Customer Reviews

"It's a troubling piece to watch, but excellently well done. I knew Jeff socially (very slightly) in the Chaplin's Pantry days, and it was an open secret that Jeff had been in trouble for messing around with young men. I assumed that's why he left UPS. The piece brings out that he was both a tragic figure and a monster. It's far more than a "hit piece," it is a deeply probing study of conflicted personality and an icon."

Bill Bingham

"It was fair, and used interviews with all points of view. I was a huge fan and enjoyed the shows/destinations and cookbooks very much. He was flawed, but had many demons. I met him once and know a few chefs who had worked with him. As the show said, you never knew what you were going to get and his behavior with others in the profession was While guilt was never established due to the settlement, it seems a lot of individuals were damaged."

Mike

"It’s very well done. It seems you tried to fairly represent all sides of a very complicated person."

Melonie

"This is a great view into a very timely topic, namely famous and powerful narcissistic personalities in our society and the damage they can do. Just as happened with Jeff Smith, they at first seem charming, charismatic, knowledgeable, and engaging, and can have legions of fans. Before people realize it, they may be drawn into the web of narcissist's creation. Especially vulnerable are younger people who can be targeted for special treatment, as happened here. I was interviewed for this project although I did not appear in it; I was also employed by Jeff at one time. I thought Chris Johnson did a great job of showing how it all seemed fine at first for Jeff and the people he interacted with until the dark side of Jeff began to reveal itself. On the one hand, I applaud Chris for staying focused on the people Jeff targeted for the overt abuse; on the other hand broadening the focus would have provided insight into patterns of narcissistic behavior so they become more clear to all."

Deborah H

"Years ago around my dinner table I pulled out Jeff Smiths cooking with wine to glorify the talent and skills of the man. At the dinner my friends were enjoying I was told “haven’t you heard?” The show was long off the air so I never took the time to investigate. I bid you Peace is an eye opener to the wizard behind the curtain. Thank you for making this and I hope to see it everywhere soon"

Ed Van Slambrouck

"Very thorough dive into Jeff. Perhaps 1 to 2 episodes too many. However, if you didn't know where the story would end, the long exposition on Jeff's rise makes his fall all the more tragic."

TS

"Very good, very thorough. Could perhaps have been shorter, with more editing. That said, I enjoyed it thoroughly and felt it presented a very balanced portrayal of Jeff Smith, his impact on American food culture, and his many flaws and crimes."

Anne

"A good documentary but not great. I felt it spend too much time on the fall of the Frugal Gourmet & it barely scratched the surface of the good. More in-depth coverage on the actual cooking show such as food topics, episodes & what the studio looked like in 1997 versus 1984 would have made my documentary watching experience more worth the $20 cost."

Bobby

"I thought the overall documentary was good. The first two episodes maybe showed too many clips and didn't build the narrative. At the end, the documentary was pretty well balanced but left me feeling, like most of those interviewed, conflicted. It was interesting to see how even his accusers seemed like they were willing to put this trauma behind them. I thought the segments with the priest were particularly hard to watch. Cringy. I would recommend it to others who have an interest in the Frugal Gourmet, of which I was a big fan."

Jenni

"Excellent documentary. Having been a fan of the show I was very excited to see it and couldn’t wait for the premiere. I binge watched the entire series in one afternoon. It is very well done, I highly recommend it"

Ron

"I didn't know much about the Frugal Gourmet, so I found the documentary fascinating. I was infuriated with the pastor who said that Jeff's greatest flaw was that he was too honest; but with that said, I highly recommend this documentary to all."

Robin Rinzler

"Overall, I thought the series was easy to follow and summarized the story well. I docked one-star because there was a lot of speculation as to Jeff Smith's private life or thoughts. Another star did not get taken off because I realize some of the speculation was about how people were processing the information they were hearing and their personal experiences with Jeff. The series became a way to demonstrate the multiple viewpoints which did help me to name how I processed the series' information."

Denise