studio in March 2020. Two cameras were stuffed in a spare room. Cables were fed out the window.
They snaked through the garage to a satellite truck, a fixture in the driveway for the next five months. "The Late Show" host didn't miss a single show. He said he has his family to thank for it.
Nationwide broadcasts aside, the Colbert family's daily routine during the pandemic looked a lot like that of other South Carolina families. The couple's daughter, Madeline, was working, and their sons Peter and John were finishing senior year in college and high school, respectively. Evie was working for a nonprofit and helping her husband make the world laugh during a challenging, uncertain time.
Spend an afternoon with Stephen Colbert and his wife, Evie, talking about their favorite recipes Stephen and Evie McGee Colbert visit Geechie Seafood. When the day was over, they would fire up the burners in their Sullivan's Island kitchen. "People would either be in class, working or we'd be producing a show," Evie said.
"At the end of the day, everybody would just shut down whatever laptop they'd been using ...
and we'd meet in the kitchen." Those rare moments cooking with their children led the couple of more than three decades to dig into the treasure trove of Colbert and McGee family recipes. What they discovered helped them create their new cookbook, " Does This Taste Funny ?" which hit bookstands Sept.
17. The Colberts both grew up in Charleston but didn’t meet until their mid-20s. They have been active members of the community, most recently in helping to renovate and renew Wragg Square downtown.
They own a production company together, but "Does This Taste Funny?" marks the first professional project they've completed as a pair since they were married in October 1993. "COVID threw us together in a professional environment," Stephen told The Post and Courier. "It turned out we're pretty good coworkers.
" Stephen Colbert grew up on James Island. The 300-plus page book features about 100 recipes, from breakfast, appetizers and seafood to food fit for hosting a party. There are a few elaborate dishes, like beef Wellington, but most are approachable and light-hearted — like the television host himself.
"The first thing we did before anything was say to ourselves, 'We are not cooks. We are people who cook ..
. We are just two people writing down the recipes we like and grew up with,'" he said. The book follows that thesis.
Each of the authors has their favorite recipe from the book: Stephen's is the shrimp and hominy, "the simplest, warmest, most comforting breakfast, lunch or dinner," he said. Evie's is her mother's crab-stuffed flounder. As a whole, the book tells the culinary story of two Lowcountry families coming together.
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19 ahead of its opening Longstanding Mexican-inspired restaurant closes Mount Pleasant location Plans for Lowcountry hospital withdrawn after 6-year legal battle " Does This Taste Funny ?" hit bookstands Sept. 17. They started by writing down the recipes they'd been cooking as a family.
With those recorded in a spreadsheet produced by their niece Lucy Wichmann, they reached out to both sides of the family to see who would like to contribute recipes. They were met with responses passed from generation to generation. Evie, who grew up next to the Dock Street Theatre, told her mother, Evelyn Moore McGee, about the idea.
Known to all as Patti , the celebrated Charleston gardener dug up her mother-in-law's old recipe book. Mother and daughter started spending more time in the kitchen. They went over recipes, like the one they discovered for Huguenot Torte, a sweet and sticky rumpled cake McGee would whip up at 2 a.
m. after returning home from a fancy ball. Stephen Colbert and Evie McGee Colbert visit Abundant Seafood in Mount Pleasant.
McGee and Colbert families chip in to renovate Wragg Square in downtown Charleston Evie listened as her mother shared stories, tips and tricks, many of which made it into the book. She cherishes the time they spent working on the project before McGee died of cancer in November 2022. "I would say, 'Tell me about how you made your stuffed flounder,' or 'How did you make your pickled shrimp?'" she recalled.
"It was just really wonderful to share with her." Stephen Colbert: "The first thing we did before anything was say to ourselves, 'We are not cooks. We are people who cook .
.. We are just two people writing down the recipes we like and grew up with.
'" Photographer Eric Wolfinger played an integral part in the curation of the cookbook. The Californian was so drawn to the Lowcountry that he suggested the Colberts fill the pages with a blend of food photos and lifestyle shots. That gave them the opportunity to explore some of their favorite spots, such as Abundant Seafood and Geechie Seafood.
"He helped us envision that this cookbook could be more than just a series of recipes," Evie said. "In my mind, it's a love letter to the Lowcountry." The Colberts will celebrate the cookbook's launch at 2 p.
m. Sept. 22 at the Gaillard Center.
Hosted with Buxton Books, the pair will share a glimpse of “food and fun” from the new book with special guest Busy Philipps. Tickets start at $75 and include a copy of the cookbook. For more information, visit gaillardcenter.
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