Obiit Jeff Smith

Obiit Jeff Smith

As someone who has on perhaps too many occasions felt the need to criticise and even denounce Jeff Smith, the "Frugal Gourmet", I found myself nevertheless filled with much sadness when I read among the obituaries of yesterday's Chicago Tribune of his death. According to the Associated Press article, Mr. Smith died in his sleep, apparently succumbing finally to a long-standing ailment of the heart, at the age of 65. His PBS cooking show, "The Frugal Gourmet", was undoubtedly one of the most popular ones ever broadcast in the US.

Though I was often struck by shortcomings and inaccuracies in Mr. Smith's knowledge not only in the cultural and historical commentary included in his shows but even in the discussion of the cuisines and recipes themselves, I must also concede that his approach was extremely successful in engaging a broad audience and that he was ultimately able to introduce many in this country to culinary vistas previously unseen and unimagined: Even if the facts were all too often wrong, his enthusiasm and -- especially in the context of general American standards -- culinary adventurousness are to be lauded, as well as his ability to convince the people at PBS to air his show, first locally in Tacoma and then later nationally.

"The Frugal Gourmet" was produced here in Chicago from 1983 to 1991 before Smith moved the show to Seattle, back in his native Washington State in 1992. It was in 1997 that the allegations of sexual abuse on Mr. Smith's part against several young men arose, when seven of them filed a lawsuit against him. I cannot recall how long his PBS show survived but it was not very long; production of the show stopped in 1997 or 1998 and to my knowledge reruns have not been aired.

Mr. Smith settled with his accusers out of court and always maintained his innocence. If all the allegations were true, he was a horribly, tragically flawed man, and if they were not, his was a horribly tragic life. In either case, the fall of the Frugal Gourmet was a sad event.

Antonius

I was very disappointed that the Trib's obit headline only mentioned the accusations of abuse, as opposed to the education and pleasure he gave his audience.

He was the first TV chef to really push garlic, and one of the firdst to encourage ethnic cuisines as part of everyday cooking. Emeril, Alton Brown, and many others owe their careers to him.

Of course, I still can't forgive him for putting chicken shmaltz in the noodle kugel but he will be sorely missed. I still have at least two of his cookbooks on my primary cookbook shelf. Have to cook something from there soon.

Of course, I still can't forgive him for putting chicken shmaltz in the noodle kugel

Ummmm, what's wrong with smaltz in kugel? I come from a long line kugel makers that use smaltz. Smaltz play an essential role in that leaded, bloated feeling that goes along with loosening the belt a notch and groaning after a big plate of kugel .

I, too, was sadend by the news. I will always remember him as the cook who really got me interested in cooking more than our mothers cooked. I loved his show and so did the rest of my family, it was a time to watch P.B.S. together. I still use some of his recipes and enjoy them. I was shocked however about his age. I thought he was much older, but maybe now that I"m in my fifties, 65 doesn't seem old. I always choose to believe that he was not guilty, maybe because he reminded me of one of my favorite uncles.
These last years must have been very hard on him and his family. Hope his is at peace now.

It was the Frugal Gourmet that first sparked my interest in food and cooking back in the mid to late 1980s. At the time, Smith's inaccuracies didn't seem all that strange to a neophyte in the home culinary world like myself. All I knew was that the fairer sex found it impressive that I could mince my own garlic, whip up a pesto in the food processor and toss food in a sautee pan like a professional chef. That, more than anything, made me more interested in cooking...and i learned much of it from the Frugal Gourmet.

As a matter of fact, my standard pot roast recipe is the garlicky version which appeared one of his books. Today, I make it from memory as opposed to reading that cookbook.

It is sad that, in his death, the Trib chose to focus on his lowest moment rather than his achievements as a teacher and innovator to millions of burgeoning home chefs like myself.

Will,

I agree that Smith started me and others thinking more seriously about food, and anyone who can do that is a person worth having around. By the title of his show, he also suggested that one could eat well -- very well --without spending a lot of money, and that, too, is a valuable lesson that I see proven everyday.

Fortunately, in the pantheon of PBS culinary luminaries, we still have Julia Child.

Hammond

Bill/SFNM wrote:

Of course, I still can't forgive him for putting chicken shmaltz in the noodle kugel

Ummmm, what's wrong with smaltz in kugel?

While I don't keep kosher, kugel as he presented it -- and I've always had it -- is a Jewish-heritage recipe (I'd guess there are German varieties too, but that's not what he was presenting), and you just don't mix any meat products, such as chicken shmaltz (rendered fat) with milk products (cottage cheese in the kugel).

Joel,

I agree and disagree with you. While I cannot see schmaltz in a sweet milchic noodle kugel, I do use it in savory potato kugel, to accompany brisket or chicken.

Cottage cheese in kugel? Obvioulsy what you call noodle kugel and what my Lithuanian/Russian ancestors called kugel are different dishes. What exactly is in your noodle kugel?

The recipe that has been handed down to me includes onion, chicken fat, eggs, noodles, salt, pepper, gribenes, and bread crumbs. If a sweet version is desired, I add some sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and raisins and eliminate the pepper and gribenes.

I'm sure Jeff Smith wouldn't mind a little food talk along with his obit.

Our family recipe:
Sweet Noodle Kugel -- notes in parentheses are this generation's details and changes.

3 eggs, well beaten
1 small cream cheese
cinnamon to taste (about 1/2 tsp)
sugar to taste (about 1/4 cup)
1 large container large curd cottage cheese, creamed
1/2 lb butter (we don't use that much any more, 1/4 lb is more than enough)
3 tbs sour cream
1 med can crushed pineapple

1. Cook and drain the noodles.
2. Preheat oven to 350.
3. Melt butter in large baking dish.
4. Blend cream cheese, cottage cheese and sour cream.
5. Add salt, eggs, cinnamon, suger and 1/2 of melted butter
and mix well.
6. Stir in noodles. Pour into pan.
7. Bake 1 hour until top of noodles are golden brown
8. Serve with sour cream

That does looks very good. I can see how schmaltz would not go over well in your version. Thank you for sharing. I'll try to make it soon. The pineapple instead of raisins looks appealing.

Bill/SFNM

Hi,

I liked Jeff Smith as the Frugal Gourmet. I never met him in person to be disappointed with his off screen personality. After his various scandals were exposed, his work as Frugal Gourmet disappeared and his books populated used book stores.

This afternoon I was hoping to find an excerpt with a Chinese gourmet discussing chopsticks as superior eating utensils. I discovered on youtube there are quite a number of Frugal Gourment episodes uploaded.

I always loved the opening sequence with music from Bach's Brandenburg Concertos:





I didn't find yet what I was looking for, though I did find more than expected.

Regards,

Loved the Frugie back in the day. Note that the theme, though, is from Handel's Water Music Suite in F, specifically the Bour[r]ee.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFG5Q9o7usA

Santander wrote:Loved the Frugie back in the day. Note that the theme, though, is from Handel's Water Music Suite in F, specifically the Bour[r]ee.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFG5Q9o7usA

Damn, I knew I should have double-checked. Whenever I ignore my gut feeling, I always regret it ... in spelling and in life!

Regards,

Nice to see Smith in action again. I still consult his cookbooks on occasion and use what he called the Chinese method for poaching chicken that my mother swore by.

Our daughter, when a very little girl, watched the show sometimes in the early 1990s. She called Smith “The Frumet” (froo-may). We have called him that ever since.

I loved the "frug", and still use many of his recipes,
esp the New Orleans ones in the first cookbook.

My husband worked at Ch 11 when he was there and crossed paths with him from time to time.
There are a few interesting stories....
ask him ata party sometime.

irisarbor wrote:I loved the "frug", and still use many of his recipes,
esp the New Orleans ones in the first cookbook.

My husband worked at Ch 11 when he was there and crossed paths with him from time to time.
There are a few interesting stories....
ask him ata party sometime.

Hi,

I will do this!

After all the issues related to his off-screen life became known, people began being embarrassed about any association with him. That show was terrific and people associated with its production should be proud of their effort. Yet I saw a few occasions where they very, very quietly informed others of their association.

I knew from reading gossip columns (remember Tribune Ticker?) of his poor behavior. In the days when you paid cash for gas, Jeff had a $100 bill a local gas station would not accept. He went to every patron asking them to break his bill. He got angrier and angrier with each rejection, though not everyone carries that kind of money. It ended up in Aaron Gold's column, which I used to read every day.

An orthopedic surgeon told me all about his bad interaction with Jeff at a cooking demo at Old Orchard while sewing up my knee. The kindly minister on TV had a less than pleasant side.

Regards,