The Galloping Gourmet’s cookbook is updated and reissued

One of the first food television personalities, Graham Kerr figuratively and literally leapt into the public eye in the late 1960s in his television shown called The Galloping Gourmet. Known for his boundless energy, Kerr introduced the world to the idea that watching someone cook could be highly entertaining. Publishing house Rizzoli has updated Kerr’s popular cookbook, The Graham Kerr Cookbook: The Galloping Gourmet, set for release next April. The revised edition of the book features new commentary from Kerr and an introduction by brothers Matt Lee and Ted Lee.  

Kerr’s television series was short-lived, running only two years from 1969 to 1971, but the impact that Kerr had on a generation of cooks was surpassed only by that of Julia Child. These days, Kerr leads a quiet life in Washington state. Earlier this year, The New York Times caught up with the star to see what he is doing now. 

While the television show relied heavy on meat, fat, and dairy, relegating vegetables to an afterthought, Kerr’s own cooking bounced between hedonism and austerity. After his wife had a stroke and heart attack at an early age, Kerr blamed his decadent cooking and completely changed the way he looked at food. As his wife recovered, he began to rail against food additives, large portion sizes, and even Alfredo sauce. “I used to call doughnuts ‘edible pornography,’ and I’d think I was doing the world a favor,” Kerr said. “And I’m sorry about that, I really am. That was a bad time in my life.” 

Kerr’s wife passed away in 2015, just shy of their 60th wedding anniversary. Now aged 83, Kerr still cooks and has moderated his style, striking a balance between the two extremes he once embraced. Although he’s stepped away from the cameras and even his website, Kerr still offers fans a glimpse into what he’s doing through a monthly newsletter. 

Kerr’s cookbook has matured nearly as well as the iconic personality who created it. His fun-loving approach to cooking was decades ahead of its time, and you can see his influence in today’s stars like Mario Batali and Jamie Oliver. The book’s encyclopedic range of recipes – starting with basics such as how to brew coffee and continuing to sophisticated preparations of fish and poultry – open up a world of lost classics for today’s home cook.