Graham Kerr
Encyclopedia
Graham Kerr is a cooking personality who is best known for his television cooking show The Galloping Gourmet.
, he became trainee manager at the Roebuck Hotel in East Sussex
, England, when he was just fifteen years old. After five years in the British Army as catering adviser, Graham became General Manager of England's Royal Ascot Hotel.
Kerr moved to New Zealand
in 1958, becoming chief chef catering adviser for the Royal New Zealand Air Force
. It was there that his media career began in the early 1960s: his recipes were delivered on radio and in magazines, and a related book, Entertaining with Kerr, sold out its first edition in eight days. He moved into television with the emergence of the new medium in New Zealand, after being recruited by NZBC
producer Shirley Maddock.
Later The Galloping Gourmet (1969-71), a show named for Kerr's onscreen persona, was taped in Ottawa at CJOH-TV
and produced by his wife Treena Kerr. The origin of his 'Galloping Gourmet' persona stemmed from a 1967 book he co-authored with wine expert Len Evans, The Galloping Gourmets. The nickname was the result of a 35-day worldwide trek to the finest restaurants around the globe. The title was echoed in the opening of each episode of his original North American series, filmed in front of a live audience, where Kerr entered the stage area by running in and leaping over a chair in the dining room set.
The series was known for its lighthearted humour, tomfoolery and the copious use of clarified butter
, cream and fat. Indeed, Kerr's most famous line on the show might have been his response to someone's criticism of his cooking: "Madame, you could go outside and get run over by a bus and just think what you would have missed!" He also liberally featured wine
, serving it with most meals, drinking it while cooking, using it in his dishes, and waxing poetic about its virtues. In an ongoing feature of the show, Kerr would make his way into the audience as the closing credits began and select an audience member (usually female) whom he would invite onstage with him to enjoy whatever dish he had just prepared. During The Galloping Gourmets successful run, he became a worldwide sensation, wrote an abundance of cookbooks, and earned two Emmy Award
nominations. One particularly amusing episode featured Kerr making the British dessert known as "Spotted Dick
."
Kerr also did short features for NBC's Emphasis and Monitor broadcasts beginning in 1969.
While The Galloping Gourmet first aired in 1969 and ended in 1971, some near tragedies caused Kerr to suspend his television career ending the show. In April 1971, Kerr and his wife Treena were involved in a car accident in California. As a result of the accident he suffered a dislocated spine and a weakened right arm. As therapy Kerr had to wear a one-pound bracelet in order to strengthen the weakened arm. Then in January 1972 Treena was at first diagnosed with lung cancer and given a year to live. That diagnosis turned out to be incorrect. It was determined she had tuberculosis and part of her lungs had to be removed. She later fully recovered. The Galloping Gourmet aired on Food Network
and can now be seen on Cooking Channel
Kerr returned to television in 1974 with a daily, syndicated five-minute series, Take Kerr which featured a particular recipe for each show. This programme only lasted one series, and was controversial for a time, due to an inclusion of a passage from the Bible
in the closing credits, since Kerr became a Christian following his accident. This series was later repeated on CNN
during its first year or so on the air.
After his wife Treena's stroke
, then heart attack
in 1986, Kerr was prompted to create a new style of cooking that he dubbed "Minimax". This new method of food preparation minimised ("Mini-") fat and cholesterol
, while it maximised ("-max") aroma, colour, texture and taste. Minimax led to the eponymous Graham Kerr show, originally produced at KING-TV
in Seattle in 1990 and 1991 and later syndicated
to local stations and, later, the Discovery Channel
. Minimax also led to three successful cookbooks: Graham Kerr's Smart Cooking Graham Kerr's Minimax Cookbook and Graham Kerr's Creative Choices (A Minimax Book) along with corresponding series in syndication, on Public Television. In 1995, he appeared in a PBS special with Julia Child
called Cooking in Concert: Julia Child & Graham Kerr.
In 1996, Kerr, in his book of that year called Swiftly Seasoned, created the concept of a "Moulded Ethnic Vegetable", a baked combination of starches and vegetables seasoned with flavours characteristic of different ethnic cuisines. The "MEV", as he referred to it in recipes, was intended to remedy what he perceived as a lack of focus in vegetarian meals; according to Kerr, while omnivorous cuisine generally has a central focus in a meat dish, vegetarian plates are often little more than collections of side dishes, and the MEV was an attempt to provide a central focus for such meals. The MEV was not a widely successful concept and a business venture to manufacture and sell a muffin tin
-like MEV baking pan was not successful. (While generally intended to be vegetarian, Kerr did incorporate meats into some MEV recipes in later books.)
Since the late-1990s, Graham Kerr was also seen in a series of radio and television features for the National Cancer Institute
's 5 A Day
programme, called Do Yourself A Flavor, which emphasizes the use of fruits and vegetables in recipes.
In 2003, Graham Kerr received an honorary doctorate for culinary arts and nutrition from Johnson & Wales University
in Providence, Rhode Island
.
He works directly with Bastyr University
and many businesses looking for innovation, better-health and good taste.
Kerr currently lives with his wife in Mount Vernon, Washington
, where he has been a resident for several years.
. Four versions were known to exist—a regular version, plus three additional versions released in conjunction with KABC-TV
in Los Angeles (pictured above), CBC Television
in Canada and the BBC in Britain. The Fremantle and KABC versions were hardcover, while the CBC and BBC versions, though identical in content, were softcover and GBC
-bound, with different covers (with the BBC version under the title Entertaining With Kerr). These cookbooks were generally sold by mail order, through the TV series.
In 1972, the cookbooks were re-released with new colour covers and sold in bookshops. This new version was sold by Paperback Library
but, despite the publisher's name, the books were hardcover.
Biography
Kerr was born in London, and his parents were established hoteliers. As a result, much of his childhood was spent among some of the most outstanding chefs of Europe. Educated at the independent school Brighton CollegeBrighton College
Brighton College is an institution divided between a Senior School known simply as Brighton College, the Prep School and the Pre-Prep School. All of these schools are co-educational independent schools in Brighton, England, sited immediately next to each another. The Senior School caters for...
, he became trainee manager at the Roebuck Hotel in East Sussex
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
, England, when he was just fifteen years old. After five years in the British Army as catering adviser, Graham became General Manager of England's Royal Ascot Hotel.
Kerr moved to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
in 1958, becoming chief chef catering adviser for the Royal New Zealand Air Force
Royal New Zealand Air Force
The Royal New Zealand Air Force is the air arm of the New Zealand Defence Force...
. It was there that his media career began in the early 1960s: his recipes were delivered on radio and in magazines, and a related book, Entertaining with Kerr, sold out its first edition in eight days. He moved into television with the emergence of the new medium in New Zealand, after being recruited by NZBC
Television New Zealand
Television New Zealand, more commonly referred to, and stylized as TVNZ, is a government-owned corporation television network broadcasting in New Zealand and parts of the Pacific. It operates TV1, TV2, TVNZ7, TVNZ Heartland, TVNZ U and new media services....
producer Shirley Maddock.
Later The Galloping Gourmet (1969-71), a show named for Kerr's onscreen persona, was taped in Ottawa at CJOH-TV
CJOH-TV
CJOH-DT is a television station serving Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and the surrounding region. Owned by Bell Media, it is part of the CTV Television Network....
and produced by his wife Treena Kerr. The origin of his 'Galloping Gourmet' persona stemmed from a 1967 book he co-authored with wine expert Len Evans, The Galloping Gourmets. The nickname was the result of a 35-day worldwide trek to the finest restaurants around the globe. The title was echoed in the opening of each episode of his original North American series, filmed in front of a live audience, where Kerr entered the stage area by running in and leaping over a chair in the dining room set.
The series was known for its lighthearted humour, tomfoolery and the copious use of clarified butter
Clarified butter
Clarified butter is milk fat rendered from butter to separate the milk solids and water from the butterfat. Typically, it is produced by melting butter and allowing the different components to separate by density...
, cream and fat. Indeed, Kerr's most famous line on the show might have been his response to someone's criticism of his cooking: "Madame, you could go outside and get run over by a bus and just think what you would have missed!" He also liberally featured wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
, serving it with most meals, drinking it while cooking, using it in his dishes, and waxing poetic about its virtues. In an ongoing feature of the show, Kerr would make his way into the audience as the closing credits began and select an audience member (usually female) whom he would invite onstage with him to enjoy whatever dish he had just prepared. During The Galloping Gourmets successful run, he became a worldwide sensation, wrote an abundance of cookbooks, and earned two Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
nominations. One particularly amusing episode featured Kerr making the British dessert known as "Spotted Dick
Spotted dick
Spotted dick is a British steamed suet pudding containing dried fruit commonly served with custard. Spotted refers to the dried fruit and dick may be a contraction or corruption of the word pudding or possibly a corruption of the word dough or dog, as "spotted dog" is another name for the same...
."
Kerr also did short features for NBC's Emphasis and Monitor broadcasts beginning in 1969.
While The Galloping Gourmet first aired in 1969 and ended in 1971, some near tragedies caused Kerr to suspend his television career ending the show. In April 1971, Kerr and his wife Treena were involved in a car accident in California. As a result of the accident he suffered a dislocated spine and a weakened right arm. As therapy Kerr had to wear a one-pound bracelet in order to strengthen the weakened arm. Then in January 1972 Treena was at first diagnosed with lung cancer and given a year to live. That diagnosis turned out to be incorrect. It was determined she had tuberculosis and part of her lungs had to be removed. She later fully recovered. The Galloping Gourmet aired on Food Network
Food Network
Food Network is a television specialty channel that airs both one-time and recurring programs about food and cooking. Scripps Networks Interactive owns 70 percent of the network, with Tribune Company controlling the remaining 30 percent....
and can now be seen on Cooking Channel
Cooking Channel
Cooking Channel is a television specialty channel that airs recurring programs about food and cooking, owned by Scripps Networks Interactive. It is a spinoff of Food Network, also owned by SNI, but focuses more on instructional shows rather than "reality style" and contest programming that Food...
Kerr returned to television in 1974 with a daily, syndicated five-minute series, Take Kerr which featured a particular recipe for each show. This programme only lasted one series, and was controversial for a time, due to an inclusion of a passage from the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
in the closing credits, since Kerr became a Christian following his accident. This series was later repeated on CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
during its first year or so on the air.
After his wife Treena's stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
, then heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
in 1986, Kerr was prompted to create a new style of cooking that he dubbed "Minimax". This new method of food preparation minimised ("Mini-") fat and cholesterol
Cholesterol
Cholesterol is a complex isoprenoid. Specifically, it is a waxy steroid of fat that is produced in the liver or intestines. It is used to produce hormones and cell membranes and is transported in the blood plasma of all mammals. It is an essential structural component of mammalian cell membranes...
, while it maximised ("-max") aroma, colour, texture and taste. Minimax led to the eponymous Graham Kerr show, originally produced at KING-TV
KING-TV
KING-TV, virtual channel 5, is a television station in Seattle, Washington, affiliated with the NBC network. Owned by Belo Corporation, it broadcasts on UHF digital channel 48. Its offices and broadcasting center are located just east of Seattle Center...
in Seattle in 1990 and 1991 and later syndicated
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
to local stations and, later, the Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
. Minimax also led to three successful cookbooks: Graham Kerr's Smart Cooking Graham Kerr's Minimax Cookbook and Graham Kerr's Creative Choices (A Minimax Book) along with corresponding series in syndication, on Public Television. In 1995, he appeared in a PBS special with Julia Child
Julia Child
Julia Child was an American chef, author, and television personality. She is recognized for introducing French cuisine to the American public with her debut cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and her subsequent television programs, the most notable of which was The French Chef, which...
called Cooking in Concert: Julia Child & Graham Kerr.
In 1996, Kerr, in his book of that year called Swiftly Seasoned, created the concept of a "Moulded Ethnic Vegetable", a baked combination of starches and vegetables seasoned with flavours characteristic of different ethnic cuisines. The "MEV", as he referred to it in recipes, was intended to remedy what he perceived as a lack of focus in vegetarian meals; according to Kerr, while omnivorous cuisine generally has a central focus in a meat dish, vegetarian plates are often little more than collections of side dishes, and the MEV was an attempt to provide a central focus for such meals. The MEV was not a widely successful concept and a business venture to manufacture and sell a muffin tin
Muffin tin
A muffin tin is a mold in which muffins or cupcakes are baked. A single cup within a regular muffin tin is 3 and 1/2 ounces and most often has room for 12 muffins, although tins holding 6, 8, 11, 24, and 35 muffins do exist. A single cup within a mini muffin tin is 2 and 1/8 ounces, and because...
-like MEV baking pan was not successful. (While generally intended to be vegetarian, Kerr did incorporate meats into some MEV recipes in later books.)
Since the late-1990s, Graham Kerr was also seen in a series of radio and television features for the National Cancer Institute
National Cancer Institute
The National Cancer Institute is part of the National Institutes of Health , which is one of 11 agencies that are part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The NCI coordinates the U.S...
's 5 A Day
5 A Day
5 A Day is the name of a number of programs in countries such as the USA, the United Kingdom and Germany, to encourage the consumption of at least five portions of fruit and vegetables each day, following requests by the World Health Organization to consume at least 400g of vegetables daily.In...
programme, called Do Yourself A Flavor, which emphasizes the use of fruits and vegetables in recipes.
In 2003, Graham Kerr received an honorary doctorate for culinary arts and nutrition from Johnson & Wales University
Johnson & Wales University
Johnson & Wales University is a private, nonprofit, co-educational, career-oriented university with four campuses located throughout the United States. Providence, Rhode Island, USA, is home to JWU's first and largest of four currently operating campuses. Founded as a business school in 1914, by...
in Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
.
He works directly with Bastyr University
Bastyr University
Bastyr University was established as the John Bastyr College of Naturopathic Medicine in 1978 in Seattle, Washington by Sheila Quinn, Joseph Pizzorno, ND, LM; William Mitchell, ND; and Les Griffith, ND, LM...
and many businesses looking for innovation, better-health and good taste.
Kerr currently lives with his wife in Mount Vernon, Washington
Mount Vernon, Washington
Mount Vernon is a city in Skagit County, Washington, United States. The population was 31,743 at the 2010 census. It is one of two principal cities of and included in the Mount Vernon-Anacortes, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is the county seat of Skagit County...
, where he has been a resident for several years.
Television Cookbooks
In addition, seven volumes of "Television Cookbooks", featuring recipes from The Galloping Gourmet series, were published from 1969 to 1971 by the show's syndicator, Fremantle InternationalFremantleMedia
FremantleMedia, Ltd. is the content and production division of Bertelsmann's RTL Group, Europe's second largest TV, radio, and production company...
. Four versions were known to exist—a regular version, plus three additional versions released in conjunction with KABC-TV
KABC-TV
KABC-TV, channel 7, is an owned-and-operated television station of the Walt Disney Company-owned American Broadcasting Company, licensed to Los Angeles, California. KABC-TV's studios are located in Glendale, California...
in Los Angeles (pictured above), CBC Television
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
in Canada and the BBC in Britain. The Fremantle and KABC versions were hardcover, while the CBC and BBC versions, though identical in content, were softcover and GBC
General Binding Corporation
General Binding Corporation is an office supplies manufacturer with many highly recognized global brands for binding, lamination, and other presentation products...
-bound, with different covers (with the BBC version under the title Entertaining With Kerr). These cookbooks were generally sold by mail order, through the TV series.
In 1972, the cookbooks were re-released with new colour covers and sold in bookshops. This new version was sold by Paperback Library
Hachette Book Group USA
Hachette Book Group is a publishing company owned by Hachette Livre, the largest publishing company in France, and the second largest publisher in the world. Hachette Livre is a wholly owned subsidiary of Lagardère Group. HBG was formed when Hachette Livre purchased the Time Warner Book Group from...
but, despite the publisher's name, the books were hardcover.
Works
- Kerr, G. (1963). Entertaining with Kerr. Wellington: A.H. and A.W. Reed
- Kerr, G. (1966). The Graham Kerr Cookbook. Wellington: A.H. and A.W. Reed (this cookbook was released in a distinctive spiral binding, with heavy covers)
- Kerr, G., & Evans, L. (1967). The galloping gourmets. Sydney: A.H. & A.W. Reed.
- Kerr, G. (1969). The Graham Kerr cookbook, by the galloping gourmet. Garden City, New York: Doubleday.
- Kerr, G. (1970). The Galloping Gourmet's Kitchen Diary.
- Kerr, G. (1972). The complete galloping gourmet cookbook. New York: Grosset & Dunlap.
- Kerr, G. (Early 1970s). A Festive Occasion, Just For You (a record album). Fremantle Records.
- Kerr, G. (1976). The new seasoning. New York: Simon and Schuster / Fleming H. Revell.
- Kerr, G. (1978). The love feast: How good, natural, wholesome food can create a warm and lasting Christian family. New York: Simon and Schuster / Fleming H. Revell.
- Kerr, G., & Kerr, T. (1982). The Graham Kerr Step By Step Cookbook. David C Cook Publishing Company.
- Kerr, G. (1991). Graham Kerr's smart cooking. New York: Doubleday.
- Kerr, G. (1993). Graham Kerr's minimax cookbook. New York: Doubleday.
- Kerr, G. (1994). Graham Kerr's kitchen. New York: G.P. Putnam's.
- Kerr, G. (1995). Graham Kerr's best: A low fat, heart healthy cookbook. New York: G.P. Putnam's.
- Kerr, G. (1996). Graham Kerr's swiftly seasoned. New York: G.P. Putnam's.
- Kerr, G. (1997). The gathering place: Informal international menus that bring family and friends back to the table. Stanwood, WA: Camano Press.
- Kerr, G. (2002). The gathering place: Featuring Nutrient-Rich Comfort Food. Quarry Press.
- Kerr, G., & Suzanne, B. (2004). Graham Kerr's simply splenda cookbook. Alexandria, VA: Small Steps Press.
- Kerr, G., & Kerr, T. (2004). Charting a course to wellness: Creative ways of living with heart disease and diabetes. Alexandria, VA: American Diabetes Association.
- Kerr, G., & Kerr, T. (2006). Recipe For Life.
- Kerr, T., & Kerr, G. (2007). Day by Day Gourmet Cookbook. Broadman & Holman.