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Mr. Food | |
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_during_Fleet_Week_Port_Everglades_for_a_taping_of_a_Sa_(cropped).jpg) Ginsburg in 2011 | |
| Born | Arthur Ginsburg (1931-07-29)July 29, 1931 Troy, New York, US |
| Died | November 21, 2012(2012-11-21) (aged 81) Weston, Florida, US |
| Resting place | Beth David Memorial Gardens,Hollywood, Florida[1] 26°02′10″N80°13′52″W / 26.036°N 80.231°W /26.036; -80.231 |
| Occupations | |
| Years active | 1975-2012 |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
Art Ginsburg (July 29, 1931 – November 21, 2012), commonly known asMr. Food, was anAmerican television chef and best selling author of cookbooks. He was known for ending each of his TV segments with the catch phrase "Ooh! It's so good!"[2] The signature phrase, as spoken by Mr. Food, is registered as asound trademark with theU.S. Patent and Trademark Office.[3] Ginsburg was a pioneer of "quick & easy cooking" who, for over 30 years, paved the way for other TV food personalities to follow. With his enthusiastic style, Mr. Food specialized in practical food preparation techniques, using readily available ingredients. He extolled an "anybody can do it"philosophy of cooking and remains today as one of the early pioneers of cooking on modern television.
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Ginsburg was originally a butcher.[4] He owned and ran a catering business prior to his work in television.[2] In 1975, Ginsburg turned his flair for acting into a local television food program atWRGB inSchenectady, New York. It is believed that he filmed 1 or 2 episodes atKWWL in Waterloo, Iowa.[citation needed] By 1980, his 90-second Mr. Food segments were being syndicated to nine U.S. television markets,[2] includingWKBN-TV inYoungstown, Ohio, which still airs the "Mr. Food's Test Kitchen" segments today.[5] At its peak in 2007, the program appeared on 168 television stations[2] throughKing World Productions.[6]
In addition to his television career, Ginsburg became a prolific writer, with 52 cookbooks published and sales of over 8 million copies.[2] Three of Ginsburg's cookbooks were devoted to recipes for people with diabetes and published by the American Diabetes Association; one of these has also been published in Spanish.[citation needed] For his other cookbooks, he teamed with such notable publishers asWilliam Morrow and Company,HarperCollins,Chicken Soup for the Soul Enterprises, andOxmoor House, a division ofSouthern Progress Corporation andTime Warner.[7] Since 2009, Mr. Food brand has self-published their own books.[8]
Ginsburg was a co-host of the annual Variety Kids Telethon atWKBW-TV (a Mr. Food affiliate) inBuffalo, New York, to raise funds for Children's Hospital.
As he aged, Ginsburg stepped away from most of the daily operations of his company, Ginsburg Enterprises Incorporated. In addition to the Mr. Food segments, the company produced other segments called "Mr. Food's Test Kitchen" (in which he did not appear). It also produced his line of cookware.[2]
Ginsburg was diagnosed withpancreatic cancer in 2011. He underwent treatments, including surgery, which caused the cancer to go into remission. However, it returned in early November 2012.[2] Ginsburg died at his home that he shared with his wife Ethel inWeston, Florida, on November 21, 2012. He was 81. On November 23, memorial services were held at B'nai Aviv Synagogue in Weston and he was buried at Beth David Memorial Gardens inHollywood, Florida.[1]
"Mr. Food's Test Kitchen" continues on most of the stations that originally carried Mr. Food, with Howard Rosenthal (chief operating officer of Ginsburg Enterprises) as the series' primary host.[9]
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