The Frugal Gourmet Ended His Career in Disgrace — What Happened to the Beloved Chef?

At the end of every episode of The Frugal Gourmet, host Jeff Smith would always say, "Until I see you again, this is the Frugal Gourmet; I bid you peace, bye-bye." Smith was always wearing a blue and white striped apron that went on to become his signature look. From 1983 until 1997, he taught viewers how to cook great food with minimal waste. Smith didn't think of being frugal as being cheap, but rather it was a way to save money. Good doesn't always mean expensive.

His half-hour television show ran on PBS, and in 1988, more than 4 million people tuned in every week, reported The New York Times. Smith used his background as an ordained minister to elevate his dishes to an almost holy status. "I want your family to feast together and be together when they eat," said Smith. Whatever happened to the man who lightly preached over pasta? Here is what we know about the Frugal Gourmet.

In July 1998, Smith agreed to pay an undisclosed amount of money to seven men whose sexual abuse lawsuits against the former television chef were scheduled to go to trial a week later. According to The New York Times, Smith was never formally charged with any crimes.

Deborah Holton, a reporter for the Oregonian, told Current, "Based on my interviews with a lot of the principals involved, I think it would have been pretty ugly." Although seven men ended up suing Smith, there were allegations from at least 20 total. The gentlemen who settled with Smith accused him of either groping, kissing, or raping them when they were teenagers.

Most of the alleged incidents date back to the 1970s. The plaintiffs were high school students working for Smith who was a Methodist minister. He was also operating a deli and catering service, the Chaplain’s Pantry, near downtown Tacoma, Wash.

Holton spoke with a lot of people about Smith. "Just about everybody I talked to told a similar story of being encouraged to drink alcohol and undergoing a grooming process," said Holton. "Jeff Smith was a well-known and respected member of the adult community there. The boys went in thinking this is a good guy, and they were pretty overwhelmed by the touching and the drinking. They ended up feeling they were a little collusive."

This was at the deli, where plaintiff Chris Thomas told USA Today (via Current) that, "It was one of those dirty little secrets — in a big way." Clint Smith (no relation) was the first person to come forward with allegations against Smith. He worked at the deli and later served two years in prison for forging checks on the chef’s business account. He told reporters in 1993 and went on talk radio two years later.

When George Heitman heard Clint on the radio, he filed the first lawsuit two years later in January 1997. Heitman claimed Smith coerced him into having s-x when he was 15 years old. "I felt very trapped, and very confused," he said. Clint filed a separate suit three months later. Holton discovered that this was an open secret in the Tacoma area. Smith died in his sleep on July 7, 2004, following a long battle with heart disease, per The New York Times.