This letter if for Jeff Smith.
Dear Jeff,
I feel as though I should call you friend. Through many years your face was a mainstay in my home and even while at work in the Fire and EMS services, I'd get anxious in missing a single episode.
I'm very sad for whatever took you from the screen, and naively I say that I've heard the rumors. Be that what it may, in so many ways you made a huge difference in my life, and the lives of my entire family. I didn't make a lot of money in the early days of my marriage, but I was determined to make the best environment I could for my young family of five. Your words of wisdom and love, beyond your ability to give the most mundane kitchen a new life, were inspiring to me. I can never forget the impact you had on my life. I can only hope to repay my debt by telling you that another generation was inspired by your passion for the vibrance, and the incredible healing power of food.
Of course years have passed and my children have grown, though each has the love of great fare, a fine table, and the kinship you fostered through your instruction. The messages about life, were as important as any I'd ever learned. I indeed became a frugal gourmet in my own rite. Friends and family alike have often partaken in the wonders of my culinary skill through two decades, always with a smile, and always embracing a curiosity about what I've made. The question so often asked is "where did you learn to do this?" The simple answer is from you, Chef Tell Erhardt, Julia Child, and Graham Kerr. But, your show, and your message was special in its display of affection for those touched by the results of your culinary investment that I was forever captivated.
Thank you again Mr. Smith for the many profound lessons, and may the Creator bless you now and...
Always,
Arthur Harrison Young
Bowling Green Missouri
ConsultRx2000@aol.com