Friedman Paul Erhardt

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Friedman Paul Erhardt
Born(1943-11-05)November 5, 1943
Stuttgart, Germany
DiedOctober 26, 2007(2007-10-26) (aged 63)
Upper Black Eddy, Pennsylvania, U.S.
NationalityGerman
OccupationChef

Friedman Paul Erhardt (November 5, 1943 – October 26, 2007) was a

Muppet character on The Muppet Show,[1]
although Brian Henson denies this.

Early life and education

Friedman Paul Erhardt was born in Stuttgart, Germany[1] on November 5, 1943. He was the son of a German newspaper publisher.[1] Erhardt earned the nickname "Tell" when he played the character William Tell in a school play. Later, when asked by his TV producer, Art Moore, what he would like to take as his TV persona, he replied, "I'm known as Tell, so call me 'Chef Tell.'"[1]

Erhardt began his mandatory, three-year training to be a cook and a chef at the age of 13. Following his apprenticeship and further study and work in several

restaurants in Europe, in 1970, he graduated at the age of 27 as Germany's youngest master chef up to that time. That same year, he led a team of chefs to the Gold Medal in the Cooking Olympics in West Germany, and was also named Chef of the Year. Two years later, invited by a former Miss Philadelphia, Janet Louise Nicoletti, whom he later married, he moved to the United States[1] where he became the Executive Chef at the Barclay Hotel
in Philadelphia.

Career

Erhardt made his first television debut on a local

cooking shows
, and for his famous sign-off, "I SEE YOU!" He also was famous for his saying "I wish you had smellavision."

"He was the first of the great showman chefs," commented

restaurant critic for The Philadelphia Inquirer. "Up until his era, chefs stayed in the kitchen."[1]

Chef Tell's popularity with home cooks, and his German-accented personality, earned him a place in American popular culture as a true culinary icon. He was often parodied in comedy skits on

Live with Regis and Kathie Lee.[1]

In addition to his work in television, Chef Tell worked in a number of other culinary positions. He owned several restaurants in Philadelphia in the 1970s and 1980s.

Grand Cayman Island. He later opened two restaurants in neighboring Bucks County, Pennsylvania, the short-lived Harrow Inne in Ottsville and the famous Chef Tell's Manor House in Upper Black Eddy, Pennsylvania
.

Former U.S. President

oath of citizenship ceremony.[3] Senator Arlen Specter
sent to Tell the US flag that flew over the US Congress building that day, at Nixon's request.

Chef Tell became a spokesperson for major corporate food and

cookbooks,[1] and was a best-selling author as a result of his Chef Tell's Quick Cuisine cookbook. Another cookbook intended specifically for people with diabetes
was never published after his death. Erhardt was diagnosed as diabetic, but overcame this condition, and a need for diabetic medicines, with dietary changes, and exercise.

Tell spent the last two and half years of his life teaching culinary skills at The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College in Philadelphia.[1]

Death

Tell died on October 26, 2007, of heart failure at his home in Upper Black Eddy, Pennsylvania.[1] He was 63 years old.[1] He is survived by his wife of 19 years, Bunny, his son, Torsten, and a grandson.[3]

In popular culture

Tell's life story (off and on-camera) is captured in CHEF TELL: The Biography of America's Pioneer TV Showman Chef[4] by Ronald Joseph Kule, with forewords by TV hosts Regis Philbin and Chef Walter Staib. Published by Skyhorse Publishing in New York City, the hard cover, 452-page book containing 70 photos and never-published Chef Tell recipes, was released on October 1, 2013.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r "Friedman Paul Erhardt". Associated Press. 2007-10-30. Retrieved 2007-11-10 – via Legacy.com.
  2. ^ LaBan, Craig (2007-10-29). "'Chef Tell' Erhardt, 63, early TV chef". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on 2008-01-23. Retrieved 2007-11-16.
  3. ^ a b c d Burros, Marian (2007-11-05). "Chef Tell, Who Turned Kitchen Skill Into TV Fame, Dies at 63". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-11-16.
  4. ^ "CHEF TELL The Biography of America's Pioneer TV Showman Chef – Books by Ronald Joseph Kule". kulebooks.myshopify.com. Archived from the original on 2014-01-04.

External links

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