Jeff Smith, the Frugal Gourmet

[Al_Dente]

maybe we should regard the frug as cuisine's "gateway drug."

Well put. Certainly applies to me. Now I have a $200 a day foie gras habit.

[SethG]

Funny that this has been moved to General Food Topics--- pause while I quickly review the User Agreement-- a move to which I have no objection whatsoever!

I do want to note, though, that my question as posed was about cooking. The topic has become General because people can't seem to help themselves.

[JPW]

Personally, I never liked watching him. I met him once and he was a pompous ass.

yup, what he said (i should just post that after everything mark says). but i'm sure he is far from the first warm and folksy tv personality to be that way. more to the point, i honestly always found his food to be second-rate and much of his information even worse. still, that so many people who have now graduated to this website got their start watching him does say something for his contribution. maybe we should regard the frug as cuisine's "gateway drug."

yup what he said.

I've had several recipes from his Italian cook book fail miserably, but it was the first cook book I owned. Plus, I had an absolutely violent revulsion to the Galloping Gourmet, so I learned first from the Frug.

Unfortunately, my graduate advisor could have been his evil twin. Just twice as mean and nasty.

As for others, I met Mr. Rogers a couple of times growing up and always thought he was an ass. Captain Kangaroo on the other hand was just like he was on his show.

[rich]

The Frugal Gourmet was probably the first great TV food show - not from a food technique or preparation factor (Julia has that honor), but from combining the concept of food with the art of entertainment. Jeff Smith was first and foremost a television personality. Long before you had "bam," long before you had cooks discovering they were super stars, there was "The Frug."

He brought the history of food into perspective. He explained why some cultures used specific ingredients and others did not. The Frugal Gourmet was the most creative food program of its generation and it became the model for the shows we see today. Jeff had excellent stage presence and communicated with the camera as well as any chef - before or since.

As for his books - I purchased and still have everyone of them. I use them occasionally and have never had a failed recipe. I based my annual Christmas Wine Festival and Party on his books one year (I think it was the ninth - we're at 24 now.) Granted, the Frug's recipes are not complicated and lack some sophistication, but they have a major place in everyday cooking.

He was one of the first chefs to have celebrity guests cook (the Itzhak Perlman show is a classic) and his line of cookware was the largest and most popular of its day. For better or worse, he and Julia Child have had the most influence on the American kitchen in the last fifty years. At one point in the 80's, his show was higher rated than Julia's and his books outsold hers by 33 percent.

There is no question about his influence and had he avoided personal problems, he would have been the first star of TVFN. As far as his personality - the other posts were correct - he was miserable. No one could ever explain it. Whatever was going on inside his head remains a mystery. But finally the demons won. Sad, very sad!

Edited March 30, 2004 by rich (log)

[JPW]

There is no question about his influence and had he avoided personal problems, he would have been the first star of TVFN. As far as his personality - the other posts were correct - he was miserable. No one could ever explain it. Whatever was going one inside his head remains a mystery. But finally the demons won. Sad, very sad!

Very well said, Rich.

Amen.

[clothier]

As for others, I met Mr. Rogers a couple of times growing up and always thought he was an ass.

Hold the phone there, fella.

Mr Rodgers was a kind sweet man. Meet him a few times, talked to him on the phone as well (my mom was an advisor on a book he was working on) and he was never, ever an ass.

He was a very kind gentle man.

[Pickles]

I watched Jeff Smith in the 80's. Looking back, I learned quite a bit from him--especially about food history. But I always found something really kinda creepy about him. Something I couldn't put my finger on. Then when he vanished from PBS and it came out what he'd allegedly done, I knew my intution was right. I can't get past child abuse. If he came back to TV or wrote another book, I wouldn't watch nor read no matter what I felt 20 years ago of him as TV personality. What some don't know is that his "frugal" premise for the show was to cook healthy food, seeing he had had a heart attack or a heart ailment. That soon fell to the wayside, and out came the butter. See...right there you couldn't trust him! And he always pronounced mayonnaise as "MEEE-knees." Used to make me want to gut him like a trout.

[stephenc]

I thought it was universally agreed upon that the theme song was the best part of the show.

Who can identify it?

[SobaAddict70]

I thought it was universally agreed upon that the theme song was the best part of the show.

Who can identify it?

Easy.

Handel's "Water Music". (Can't id the exact movement or suite.)

Soba

[SobaAddict70]

He was one of the first chefs to have celebrity guests cook (the Itzhak Perlman show is a classic) and his line of cookware was the largest and most popular of its day. For better or worse, he and Julia Child have had the most influence on the American kitchen in the last fifty years. At one point in the 80's, his show was higher rated than Julia's and his books outsold hers by 33 percent.

He had guests on his show? My memory is vague on that one.

It seemed his show was in syndication on most cable channels such as Discovery or TBS Superstation or WLIW (21) here in NYC....as recently as 1998. Now, it's like he's virtually disappeared.

Soba

[Al_Dente]

I thought it was universally agreed upon that the theme song was the best part of the show.

Who can identify it?

J.S. Bach's Orchestral Suite No. 2 in B Minor, BWV 1067 (c. 1735)

"Badinerie"

[Mabelline]

I found his personna very condescending. His food hit or miss. Hot Wok, cold oil..any Chinese chef with four words of English could say as prophetic a message.And there was one episode where he came THISSSSS CLLLLOSE to losing it that I just wrote him off.

[Carolyn Tillie]

Hmmmm...

Soba says: Handel's Watermusck

Al Dente says: J.S. Bach's Orchestral Suite No. 2 in B Minor, BWV 1067 (c. 1735)

"Badinerie"

This Site says it is Water Music Suite No. 1 in F major, Bourree - by George Frideric Handel

Methinks Al Dente may be wrong... I just downloaded the MP3 and will confirm - Handel's Water Music.

[rich]

And there was one episode where he came THISSSSS CLLLLOSE to losing it that I just wrote him off.

That was probably more of a perception. If he really "lost it" or came that close, the segment would have been re-taped. That's the beauty of "non-live" television and the relative inexpensive nature of videotape.

[Al_Dente]

Hmmmm...

Soba says: Handel's Watermusck

Al Dente says: J.S. Bach's Orchestral Suite No. 2 in B Minor, BWV 1067 (c. 1735)

"Badinerie"

This Site says it is Water Music Suite No. 1 in F major, Bourree - by George Frideric Handel

Methinks Al Dente may be wrong... I just downloaded the MP3 and will confirm - Handel's Water Music.

Darn, I coulda sworn my recollection of what the theme music sounded like matched one of my ringtones on my cell.

A while back I was making an effort to beef up my classical cd collection. Sounds like I need to get bach to getting a handel on that.

[Mabelline]

Naw, actually, if you recall watching his show, he could be quite short-tempered and touchy, and it was not retaped or edited. But no matter. I do not find him to be a great American cook, simply as an 80's, or 90's niche. And heaven help young folks who grew up with him as a standard.If they aspire to his heights, they aspire too low by far.

[hillvalley]

He was one of the first chefs to have celebrity guests cook (the Itzhak Perlman show is a classic) and his line of cookware was the largest and most popular of its day. For better or worse, he and Julia Child have had the most influence on the American kitchen in the last fifty years. At one point in the 80's, his show was higher rated than Julia's and his books outsold hers by 33 percent.

He had guests on his show? My memory is vague on that one.

It seemed his show was in syndication on most cable channels such as Discovery or TBS Superstation or WLIW (21) here in NYC....as recently as 1998. Now, it's like he's virtually disappeared.

Soba

There was a holiday episode with Elmo that now is mildly ironic.

He also had various children on for other holiday shows. Oy Vey

[beegew]

I have hand me down 'American' and 'Cooks with Wine', but can't remember the last time I dug through one of them. I do remember being desperate to send my husband on a Med cruise, so he could send back the incredible plates TFG used during that Italian/Venetian phase. Wow! At the time, the only thing remotely similar was at Williams-Sonoma, and you had to mortage the house.

But I do owe him an enduring debt of gratitude, in a round about way. I'd been trying to make bread for years, routinely butchering even the frozen Bridgeford stuff. DH had gotten me 'The Way to Cook', and even Julia's step by steps were no help. Then, one Saturday, we're watching TFG, and he made French bread. It was one of those heavenly chorus in the background a-HA! moments. The lights came on full power and I've been a from scratch bread making fool ever since.

[jhlurie]

I do want to note, though, that my question as posed was about cooking.  The topic has become General because people can't seem to help themselves.

We've considered this a bit more and moved the topic to "Food Media & News". While there's no specific news story linked to this thread, eGullet has a tradition of keeping it's threads on newsworthy food personalities in the FM&N forum. Rocco, Martha and other luminaries await Jeff's company!

Also, any discussion of Jeff Smith will inevitably center around his appearances on TV, and his works in print, and those also usually fall under this forum. Asking if Jeff is "any good" or "still relevant" really asks for an analysis of his body of work, and that work was done primarily in these formats. If the discussion drifts into an analysis of specific techniques or recipes of Mr. Smith's, those might require their own threads in Cooking, but that always a possibility with a general inquiry about any food personality.

Thanks, and sorry for any confusion caused by this topic jumping around.

[hillvalley]

As for others, I met Mr. Rogers a couple of times growing up and always thought he was an ass.

But he liked you just the way you are.

(sorry, I couldn't resist)

[fifi]

And heaven help young folks who grew up with him as a standard.If they aspire to his heights, they aspire too low by far.

I dunno. My son used to watch him religiously. As a 10 to 12 year old with an interest in cooking it seems that the show was at just the right level for him. I have one of his books that my son bought with his own money. Odd thing for a kid that age to do. He has turned into an excellent cook, BTW. What attracted him was the information behind the cooking.

[Mabelline]

fifi, I'm sorry...he's sorry. If he attracted youngen's, there you go.

[beans]

Interesting reading views that learning from his cooking was shooting too low.

I watched him often and found him amusing, inclusive of his shortness of patience! He, St. Jacques and St. Julia actually started my interests (as well as that airline mechanic that is my father now operating and running a small restaurant) into cooking.

I have his holiday cookbook and have borrowed others from my parents from time to time. The recipes were fine and I *love* the hot buttered rum which has become a January standard in my and my parents' households. In fact as a part of a Mother's Day gift I purchased tickets for his and Greg's last guest speaking appearance in Cleveland, and I fondly remember seeing him back in the 90's briskly walking around Pike Place when I used to spend more of my time in Seattle.

With his legal woes, I think I remember reading about how one of the accusers that brought suit against him for purported sexual advances also dropped the suit after being found out to having been one of his former restaurant/deli employees with documented theft in his job performance to his name. They were certainly not children. Doh! So I balanced that legal motivation with a few grains of salt and have no qualms with watching the man do a food show or reading any of his books.

[TrishCT]

A while back I was making an effort to beef up my classical cd collection. Sounds like I need to get bach to getting a handel on that.

Been so long since I've heard the theme, since Jeff went into haydn.

[lala]

He was one of the first chefs to have celebrity guests cook (the Itzhak Perlman show is a classic) and his line of cookware was the largest and most popular of its day. For better or worse, he and Julia Child have had the most influence on the American kitchen in the last fifty years. At one point in the 80's, his show was higher rated than Julia's and his books outsold hers by 33 percent.

Whoa, there, rich. Gotta disagree with you on that one. While he may have had some influence on American cooking, he's not nearly in the same league as Julia, Jacques and James (just my two cents). And Julia and Jacques are still out there teaching, 40 years after they started!

I'm not going to get specific on the charges against Mr. Smith. But for those of you who are giving him the benefit of doubt, you didn't witness what I did when I was a bookstore manager in Seattle. Removed ALL doubt from my mind. I probably can't even post what I saw here, so I won't.

Edited March 31, 2004 by lala (log)