Acting
Jeff Smith
Born — Died
1939-01-22 — 2004-07-07
Place of birth
Tacoma, Washington, USA
Known for
Acting
Credits
4 titles
Jeffrey L. Smith (January 22, 1939 – July 7, 2004) was an American chef—known as The Frugal Gourmet—, television host, and author of various cookbooks. From 1965 to 1972, Smith was a chaplain at the University of Puget Sound. At the university, he taught a course called Food as Sacrament and Celebration. 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, until 1983, Smith and his students offered cooking classes to the public. Smith began his television career in 1973 at KTPS in Tacoma on the show Cooking Fish Creatively, which ran until 1977. It was then renamed The Frugal Gourmet. Smith's wife P…
Known for
7.0Sesame Street's 25th Birthday: A Musical Celebration is a special produced for the beloved series' 25th anniversary. Released in a slightly different form on video in October 1993, the special was shelved for its broadcast premiere on PBS until 1994, during pledge drive season, and in many markets, aired as part of a marathon block with three show episodes.
Sesame Street's 25th Birthday: A Musical Celebration
1993
6.5A family wedding reignites the ancient feud between next-door neighbors and fishing buddies John and Max. Meanwhile, a sultry Italian divorcée opens a restaurant at the local bait shop, alarming the locals who worry she'll scare the fish away. But she's less interested in seafood than she is in cooking up a hot time with Max.
Grumpier Old Men
1995
7.0The meteoric rise and shocking downfall of America's most famous TV chef, The Frugal Gourmet's Jeff Smith, whose charm captivated millions—until it all came crashing down.
I Bid You Peace: The Rise & Fall of the Frugal Gourmet
2026
The Frugal Gourmet was an American cooking show that ran on PBS from 1983 to 1997 having gotten its start in 1973 on KTPS-TV in Tacoma, WA as Cooking Fish Creatively. Hosted by Jeff Smith, an ordained Methodist minister and a professor at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Smith would remind his audience that frugal doesn't mean cheap; it means that you don't waste money, and gourmet means loving good food and wine.
The Frugal Gourmet
—
Film credits
1990s · 2 titles
7.0Sesame Street's 25th Birthday: A Musical Celebration is a special produced for the beloved series' 25th anniversary. Released in a slightly different form on video in October 1993, the special was shelved for its broadcast premiere on PBS until 1994, during pledge drive season, and in many markets, aired as part of a marathon block with three show episodes.
Sesame Street's 25th Birthday: A Musical Celebration
1993
6.5A family wedding reignites the ancient feud between next-door neighbors and fishing buddies John and Max. Meanwhile, a sultry Italian divorcée opens a restaurant at the local bait shop, alarming the locals who worry she'll scare the fish away. But she's less interested in seafood than she is in cooking up a hot time with Max.
Grumpier Old Men
1995
Series credits
7.0The meteoric rise and shocking downfall of America's most famous TV chef, The Frugal Gourmet's Jeff Smith, whose charm captivated millions—until it all came crashing down.
I Bid You Peace: The Rise & Fall of the Frugal Gourmet
2026
The Frugal Gourmet was an American cooking show that ran on PBS from 1983 to 1997 having gotten its start in 1973 on KTPS-TV in Tacoma, WA as Cooking Fish Creatively. Hosted by Jeff Smith, an ordained Methodist minister and a professor at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Smith would remind his audience that frugal doesn't mean cheap; it means that you don't waste money, and gourmet means loving good food and wine.
The Frugal Gourmet
—