Guess so. Mr. Food – also known as Art Ginsburg – may be the best-loved TV chef in the country. His 90-second spot is aired during the local network news in more than 240 cities, reaching an estimated audience of 10 million viewers; his five cookbooks together have more than half a million copies in print, and he set a record on QVC, the home-shopping channel, by selling 16,000 copies of his books in 18 minutes. All this for heavy, ornate food straight from the ’50s. He tops sweet potatoes with readymade butterscotch sauce, combines melted marshmallows, creme de menthe and Cool Whip to make Mint Cream Pie, and mixes ground beef with canned cream of chicken soup and sour cream for Hamburger Stroganoff. “Truly European,” is the way he describes the stroganoff. “Truly fulfilling.”
Ginsburg, 62, started out as a butcher in Troy, N.Y., then went into catering. After successful appearances on local TV, he created a show of his own and in 1982 signed on with King World syndicate. Today “Mr. Food” is still taped near Troy, but Ginsburg and his family have moved to Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. His wife (who likes to be known as Mrs. Food) and their three grown children work with him producing and distributing 260 shows a year, running the recipe club, working on the cookbooks and answering mail. The show gets more than a million recipe requests a year.
Some of Ginsburg’s recipes are straightforward and useful, like the pastas and chicken dishes that are similar to those in many basic cookbooks. Others defy reason. A salad dressing whose first ingredient is a can of tomato soup? Fettucini Alfredo made with the traditional heavy cream plus Laughing Cow processed cheese? “Every recipe offers some way to help the homemaker,” says Ginsburg. “All the people in the gourmet, what I call the snob world, the ultra chef world, they’re only important to themselves. They’re not important to Mr. and Mrs. Joe America, who come home from work and have 20 minutes to put something on the table and they still want accolades after the meal.”
He’s right, sort of. Americans have always relished a touch of instant novelty at dinner; after all, this is the nation that invented the ginger-ale salad. But there are easier. cheaper ways to cook than by manipulating packaged foods in bizarre combinations. Paula Hamilton explains how in “The 5 in 10 Cookbook” (five ingredients and 10 minutes per recipe), and so does Arthur Schwartz in “What to Cook When You Think There’s Nothing in the House to Eat.” Schwartz, for instance. makes a classic chocolate pudding using cornstarch, sugar, milk, vanilla and cocoa. Even splurging on the best quality cocoa, you can mix up this dessert quickly and inexensively; and it delivers a sensational jolt of chocolate. Compare that with Mr. Food’s most famous recipe, Death by Chocolate. which calls for a box of brownie mix ($1.89, at a Manhattan market), three boxes of instant mousse mix ($1.09 each), eight Heath bars (49 cents each) and 12 ounces of Cool Whip ($1.89). There isn’t a glimmer of real chocolate flavor in the whole bowl; this stuff should be called Death by Sugar and Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil.
Ginsburg has one good reason to avoid genuine simplicity: its profit margin is lousy. Local supermarkets frequently sponsor “Mr. Food”; sometimes the supermarket logo appears on screen throughout the show, and Ginsburg is always seen surrounded by brand-name products. Ginsburg says he accepts no money from food companies for showing their wires, and he often tells viewers, “Use any brand you want.” But an allegiance to shopping, not eating, is what inspires this cookery.
These days Ginsburg is busy planning a syndicated radio show, annual cookbooks, an array of Mr. Food-approved kitchen products, possibly a newspaper column. “We are in an age of mediocrity’ " he says. “Our standards are getting lower. People don’t go to four- and five-star restaurants, they go to Bennigan’s and Houlihan’s. Someday those will be the upscale restaurants.” Mr. Food can see the future and he likes it fine.
From “The Mr. Food Cookbook”
serves up to 24
(or 1 serious chocoholic!)
1 box (19.8 ounces) fudge brownie mix 1/4 to 1/2 cup coffee liqueur 3 packages (4-serving size each) instant chocolate mousse 8 chocolate-covered toffee candy bars (1.4 ounces each) (like SKOR or Heath bars) 1 large container (12 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed
Bake the brownies according to the brownie package directions; let cool. Prick holes in the tops of the brownies with a fork and pour the coffee liqueur over the brownies; set aside. Prepare the chocolate mousse according to the package directions. Break the candy bars into small pieces in a food processor or by gently tapping the wrapped bars with a hammer. Break up half of the brownies into small pieces and place in the bottom of large glass bowl or trifle dish. Cover with half of the mousse, then half of the candy, and then half of the whipped topping. Repeat layers with the remaining ingredients.
Note: Instead of coffee liqueur, you may substitute 1 teaspoon sugar and 4 tablespoons leftover black coffee, or leave out the coffee flavoring entirely.
