Customer Reviews

"It was very good. Well made."

Brig

"**May contain spoilers** Very well made and high-quality documentary. It was a fair presentation of Jeff Smith's early career and successes to his final downfall. I used to watch the Frugal Gourmet on Saturday evenings in the 90s. I had gotten an ick feeling about the show when they brought on Craig, the sidekick. I'm glad to hear Craig was a good person and well-respected by the production staff. I am disgusted to think that Jeff's wife, Patty, knew what was going on. I hope his adult children are living a peaceful life and nothing sinister happened to them as children I found it well-worth the $20.00 and am happy to support an independent filmmaker. I'm really surprised Netflix or Hulu didn't pick this up."

Deborah

"Riveting from start to finish. Brilliantly researched and well documented. Thank you to everyone involved for sharing heartfelt stories and insights about how you were affected by your experiences."

Derick

"Like so many, I watched his show regularly and loved it. I have 2 of his cookbooks. Watching this show was so sad and poignant, and depressing. On one hand, he was so wonderful, but he sure had his demons."

Sally

"Compelling, sobering, sad. I feel almost guilty in the way I enjoyed every broadcast of The Frugal Gourmet, considering all the awful, damaging, cruel instances. Your program seemed (to me) fair, capturing both sides of a story - though I must say the former priest / friend had me confounded throughout...I don't think that man ever really accepted the damage done and the falseness of Mr. Smith's life and lifestyle. Alcohol played a part in both accelerating and blotting out the obvious grooming and victimization. I only hope, somehow, for peace for his victims."

Liz

"This was very well done. I was a huge fan of Smith's, and I learned all I know about cooking mainly from his shows and cookbooks. The peak behind the curtain revealed things I wish were not true. I wish we could learn more about what became of Channing, Jason, and Craig Wollam."

Victor

"Need to edit out repetitive commentary. Very enlightening about a very complex individual. “Everything I do is forgiven” is an interesting take on the Christian gospel and quite convenient for molesting boys and young men. He was a conniving, selfish, closeted creep. Good documentary."

Ruth

"The series was important because those who loved and ignored Jeff Smith’s transgressions were all too eager to bury his sexual abuse. This documentary evened the score for the victims."

Ed

"Growing up in San Francisco, I vividly remember the Frugal Gourmet and the many battles I had with my Mom because she didn’t want me to watch the show. Not that the content was bad, she thought his recipes were great. She said she couldn’t put her finger on it, but something about Jeff gave her the creeps. Turns out her intuition was spot on. I thought the documentary was excellent. Very balanced, sensitive without be overly judgmental. I was, however, struck and saddened by the excuses the priest and others made for Jeff. Living in San Francisco everyone knew his predilection for young adolescent boys. In my opinion, the excuses rendered diminished his legacy even further. I will watch again because I’m sure I missed something. I will encourage others to watch it."

Gayle

"We enjoyed the show and would recommend it to others. We wish there had been additional information on Jeff Smith's family whom, we understand, didn't want to provide comment. It was particularly difficult to listen to the Episcopalian priest who repeatedly stated Jeff's "affection" was misunderstood. Important to have that perspective but disappointing that he wasn't able to acknowledge that Jeff Smith abused vulnerable young men."

Melissa

"Wow. I never knew about this. I had heard about it but none of the details. I never bought any of his cookbooks, and would watch occasionally when he was on the air, but I wasn't a true fan. There's only 1 recipe that I make fairly regularly of his. My sister's in-laws were huge fans, her mother in law made his recipes religiously. This was really well done. I can't believe that there are those who think it was all fabricated...too much evidence not to believe it actually happened."

Carmela

"I’m so glad I watched “I Bid You Peace.” I’m in my 70s, so old enough to have watched “The Frugal Gourmet” when it first aired on PBS, and was a fan. In the documentary, I think you’ve done an incredible job of capturing who Jeff Smith was and what he contributed to the early days of cooking shows. You also did a great job of describing the scandal in a dispassionate and balanced way. I think this is the definitive biography of the man. I wish there had been a bit more about Jeff’s childhood and young adulthood. I think he was part of a generation and a cultural/ family/ religious background that pre-dated and excluded any understanding of his experience. They had no language for any of it. They—especially men—frequently took refuge in alcohol to dampen anxiety and reduce inhibition. Altogether: a tragic story, extraordinarily well told. I disagree with reviewers who say the doc is too long. I think you needed every minute of five hours to do the story justice. Bravo!!"

Celia2723