Media Mavens
Post & Courier
October 2, 2006
Two local specialty food companies will be featured on an upcoming holiday show on cable televisions's Food Network.
Gullah Gourmet and Charleston Cookie Co. are among several Southern businesses chosen to take part in the holiday edition of "Road Tasted," a food and travel show hosted by brothers Bobby and JamieDeen. The siblings are sons of Savannah restaurateur Paula Deen, "The Queen of Southern Cuisine," who also hosts a Food Network show.
A crew from Follow Productions of New York flew to Charleston last month to film the hourlong Christmas special, which will start airing in November.
The crew filmed at the Charleston Cookie bakery on James Island, at Gullah Gourmet's shop in West Ashley and at the Mount Pleasant home of Pat and John Tucker. Pat Tucker is sales and marketing director for Gullah Gourmet, which specializes in easily prepared Lowcountry meals in a bag.
The Deen brothers helped Gullah Gourmet President Debbie Nelson prepare Gullah shrimp and grits and a peach cobbler. "The boys are so nice and down to earth," Nelson said.
Charleston Cookie owner Judith Moore and chef Judy Papadimitriou demonstrated how to make gingerbread houses, a new product for the 3-year-old gourmet cookie company.
Their creations included a traditional German-style house covered with gumdrops, as well as a Charleston-style house decorated with pink icing and chocolate shutters. The company plans to sell both fully assembled gingerbread houses, as well as kits.
Because "Road Tasted" will air during the holidays, the businesses had to decorate for Christmas during filming. Charleston Cookie even flipped its wall calendar over to November.
Both companies have connections to the Food Network and its celebrity hosts. Gullah Gourmet has been featured on the Food Network's "Food Finds" show, while Charleston Cookie's gift baskets recently got a mention in the new Paula Deen magazine.
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