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      Graham Kerr: The Galloping Gourmet

      February 24, 2011

      GrahamKerr

      What ever happened to Graham Kerr, The Galloping Gourmet?  I know!  Pick me!!  Pick me!!  Apparently he’s quietly living in Seattle, Washington.  I found myself wondering about him recently.   He and Julia Child were probably the first people I saw cook professionally.  I diligently watched him on his T.V. show, The Galloping Gourmet when I was ten to thirteen years old.  The show ran from 1969 to 1971; I watched it most everyday when I came home from school especially when I was a bit older.  I learned two things from Mr. Kerr: what a gourmet was, and that gourmets liked to drink.  I have fuzzy memories of him in his T.V. studio, glass of wine in hand as he tipsily stirred a pot, or made a cake.  I didn’t know until later that his fun, silly mood was due in part to the wine.

      A Gourmand is Born

      From him I somehow knew I wanted to grow up and be a gourmet myself.  I tried to be one as a child (minus the wine).  My mother can attest to the fact that I always ordered, or attempted to, the most expensive, exotic dish on the menu on the rare occasions we went out to a “nice” restaurant.  I’m not sure when the tradition began but each of my birthday celebrations from age twelve on involved going out to eat at a fancy restaurant.  A “gourmet place.”   I remember the first time I ordered and ate lobster.  My mother was a bit appalled at both the dish and the price but she let me order it anyway.  I now trace this all back to Kerr, his glass of wine, and his T.V. show.  I mean he even had a foreign, sophisticated accent.  What was a young gourmand to do?

      *Picture below: Kerr began each episode of The Galloping Gourmet by running onto the stage and jumping over a chair on the dining room set.  It became his signature move.

      Graham-Kerr-vintage

      Galloping On

      As I mentioned, I’d been wondering what happened to him.  Unlike Julia Child, it seemed he’d disappeared.  I knew he was British so I thought he might be living back in the U.K..  The answer came in a Seattle Times article published on February 19, 2011, “Chef Graham Kerr Gallops into Edible Gardening.”  He’s now 76 years old.  He and his wife Treena live in Seattle, and he recently planted his first-ever garden.  The idea to plant the garden was born from a local church group that Kerr is involved with.  The group became interested in the farm-to-table movement as a way to help heal a few societal ills.  Their goals are to “eat wisely (more plants); move more (to gain stamina); and know your neighbors (their needs and their wisdom).”  Kerr saw that a kitchen garden would both keep him in shape, and offer extra produce to pass along to food banks and those in need.

      3087_Galloping_-Gourmet

      The Missing Pieces

      The Galloping Gourmet originated in Ottawa, Canada and was produced by Treena, Kerr’s wife.  The “galloping gourmet” persona came from a wine book Kerr co-authored with wine expert Len Evans, The Galloping Gourmets. The nickname came from a 35-day worldwide trip the duo made to the best restaurants around the globe.  As The Galloping Gourmet Kerr was known for “lighthearted humor, and tomfoolery” and for using copious amounts of butter, cream and fat as well as liberal amounts of wine both in the food and in his glass.  The show was a huge success but everything ended in 1971 when Kerr was temporarily paralyzed in a car accident.  A show he did in 1974 called Take Kerr only lasted one season.  When Treena became seriously ill in the mid-80s the Kerrs started to lead a much healthier lifestyle.  Kerr has written numerous cookbooks dating to 1963; those in later years reflect his healthier food outlook.  As The Galloping Gourmet he not only influenced this young gourmand but a nation of T.V. viewers both those interested in cooking, and those who liked watching his bigger-than-life persona.  He made the idea of cooking fun, and entertaining.

      The Galloping Gourmet can now be found on The Cooking Channel.

      Sources for this article: The Seattle Times, and Wikipedia.

      100 Miles Shout Outs! Local events, mini-reviews, and mentions of things happening in the world of food:

      #1 – Monday, February 28, 2011 ~ 5:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. ~ Street Food Mondays with ‘Antojitos de Mi Abuelita’ Food Truck ~ hosted by Bill Esparza and Evan Kleiman at Angeli Caffe, 7274 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, CA, 323-936-9086

      My Status:  Still enjoying winter in So Cal and the lovely winter produce: amazing citrus, kale, broccoli, collard greens, beets and fennel.  Continuing to blog, cook, and eat.

      I’m published!! My recipe “Chef Wally’s Baked Papaya” was selected to be in the cookbook: “Foodista Best of Food Blogs Cookbook: 100 Great Recipes, Photographs, and Voices.”  You may order it here.

      Upcoming Posts: More on my great-grandmother’s garden, and my California childhood.  A visit and tour of Ojai Valley citrus grower Friend’s Ranch. More The Local Reports coming soon. Cookbook Reviews: “The Blue Chair Jam Cookbook” by Rachel Saunders, “Grilled Cheese, Please! by Laura Werlin, and “Italy Dish by Dish: A Comprehensive Guide to Eating in Italy” by Monica Sartoni Cesari.

      14 Comments on “Graham Kerr: The Galloping Gourmet”

      1. robert g. says:
        February 24, 2011 at 10:43 pm

        So you were a little food snob at an early age? Your poor mother! Great article. He is one of my earliest tv memories.

      2. Susan Lind says:
        February 25, 2011 at 9:47 am

        OMG, Charles! This could be MY story (except his show was on during lunch where I live). I would run, run home from school to eat as fast as I could so I could watch his show before returning. I loved him (maybe in part because he’s British, like my family, but I think more for his ability to combine humor with the cooking).

        I knew he was still around, and am happy to know that he is well and healthy.

        Thanks for the update!

      3. Phil says:
        February 25, 2011 at 9:58 am

        Graham Kerr was the absolute shit when I was growing up. I love watching the replays of his shows on The Cooking Channel. He had a really relaxed way about him in the kitchen and brought gourmet cooking at home to the forefront right around the same time as Julia Child.

        He made it seem OK to be a dude in the kitchen. If it wasn’t for the galloping thing, I think my mother wouldn’t have been so uptight about me wanting to be just like him.

        The strangest thing about the fact that my mother and I would watch both his and Julia Child’s show together was the fact that once those shows were over, she didn’t feel compelled to go cooking in the kitchen. Nope. She simply changed the channel and started watching something else.

      4. Cynthia Bertelsen says:
        February 25, 2011 at 11:56 am

        I never watched The Galloping Gourmet, but I did watch Julia. I also tried the gourmet thing at a young age, cooking all sorts of strange foods that my brothers and sister absolutely loathed. But when I went off to college, they’d line up on the stairwell to the front door of our house when I came home for vacations and beg me to cook this or that before I even got in the door! My mother still doesn’t shine much in the kitchen, but my father is a pretty cook.

      5. 5 Star Foodie says:
        February 25, 2011 at 2:09 pm

        Fascinating to learn about The Galloping Gourmet! Thanks!

      6. Charles Thompson says:
        February 25, 2011 at 6:34 pm

        Robert: Yes, I was, still am, and proud to be one too!

        Susan: I love that I wasn’t the only kid who ran home to watch him! I loved all the daytime talk shows including Michael Douglas and Dinah Shore. They all had cooking segments at one point or another.

        Phil: He was far less stodgy and serious than Julia. More fun to watch. He made food and cooking accessible. Love that you watched him too. So your mother watched for pure entertainment like many who watch the food channels now.

        Cynthia: This has been fun to see who did what as a child with food. I guess we all have stories that go back to childhood like yours. Funny about your siblings lining up when you came home. They knew good cooking when they tasted it.

        Natasha: You’re welcome. He was quite a character.

      7. pierre says:
        February 26, 2011 at 4:23 am

        of course I do not know him but what fun to cook with a bow tie : I should try it !!Pierre
        ps i have although bought julia child cookbook when i was in the US in end of 80s!! (and still have it !)

      8. Sean Sullivan says:
        February 26, 2011 at 5:44 am

        At Chez Sullivan GG was absolute must-see TV. Don’t foret he single-handedly jump started the craze for the great spurtle revivial? Of course Mom had to have one and our Galloping Gourmet Spurtle (oddly shaped wooden stirring spoon/paddle/spatula thingy) gave years of honorable service.

      9. Charles Thompson says:
        February 26, 2011 at 3:36 pm

        Pierre: I’m quite sure you would enjoy his shows. He was highly entertaining! Julia’s book is one to treasure in my opinion whether French or American.

        Sean: Why am I not surprised that GG was a draw in your household?! He seems right up your alley. I actually don’t remember the spurtle. Will be looking it up with a name like that.

      10. Mary Armstrong says:
        March 16, 2011 at 5:22 am

        I still use my spurtle…almost daily!

      11. Charles Thompson says:
        March 16, 2011 at 9:03 pm

        Mary: Thanks for stopping by and for the comment. I looked on the Internet for Graham’s spurtle but very few came up. Glad to know yours is still going strong!

      12. Martha Dooley says:
        December 4, 2011 at 11:27 am

        Hi! Are the Galloping Gourmet’s spurtles still available anywhere?
        Thank you!
        Marty

      13. joyce says:
        December 3, 2012 at 12:51 pm

        So happy to know he is alive and well, and living with his lovely wife in the beautiful state of washington…Thank you for the update. joyce

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