Customer Reviews

"What an interesting deep dive into the Furgal Gourmet. In the 5-part series you have told a wonderful story of a very complex individual and provided rich background before he became a TV celebrity. Weaving the personal recollections with articles and cuts from the TV show make this an entertaining and thought provoking documentary. I commend Chris Johnson for taking on such a complex subject and treating it with balance and insight. It is an adult subject matter, but a story that must be told. Growing up in Chicago and being an avid watcher of the show as a newly married couple the cooking lessons provided by Jeff were invaluable. By pulling together background on Jeff's early years and what may have gone on off camera the 5 episodes paint a picture of an individual that was both loved and hated, and in all likelihood tormented with his personal demons. Chris congratulations on a great piece of work."

"It certainly thorough. But this story could have been told at half the time, maybe less. In fact, I would have paid more for the two hour version. At times I felt like every single second of each of the interviews was used at some point in the documentary."

"An excellent , well done film about a subject where there isn't a lot out there anymore. If one ever "googled" him you really didn't get a lot of answers due to the Internet being in infancy when the scandal happened. This film answers many questions. It's fantastic."

"I Thought it was interesting and sad. Sad he had to prey on young teenage boys and couldn't find someone close to his own age"

"Worth viewing. Lived and worked in Tacoma And Seattle during this era. Accurate portrait of Jeff Smith and his bizarre personality. It was widely known what he was up to. Sad that so many young men were victimized."

"Very well researched documentary. Could have been 3 parts rather than 5, but was otherwise a good doc."

"As someone who grew up in the Pacific Northwest, Jeff Smith was well known when I was a young cook. This documentary does a great job of explaining Smith, while offering valuable insight into the man behind the image. Fascinating story well told and researched. Highly recommended."

"This was an absolutely fascinating documentary of a man whose TV persona I knew well. There were no "wrong" notes, at all - I loved it. I was especially glad to see the reporter from The Oregonian push back against that asinine priest Rev Tomter - what a bloody fool. Job well done, I highly recommend this - worth every penny."

"I thought the documentary was excellent. I’ve always wanted to know the whole story. I watched his show religiously, looking forward to recording it on my VHS machine back then. Loved the cookbooks as well. I always got the feeling he was flawed like all of us are, but I’d be willing to bet that it was the alcohol abuse that did him in. Had he not gotten in trouble, I’m sure he would’ve wound up working for the Food Network, whose own success he heavily influenced. His cooking shows were more than just cooking. His food history lessons were enchanting. Thank you for making this documentary. I hope a lot of people decide to take a look back on his very interesting life and career."

"Very well done. No surprises."

"Great work by Chris Johnson and his team. Chris lets the people involved tell the stories, from the victims, to people in the room, to the enablers and a few deniers. It is a story this country needs to hear. Pay close attention and you will learn."

"One of the most interesting, thought provoking, detailed documentaries I have seen. I watched Jeff Smith religiously. While his insights, ideas, creativity, were incredible, I am saddened by his duality and secrets/addiction. I do feel his sexual proclivities were driven by his latent homosexuality. The documentary is about Jeff Smith, but also about the complexities of the human condition."