People continue to post pictures of their meals on social media. Former KCPQ 13 weather guy, Walter Kelley claims this dish of his is “world famous.” I can smell it from here. I’ll pass.
I could share the recipe for my ‘world famous’ bean casserole. It happens to be a family favorite. Although I admit, I’m no Rachel Ray.
What's Cookin'?
Jason Remington • August 19, 2026
For a period of time, Tacoma had two famous tv food experts. The Galloping Gourmet, Graham Kerr, lived with his wife Treena in Tacoma. After walking away from The Galloping Gourmet – Kerr went on to host more TV shows, 1,800 episodes total. And he wrote thirty books. He eventually moved to Washington State, first to Tacoma and finally landing In Mount Vernon.
During the same period, The Frugal Gourmet, Jeff Smith, appeared on KTPS tv 62 and owned the Chaplain’s Pantry store in the Stadium High district.
(A News Tribune article reported) From 1965 to 1972, he served as a chaplain at UPS, becoming a beloved figure for his spiritual mentorship, especially when it came to cooking.
Many of his employees were teenagers — part of a work-study program at Stadium High School.
The report tells, “He had a temper. And an alcohol problem.”
In 1997, seven different men came forward in a civil suit against Smith. Most of the allegations came from former staff at the Chaplain’s Pantry, who all were underage when they say Smith assaulted them.
The day before the case went to trial in 1998, Smith and his insurers settled the case for an undisclosed amount of money. No criminal charges were filed against him. Six years later in 2004, Smith died in his sleep from heart disease. He was 65.