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Jeff Smith was born in Tacoma, Washington, in 1939. He grew up in a close family, and learned some of his first lessons in food, and in frugal cooking from his mother. His love of wine; one of the most prominent elements in his cooking, came from his friendship, in his youth, with a doctor named Lester Baskin. Dr. Baskin introduced young Smith to wine while he was studying to become a Methodist minister. He was ordained in 1965. Soon after was married, to a lady from New York, named Patty. As an assistant professor at the University of Puget Sound, Jeff began a cooking class, as a way of teaching his students about history, and different cultures: "eating history", as Smith put it. This lead to the opening of his Chaplain's Pantry cooking school in Tacoma, in 1972. And from there The Frugal Gourmet was born. The first shows were produced at KTPS in Tacoma, and Jeff's first cookbook was published in 1977. By the early 80s, The Frugal Gourmet had become the highest rated cooking show on television, and Jeff's books soared up the bestseller lists as soon as they were released. By this time, Smith and Patty had two sons, Channing and Jason; and Jeff's family soon became common topic on his television shows, along with his love of Chinese and Italian Quisine, Garlic, Wine, good olive oil; and his strong admiration for American statesman, Thomas Jefferson. Jeff's shows, aired on public television, covered an unbelievably wide variety of foods, and cooking styles. And Jeff's friendly, outgoing personality made them easy to watch. He was also a good teacher, and anyone who has ever watched The Frugal Gourmet has learned something; either about food or about life. In 1995, Jeff Smith hosted The Frugal Gourmet Keeps the Feast for the Odyssey Network. And then, he retired from television, leaving behind a legacy of loyal fans; people who learned to cook, eat well, and enjoy life... with lots of Garlic.
