Steve Hofstetter - The Recipe (Full 4K Comedy Special) - 2023 

This was one of the toughest things I've ever written. I hope you enjoy it. Thank you for being a Patron - Patreon.com/SteveHofstetter

Thank you for the laughter and joy you gave me! Short story- when my husband died we kept a small marble box with some of his ashes home. One night my youngest son is tossing it up in the air over and over. Horrified I said " What the hell are you doing?" His answer- playing catch with dad.😉

I'm upset that RU-vid has been hiding this from me for so long, new favorite comedian.

This was really intimate and personal, and very very needed. Thank you, Steve.

Comedy isn't exactly supposed to make you cry but you did. I just lost my mom a few weeks ago and this made me laugh and cry remembering some of those same lessons. Thank you for this, and for being part of my life's recipe.

You are a genius! The world needs you. I'm sending you soooo much love, from me, a crazy Swede, living in Norway.

I cried so hard at the end - and you made me laugh through everything I was feeling. Thank you for *all* of those feelings. 🙏 You've been my favorite comedian for a long time, and at this point it's not even close. This set was phenomenal.

So, my brother and sister were adopted. They're 10 and 15 years older than me. They said mom couldn't have kids biologically. When my mom found out she was pregnant with me, for the longest time they thought I was just a tumor. Eventually they discovered, I'd somehow defeated all the other swimmers and in her mid 40's, here I came. I was a freaking delight. This set always hit home for me. I saw you do it in Dallas a few years back and mentioned this to you in the merch line. I didn't go into detail. Regardless, this resonates and I always tell people I was tumor. When it comes up of course. I don't just walk around round screaming "I'm a tumor!" Can't thank you enough for coming to the body of Christ (Corpus Christi) this year. FYI, I've been a comedian for 2 decades now. Not on stage, but, as an Ice Hockey official. Being 5'3" on the ice didn't make separating combatants easy so I relied on words.

I have never seen you open yourself up so much, and share so much of yourself throughout a whole set. Thank you so much for speaking so deeply from your heart! It reached us.

Seeing some of those jokes separately (either with or without hecklers, preferably the former) was nice, but finally watching it all as a whole special was just absolutely amazing. A rollercoaster worth riding ,just chef's kiss. Thank you for this sadness, laughter, anger, and others, mixed in this wonderful hour.

I just lost my brother three months ago when he was only in his thirties. Thank you for this, it helps.

This is by far my favorite comedy special you have put together thus far. You have been a huge inspiration to me over the past year or so. I first saw and met you at our 2021 Grand Chapter Conclave in Denver. Ever since I have watched all of your material and keep up with your daily content. When times get tough for me, your gallows humor, life lessons, and personal example of what it means to be a Balanced Man of SigEp have all kept me afloat and provided motivation for me to keep working towards my goals. As someone who struggles with depression and anxiety, I respect your transparency and vulnerability in speaking out about your mental health. Your wit is unmatched, your intellect is evident, your morals and ethics are consistent, and your care and consideration for others and for doing the right thing is clearly displayed in how you recognize those commonly overlooked and speak out against injustices. I admire you and the journey it took to create the Steve we all know and love today. Never stop being you, Brother. 🤟🏼 #VDBL

Lost my father recently…. This really hit the spot. Thank you Steve.

What a great show. Thanks for the life lessons and the laughter!

This is my favorite 😢😅 full length special. Thank you for keeping it available to watch over and over again. Thank you for getting me through some really tough times.

This is an EXPERTLY crafted hour of stand-up comedy. Steve has taken his act to the highest level yet! BRAVO!

Steve, This is your best work ever. From the heart. Love ya.

Incredible. Super refined and well produced. Hoffstetter is reaching new levels, I been a fan since 04'; what an evolution.

Great special! Super funny! Also, thanks to your Dad for helping you write one of the best jokes I've heard all year!

I like how real this set was. It hit on a deeper level and you were able to bring it all back around. It felt new and familiar at the same time. Great job.

Stellar show with an absolutely beautiful ending. Thank you so much for that. I'm still working on grieving not only my father who passed in 2007 from diabetes/renal failure, but also my mother who passed in March 2020 from a combination of stage four uterine cancer and SARS COV-2. Your words brought not only joy and laughter, but also a sense of comfort, compassion, empathy, and understanding. Bravo. Well done.

Once again Steve with amazing material and delivering it with an uplifting spirit and passion. we love to see it, a man on fire for his craft, no pun intended.

Steve, I'm constantly telling my friends that you are quite literally a stand-up philosopher, but this set proves it. This may be the most well-crafted, and ...the bravest set I've ever heard. When you started I saw you as an entertainer; by the time you finished, I saw you as family. Yes, there are tough times in my life right now, but you went a long way toward making them more bearable. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

Discovered you during lockdown, owning hecklers on FB. Absolutely appreciate your opinion on how comedy is to be used and why it has come to be. I’m am unapologetically gallow and most often misperceived. Thank you for this. You are a comedy treasure.

A couple of groans, a couple of guffaws, and a few tears. This was a treat, thank you.

For many, like my husband & Steve, humour is WAY MORE than just a "coping mechanism", it's a WAY OF LIFE ❤🎉😊

The "Dad ghosting joke" was absolutely amazing. This is a tremendous special, easily one of the best ever produced. VERY well done.

Dude, you have to be the hardest working person in show business. Watching your career, especially through the pandemic, has been humbling and impressive. No doubt your dad would proud.

I just put my dog down today after he fought a long battle with cancer. This was exactly what I needed to see. Thank you Steve.

Thanks Steve. You are a healing force in the world.

Profoundly beautiful. RIP Martin, you raised an incredible person with an amazing heart and soul and sense of humor. Thank you sir 🙏🏻🫶🏻

It was a profoundly rewarding experience to watch this deeply personal show of yours. Never have I witnessed tragedy and comedy dancing so close. By now I know quite a bit of your material and some of how your mind works (at least professionally). Still, the concluding recipe hit home deeply with me. Thanks for the hilariously presented life lessons.

I was adopted as a baby, and lost both my mom and dad in the last 2 years. This touched me and made me laugh at the same time. Thank you.

Thank you Mr. Hofstetter for sharing your loss with the humor you are blessed with. Condolences for the loss of your dad.

One of the most brilliant pieces of comedy ever.

With each special you've inspired me in some way, just had to say that first before sharing something. My older sister was the accident, I was the "miracle baby", we were comparing notes one day and we agreed that she had the better end of that. Each mistake story I've heard is funny and/or weird, in my case that "miracle" story was told each time my mother was really proud of me, or I had done something wrong, that's when it was full of guilt and shame... well was supposed to be but as I got older that wore off. My sister and I decided that I would just tell people I was a surprise. The first time I heard you say that I had to pause the video, my sister and I shared a laugh, which meant so much to me as we had drifted apart through the years and were finally rebuilding. Your videos have gotten me through some very dark times, when you came to Edmonton I was so excited to see you that when I went to ask you a question, instead of putting up my hand I shook my cane in the air then stood up to ask it. I hoped I would have a chance to shake your hand, maybe next time.

Hi Steve. Not sure if you'll see this but I'm driving home after visiting my Grandad in the ICU that has signed a DNR. You made me laugh on one of the worst days of my life and made the first half of a hard drive easier.

One of my favorite specials Steve to be able to make someone cry and laugh at the same time is something special ❤️

Wow. Thank you to all the people on Steve's patreon for getting this work out to all of us ❤ so glad I found this

My family has always embraced gallows humor. When my grandmother passed after a long and terrible battle with Alzheimer's, we were at her graveside service and the pastor was saying The Lord's Prayer. It was lunchtime. It was quiet. My uncle, seated in front of my cousin and I, was hungry. We had a hard time stifling the laughter when we heard, "Give us this day our daily BRGRGSRBRRBRRRRR!" We figured it was granny having the last laugh at our expense. :)

Thank you for letting your patrons enjoy it early loving it so far 💕💕

Really enjoyed this. It's hard to convey just how well delivered and connected this performance was. My father passed the night after something I wanted to share with him. Wanting to share your strike with your dad really resonated with me. I'm glad he got your message.

In the back of my mind, when you first started talking about your parents, that this would wind up with you talking about your father's passing, so I was prepared for it, but it still tugged at my heartstrings. He was an amazing man if he was able to help raise an amazing person like you Wonderful show. Your family sounds like a real hoot ^^

Great show, Steve; thank you for sharing all of that, and for reminding us of a few important things. And of course for being funny while doing it. You’re a good human.

I lost my father a few years back, and I still get those moments of intense emotions. It also took me a minute to be able to watch anything that would remind me of him/my childhood. So this is perfect cause he probably wouldn't like this style, and I know I'm having a normal reaction. Thanks man, you're one of my favorites

Thank you sooooo much Steven!!! Absolutely one of the best comedians ever. Never have I been reduced to tears in this kind of emotional way from stand up comedy as i have been today. Steven, my dear sir, thank you so much for sharing your view and talent with this world. Now more than ever ,we need you and your fellow comedians to continue on in the gallows. Laughter is the only way out sometimes. So many of us struggle, without the aid of covid or whatever bullshit this life has to throw around at us, with depression and addiction and so on, comedy, music, all the arts, are a source of not feeling alone. And i thank you again for providing us with great relief from the often dismal and mundane ways of life. Still couldnt help but feel some degree of sadness from seeing all the smiles covered up! But you can feel it, and still see it in the eyes. Dont you dare ever stop Steve as i have selfishly become reliant in your words and comedy. You really do make this existence better and i am forever great full. Faithfull listener, till either you cant speak, or i cant hear. Aloha

Fuckkkyeeessssssss Steve is my absolute favourite! I'm so glad I get to watch another special! One day I hope to watch him live 🤩.

Dark humour is a staple in my family. My Dad’s family were talking about my wedding, and someone said that I looked so beautiful. My Granddad’s reply: “Well she WAS wearing a veil.” Love this special - thank you for sharing ❤

I never expected Steve Hofstetter to make me cry, but here we are. Thank you, Steve.

It has been a privelage to watch you develop this material over the last few years. This is truly amazing!

My dad passed at 48 from complications of diabetes. I was 17 when he passed, we may be had a handful of conversations that could pass as man-man. He had a great sense of humor when his various health and other issues let it through. He was a bit of a perfectionist. Whether big or small, he couldn't start a project til he felt he had accounted for every possible contingency. Things being less than exact and perfect really annoyed him. Mom and two of my siblings were in the hospital waiting room. The doctor came in and told us they had done everything possible, but dad wasn't able to recover from the massive heart attack. We were shocked and grieving, still trying to wrap our heads around the loss when I said, "Dad can finally relax in the perfection of heaven, well that or he is driving God nuts already" In the moment, it made Mom laugh. Now 49, I have been living with diabetes myself for over 25 years and thanks to advancements in technology and medicine, I have better control of it than dad ever did. Great show Steve!

Thanks for making your special available to everyone!

Thank you, sir, for sharing so much of yourself and your family with us. Condolences on your dad's passing. It's a tough time. I'm glad you have great memories.

You made me laugh and cry also. I lost my younger brother last year. He would have loved your humor! "The Recipe" was amazing and oh so true. We are a mixture of the idiosyncrasies of our parents, our upbringing, and our experiences. Perfection!

I've been a fan of yours for over a decade. Loved the hell out of this! This was a masterclass!

Beautiful! Thank you for sharing, Steve. 🖤💛

It's been such an amazing journey watching you work on this special. It's wonderful, Steve! Mazel Tove! I hope it gets the recognition it deserves! May 2023 bless you!

I loved this a lot, I just wish you could enable auto gen captions, all of your clips have them and they’re very helpful for people like me who need them for either hearing or focusing reasons, keep on Steve 🎉

I'm so, very appreciative of you, your stories, and family's stories. ❤

And . .. as a public school teacher . . . it's so awesome that you acknowledged the head custodian. Damn, you get it!

Thank you for making this free on RU-vid! My wife and I watched this together and had some awesome conversations while watching (it took 3 hours to get through). I hope you will come back to Naples' Off The Hook Comedy Club soon (we missed you last time). And thank you for being so open and honest (and funny) with us as the audience. PLUR!

Gallows humor - when you’re at your grandmother’s graveside service and your dad leans over into your ear. “How do you like your spot?” My what? “Your spot. You’re sitting on it.” 😂 Nah. We were sitting on HIS spot. I’m going to be 1 row and 3 spots over.

This is one of the best comedy acts ive ever heard.thank you for being vulnerable

Thank you for this. I've been dealing with the loss of my dad for around a decade and I've been treating it like a millstone around my neck. It strengthened me...but every so often it gets too heavy to bear. But that's not how it has to be. His life meant so much more than that and to reduce it all to sadness is such a grave disservice. Thank you for helping me to realize that.

Thank you for releasing this. It was so great, and one of the reasons why you are my favorite comic. You bring everything round circle in your jokes.

I got the chills when you walked onto the stage, Happy New Year to you, Steve! Thank you for all the laughs, the lessons about life, humanity, love, decency, and honesty. You are appreciated more every day. Congratulations on your success, you have worked hard and deserve it. 👏 😊

Hands clapping 👏 Standing ovation.

“it’s armor” , “it makes life better” 💯💯💯🔥

One of the best comedy specials I have seen. You are my favorite stand up comedian. I cried happy tears watching it. Honestly, I called my dad right after. Thank you, and thanks for being a fast and determined swimmer. Also you are a great human being. And I love gallows humor.

this was everything comedy should be. thank you for sharing your recipe.

This is my first time seeing you that didn't involve some liquored up raisin cake interrupting. Its good to see you do a whole set. Good stuff man.

You have a fucking gift, Steve. If you weren't as funny, you'd be one hell of a motivational speaker. You being funny makes this an hour and five minutes of pure fucking gold. Thank you sir. A million thank yous.

Truly thank you. I have a family member who has not much time and being able to laugh.. It means a lot.

Beautiful, exactly what myself and I suspect many others needed. If you ever come again to Scotland, I'm going.

😂 "You can ghost a racist because that's how they dress" Pure gold! I really appreciate you and your ability to share laughter like this. I needed to laugh. My fur baby died (she had kitty cancer and was seriously ill for the last year or so)today... Knowing I'll never get to have her parrot shoulder snuggles again, or see her sweet triangle face again has been making me bawl off and on all day. Thank you for your laughter making my brain and heart a bit lighter. I really needed it.❤

I know that you’ve got a thick skin and the haters probably don’t affect you much, but I just want to counter with how much I love your comedy. I’ve seen you a couple times in sacramento, and I’ve read your book. I just want to thank you for being real and inspiring change in the world. 😊

Full Special O_o Big Thx and a happy new Year to you Sir!

The power to make someone laugh and cry and laugh again, all in the span of 60 minutes is truly outstanding. You are inspiring Steve.

Awesome performance! May life give you everything you deserve. 😊

Have saved it to a comedy playlist and will listen to it, probably multiple times, as I settle for the night. Looking forward to it.

Finally! I thought I'd never get to see this because I don't do the patreon thing or anything beyond RU-vid actually. I enjoyed the bits you had released on YT and wanted to see the whole show. Thank you, I needed this.

Brilliant!!! I can't fear the dark if the shadows are funny.

Laughter and tears. My Mother died suddenly three weeks ago, this set was terrific and the ending spot on.

You keep getting standing ovations. Good shit.

One of the best Ted talks I’ve ever seen.

I lost my Dad a few years ago suddenly and this hit me hard. I love it though. Sadness gives us the release to appreciate the good times. Thanks for this. I enjoyed every minute.

Thank you. I lost my father when I was still a child, this was my introduction to grief. Of course it hasn’t been my last experience with this complicated series of emotions. You, good sir, have made my day with this video. I hope to see your show in person this summer. I hope you don’t have to fly air Canada to get here but sadly that will probably be the case. Again, thank you for your honesty, it’s refreshing.

Steve, that was one of the most meaningful pieces of comedy I have ever seen. Thanks for sharing it for free. I appreciate the honesty your comedy offers.

I love Steve's work, and it's only gotten better as he matures. So has his face!

100% this has got to be one of your best sets yet.

Wow. Knocked this so far out of the park! Expertly written and perfectly delivered. Just…wow. This is watching an expert at work. Your dad would be proud. ❤

Thank you for "Gallows Humor". My stepdad died on Good Friday 2017. My ex husband died in August 2017-our son was unsuccessful in attempting CPR when he found him unresponsive on the couch. My own mother died Valentines Day 2019. My mom's best friend died the exact same day in 2020, as I was helping my dear neighbor by doing shifts to care for her husband to hospice at home-he died 2/22/2020. It keeps going: My mother's beloved dog then died in April 2020 and my mom's friend, whom we called aunt Shirley died right after that!! And none of these deaths 2020 were due to Covid infection either. IF I DID NOT HAVE THE ABILITY TO HAVE "GALLOWS HUMOR" I truly think I would have gone plum crazy...soooo...thanks for putting that into perspective for those who have no clue WHY it's needed and necessary! Great show!!!

I discovered you through your Tennessee video, and you've been one of my favorite comedians since then :)

Steve, I am 58 yo. It is the first time in my life that comedy reached me so deeply making me laugh and cry. Thank you.

Great special guy, even teared up with a smile on my face. You can definitely tell a good story

I actually saved this performance. Never seen you before however, thoroughly made me catch the subtly of your philosophy. But, mainly because I've lost my hubby of 53 years & I've grieved for 3 solid years without much relief, your words touched me deeply and made me think about this good recipe!! Ty, ❤️

So I saw you perform in Richmond, VA. It was funny. This show, was a really incredible journey. It was both hysterical and touching. It is a masterclass in storytelling. Thank you so much for sharing it with the world!

Like like like like!! Grief is hard so we make ways to deal! Love this special Steve!! Congratulations on your growing success!!!

That without doubt is the most profound thing I have listen to thank you you have put my grieve in prospective again thank you

This is simultaneously one of the funniest and most heartfelt specials i’ve ever seen. Good job dude.