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I Bid You Peace The Rise & Fall of The Frugal Gourmet

America Trusted Him. Then the Allegations Surfaced.

One Story. Two Ways to Watch.

4.5 from 200+ verified viewers
I Bid You Peace — named for Mr. Smith’s signature sign-off — will shed fresh light on the case.

Julia Moskin

The New York Times
‘I Bid You Peace’ gives us a detailed, fascinating and, yes, disturbing portrait of a complicated and reportedly damaged and dangerous man.

Rick Kogan

Chicago Tribune

How Watching Works

Released directly to audiences — no streaming platform, no edits, no ads, no regional restrictions. Watch the film in a single sitting, or go deeper with the five-episode series.

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Purchase Once

Buy the film version or the complete five-episode series (which also includes the film). No subscriptions, no recurring fees.

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Instant Access

Stream at your convenience. If you've ever rented a film online, this works exactly the same way.

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View on any device - phone, tablet, computer, or smart TV.

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Unlimited Viewing

Watch unlimited times. No expiration date. The series is available to you for the life of the site.

4.5

Based on 271 verified purchases

Series

"Very well shot, you got all the key interviews, and it was very educational. It made me search my soul. Best of all, your documentary helped bring moral clarity to people like me who hoped to salvage the good that Smith did, from the evils he committed. I found out that his crimes were much worse than I knew, and Dr. Amit Bhattacharjee taught me that it is important to make a sacrifice in order to have moral clarity: boycott the good that Smith still has to offer, to make a clean break. Let his victims know that we do not consider their pain to be an acceptable price. John Evans is intelligent and I respect his ability to abide contradictions and stay in contact with Smith without forgiving him. But Dr. Bhattacharjee is right. If Smith wanted to be forgiven, he needed to publicly admit what he did and plead guilty. Truth has to come before reconciliation. Please make appearance credits available in the near future."

Jason Brougham

Verified Purchase

Series

"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."

Katmai

Verified Purchase

Series

"Very well chronicled and interesting docuseries about a very complex man. I got to know Jeff in Chicago on the receiving end of his sometimes questionable behavior at a Michelin starred and beloved Chicago restaurant. You never knew which Jeff was being seated at one of your tables. He could be lovely and generous, he could be challenging. Many staff cringed when they knew he was on the books for the evening. I just shrugged and entered the battle zone."

Michael Alcenius

Verified Purchase

Series

"Thank you for this documentary- so thorough and done so well."

Demetra

Verified Purchase

All reviews from verified purchasers · See all reviews

Five-Part Series Episode Guide

Episode 1 thumbnail Episode 1

I Peddle Enthusiasm

55 min

Raised in Seattle, Jeff Smith's love of food, religion, and teaching turns him into a beloved campus chaplain—and then an unlikely TV chef. As The Frugal Gourmet is born, early success collides with debt, illness, and choices that threaten everything he's built.

Episode 2 thumbnail Episode 2

Keep Your Fingers Bent Under!

62 min

A single TV appearance catapults Jeff to national fame. Bestselling books, global travel, and PBS stardom follow—but behind the charm are rages, excess, and growing doubts about who Jeff really is, both on-screen and off.

Episode 3 thumbnail Episode 3

Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde

41 min

Returning to Seattle, Jeff searches for reinvention as cracks widen behind the scenes. New projects mix food, faith, and spectacle, but chaos and troubling behavior mount—until one unexpected phone call threatens to shatter everything.

Episode 4 thumbnail Episode 4

Whatever I Do, I'm Forgiven

60 min

Public accusations explode into a reckoning. As multiple men come forward, long-whispered rumors surface, dividing supporters and exposing patterns once ignored. With a lawsuit looming, Jeff's legacy—and credibility—hang in the balance.

Episode 5 thumbnail Episode 5

Peace?

57 min

After the fall, "The Frugal Gourmet" fades from public life, isolated and haunted by unanswered questions. Friends, critics, and survivors reflect on his impact, struggling to reconcile generosity with harm—and asking whether peace was ever truly possible.

Total Runtime: 4.6 hours • 4K Quality • Subtitles Available

Why It's Sold This Way

Buying direct means you get to watch what the filmmaker intended, with two versions to choose from.

The Complete Story — Two Options

The complete story in a single sitting, or the full journey, told across five chapters.

No Ads, No Subscriptions, No Catch

One purchase, full access. No subscription to cancel, no ads interrupting the story, no geo-restrictions. Watch on your schedule, on any device, as many times as you want.

Chris Johnson, filmmaker
From the Filmmaker

About This Project

Growing up in Seattle in the 1980s and 90s, Jeff Smith, The Frugal Gourmet was a household name. A former Methodist minister, he became an overnight sensation teaching America to cook through his PBS cooking show. He reached an estimated six million households each week across more than 300 Public Television stations nationwide, and authored 12 cookbooks, many of them New York Times bestsellers.

But behind the public success lay a darker story. At the height of his career, Smith's carefully cultivated image collapsed under the weight of shocking revelations, forever altering his legacy and changing the way the public viewed a beloved national figure.

I set out not only to examine the life of Jeff Smith, but also to grapple with his legacy — and what it reveals about how we, as a society, respond when public figures we admire are accused of terrible behavior. His story has never before been told in its entirety, and this independent production is the first to take on that challenge — a story that predated the #MeToo movement — and confronts the cultural reckoning around power, celebrity, and accountability.

Questions or press inquiries?

chris@ibidyoupeace.com

Choose Your Experience

Watch the Complete Series or the Feature Film Version Instantly — No Subscription Required

The Film

1 hour 46 minutes

Originally$9.99 $4.99

  • The full story told in a single 1 hour 46 minutes sitting
  • Ideal if you want to watch it like a movie, start to finish

  • Unlimited streaming access
  • Watch on any device — desktop, tablet, mobile, smart TV via AirPlay & Google Cast
  • Subtitles in 40 languages + English closed captions
  • Progress tracking across devices
  • Filmmaker-controlled platform — your purchase directly supports the creators
Best Value

The Series

5 episodes + film

Originally$19.99 $9.99

  • All 5 episodes, unfolding the story in depth over 4.5+ hours
  • The film version also included — same story, single-sitting format

  • Unlimited streaming access
  • Watch on any device — desktop, tablet, mobile, smart TV via AirPlay & Google Cast
  • Subtitles in 40 languages + English closed captions
  • Progress tracking across devices
  • Filmmaker-controlled platform — your purchase directly supports the creators
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