Jeff Smith (chef)

Jeff Smith
Smith in 1990.
Born	(1939-01-22)January 22, 1939 Tacoma, Washington, U.S.
Died	July 7, 2004(2004-07-07) (aged 65) Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Education	Cooking
Spouse	Patricia "Patty" Smith (1966–2004)
Culinary career
Cooking style	Gourmet
Previous restaurant(s) Chaplain's Pantry (1972–1983)
Television show(s) Cooking Fish Creatively (1973–1977) The Frugal Gourmet (1984–1997)

Jeffrey L. Smith (January 22, 1939 – July 7, 2004) was the author of several cookbooks and the host of The Frugal Gourmet, a popular American cooking show. The show began in Tacoma, Washington, as Cooking Fish Creatively on local PBS station KTPS (now KBTC), where it aired from 1973 to 1977. It then moved to WTTW in Chicago, and finally to KQED in San Francisco where it aired from 1984 to 1997. From 1972 to 1983, Smith was the owner and operator of the Chaplain's Pantry Restaurant and Gourmet Shop.

Early life

Smith was born in Tacoma, Washington, on January 22, 1939. He graduated from the University of Puget Sound (UPS) in 1962. In 1965, he graduated from Drew University in New Jersey, which ordained him a minister in the United Methodist Church. In 1965, he became a chaplain at the University of Puget Sound. In 1966, Smith married his wife Patricia "Patty" Smith, and had two sons, Channing and Jason. Patricia is credited with originating the nickname "Frugal Gourmet". Jeff Smith served as a chaplain at UPS from 1966 to 1972. In 1972, he left the university to open and run Chaplain's Pantry Restaurant and Gourmet Shop, a deli and kitchen supply store in Tacoma, where Smith and his students also offered cooking classes to the public.

Career

Smith began his television career in 1973 at KTPS in Tacoma, Washington, with his first cooking show called Cooking Fish Creatively, which ran from 1973 to 1977, and in 1977, the show was renamed The Frugal Gourmet. In 1983, Smith appeared on The Phil Donahue Show to promote his paperback cookbook, and moved to WTTW in Chicago, which took The Frugal Gourmet national in 1984, and the Frugal Gourmet became a household name. In 1989 during the "Three Ancient Cuisines" run, Smith was joined by assistant chef and co-author Craig Wollam, that same year, reruns of The Frugal Gourmet began airing on Lifetime, and continued airing reruns until 1997, when Smith retired from television.

In 1990, Smith became a spokesman for Columbia Crest wines, and in 1991, he formed his production company Frugal Gourmet Productions, Inc. In 1992 beginning with the "Whole Family Kitchen" series, Smith moved The Frugal Gourmet to PBS station KQED in San Francisco, California, and Natan Katzman's production company A La Carte Communications; the company also created Julia Child's cooking shows produced by Maryland Public Television. His show aired for 11 seasons from 1984 to 1997, with a total of 261 half-hour episodes and one-hour specials produced, including The Frugal Gourmet: A Colonial Christmas with Friends (1987), Fire and Flame with Elmo (1992), The American Soda Fountain (1992), and The Frugal Gourmet Celebrates Christmas (1993).

On each episode, Smith followed a recipe by showing viewers how to prepare a dish to save time and money on a frugal budget. He tells food-related stories, and travels to different places to show food from different cultures. Smith wore a blue and white striped apron that became his trademark, along with a jade fish necklace from China. The theme music used for his show is George Frideric Handel's Water Music called the "Bourree" movement. In 1995, Smith hosted his last series The Frugal Gourmet Keeps the Feast; a 13-part series was produced for the Faith & Values Channel in 1995, and the Odyssey Network in 1996. Smith was joined by assistant chef Tim Peterson and sous chef Betsy Helgenson. At the end of each episode, Smith was known for saying someting akin to, "Until i see you again, this is the Frugal Gourmet, i bid you peace, bye-bye". In 1997, Smith retired from television, and The Frugal Gourmet was pulled from syndication. Then in 2001; about a year before his death in 2004, Smith appeared as a judge in the music video for Cake's "Love You Madly", competing in an Iron Chef-style cooking match with judges Phyllis Diller and Rick James.

Smith with his long-time assistant and co-author Craig Wollam at Fante's Kitchen Shop (1992)

Over the course of his career, Smith published numerous cookbooks, such as Recipes from the Frugal Gourmet (1977), The Frugal Gourmet (1984), The Frugal Gourmet Cooks With Wine (1986), The Frugal Gourmet Cooks American (1987), The Frugal Gourmet Cooks Three Ancient Cuisines (1989), The Frugal Gourmet on Our Immigrant Ancestors (1990), The Frugal Gourmet Celebrates Christmas (1991), The Frugal Gourmet's Culinary Handbook (1991), The Frugal Gourmet Whole Family Cookbook (1992), The Frugal Gourmet Cooks Italian (1993), and The Frugal Gourmet Keeps the Feast (1995).

Philadelphia Mayor Wilson Goode with Smith in 1986

Smith was regarded as a "genius" by some and as a "tyrant" by others. Kathy Casey, a Seattle Times food columnist and longtime friend of Smith's, described him as a knowledgeable and generous man who "...knew more about food and culture than anybody I know in the food world." She said he donated both money and time to charitable causes and helped individuals get started in the food industry, even after his retirement.

Smith also had his share of detractors. Irena Chalmers, a faculty member at the Culinary Institute of America and president of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, once described him as "the Frugal Gourmet, who is neither". Chicago Tribune food and wine columnist William Rice wrote, "I've tried to cook his stuff, and let's say it was hit or miss. Some things worked and others didn't." Newsweek writer Laura Shapiro criticized him as "a prime example of prominent cooks who may compromise their integrity by being paid to recommend food products and kitchen ware." She cited The Frugal Gourmet Whole Family Cookbook as "especially shocking", calling it "the cookbook as infomercial". In a 1992 Harper's Magazine article, Barbara Grizzuti Harrison ridiculed him as "a purveyor of patronizing poppycock ... conveyed with the kind of mock anger that is always a mask for real anger." Smith brushed aside such criticism: "Not many people read Harper's," he said. "That's a very small audience." He continued, "People criticize me for enjoying good food when I use the word frugal. Frugal doesn't mean cheap. It means you don't waste your money. They haven't read my books. They don't know the meaning of the word."

Sexual abuse allegations

In 1997, seven men filed a civil lawsuit against Smith, charging him with sexual abuse. Six of them alleged that they were molested as teenagers in the 1970s while working at the Chaplain's Pantry in Tacoma; the seventh claimed that he was assaulted in 1992, at age 14, after Smith picked him up as a hitchhiker. Smith denied the allegations, and no criminal charges were filed, but he and his insurers settled the cases for an undisclosed amount in 1998. The litigation ended his television career, though he continued his writing and charitable work.

Personal life and death

Jeff Smith was married to Patricia "Patty" Smith. They had two sons, Channing and Jason, as well as daughters-in-law Yuki and Lisa.

Smith died in his sleep of heart disease on July 10, 2004, at age 65.

Bibliography

• Recipes from the Frugal Gourmet (1977)
• The Frugal Gourmet (1984)
• The Frugal Gourmet Cooks with Wine (1986)
• The Frugal Gourmet Cooks American (1987)
• The Frugal Gourmet Cooks Three Ancient Cuisines: China, Greece, and Rome (1989)
• The Frugal Gourmet on Our Immigrant Ancestors: Recipes You Should Have Gotten from Your Grandmother (1990)
• The Frugal Gourmet Celebrates Christmas (1991)
• The Frugal Gourmet's Culinary Handbook: An Updated Version of an American Classic on Food and Cooking (1991)
• The Frugal Gourmet Whole Family Cookbook: Recipes and Reflections for Contemporary Living (1992)
• The Frugal Gourmet Cooks Italian: Recipes from the New and Old Worlds, Simplified for the American Kitchen (1993)
• The Frugal Gourmet Keeps the Feast: Past, Present, and Future (1995)

Further reading

• Collins, Glenn (February 10, 1988). "'Frugal Gourmet': A Minister Makes Food His Mission". The New York Times. p. C1.

External links

• Jeff Smith bio at the Internet Movie Database
• The Frugal Gourmet at the Internet Movie Database