Customer Reviews

"Most informative. I loved watching The Frugal Gourmet. At first, I thought his sidekick, Craig, seemed a little young, then I noticed him being filmed with other younger boys around. I just brushed it off, but apparently, there was more. It was too bad to see who seemed like such a nice person, had such a dark side. So sad."

Lynn

"Insightful, well done, and a must-see!"

Laura

"I'm a huge fan of independent documentaries. This is the best of the genre. I appreciated all the research that must have gone into telling his story. There were many interviews from people who knew him at different times of his life. There was also a lot of archival footage. I learned the good and the very bad of Jeff Smith, a cooking host I've long been intrigued with. I enjoyed his show and the many cuisines he highlighted but I was a bit turned off by Jeff himself. My father was also an alcoholic so maybe I sensed that in Jeff as well. I threw away my cookbooks by Jeff when I learned the allegations. Ultimately, I'm saddened by how Jeff wasted his own talents and how he intimated and abused those around him. This documentary gives a full picture of Jeff Smith, the pioneer TV star and flawed human being."

Debra R

"A very intensive and thoughtful documentary, I would highly recommend. It is clear to see a lot of effort and research was put into this. Hope to see more from the creator, 10/10."

Mojo

"Fascinating Documentary! Very well done! Though tragic it was amazing to watch the work unfold and how it all happened. I’d love to see more works by Johnson. Very well written and produced."

Rodney

"Amazing documentary that didnt hold back. Having grown up in the 80s jeff’s show and books were a staple in my home. When the scandal broke i was completely shocked. This documentary does an amazing job of presenting the information with an unbiased approach. I highly recommend this series to anyone who enjoyed Jeff’s work."

Trc

"I valued learning more about Jeff Smith's career on and off the screen and the reasons behind its conclusion. I enjoyed his show and on-screen persona very much and have always been a bit shocked and bewildered about what happened. It was good to put the pieces together. My critical comment would be there is a lot of allegation, rumor, conjecture and hearsay presented in this program as proof, or at least heavy suggestion, of what happened. Much of what was shared in episodes 4 and 5 would not be admissable as evidence in a court. There are still many questions that apparently will remain unanswered."

Frank

"This is one of the most thought provoking, balanced, and throughly done documentaries I have ever watched. Worth every penny. It presents the whole of his story, good and bad, rise and fall, without it being tabloid like. I found it very thought provoking, and I say this as a survivor in my own world. While one might find his friends biased, or not, the documentary itself does an amazing job of just present the completely story, as is. As I said, both the good and bad and I really appreciated that. I highly recommend this to anyone who grew up with The Frugal Gourmet, as I did, those interested in thought provoking stories and people, and as those interested in seeing in how we have progressed, or in some cases not. I personally couldn't stop until all five episodes were watched and don't think you will be able to either."

Jessica N

"Very well done, captures the complexity of Jeff Smith’s personality. I’d like to see more display of names and relationships during the interviews, it’s not easy to keep track of who is who at some points. I also like the multiple appearances of classic Volvos."

Jk

"Very well done. Growing up watching Jeff's cooking shows greatly inspired and taught me so many techniques that I still use today as a home cook. The docuseries does a great job of telling Jeff's incredible story from his childhood to brilliant educator, chef, author, cooking television pioneer to his troubling fall from grace. I thought his fall was presented in way that was balanced and told the story from many perspectives. For me, the series brought back fond memories of watching his shows and learning about food and its preparation, however, in the end, it saddened me to learn more about the dark side of Jeff."

Andrew

"It’s a very well-made documentary. Watching him makes me so sad. Partly it’s because my parents, especially my father (a minister with a love of food) were big fans. If they ever found out about this, but if so we never talked about it. I’m also angry for what he did not only to those boys but to our faith. The only thing I would have liked to see here was a philosophical or religious scholars who didn’t know him to discuss how to come to terms with acknowledging all the good and bad here and how to think about balancing mercy and justice. And how can we rehabilitate that beautiful phrase “I bid you peace”?"

Rebecca

"A chilling portrait of a man who brought so much joy to millions of viewers, yet so much pain to his family and his victims. I hope his victims are at peace knowing that the full story is now being told."

Kofi Maafo