{{About|an American television chef|the comedy character Mr Food|Steve Wright In The Afternoon}} {{Short description|American television chef (1931-2012)}} {{more citations needed|date=November 2011}} {{Use mdy dates|date=November 2012}}<!--WP:STRONGNAT--> {{Infobox chef <!-- for more information see :Template:Infobox chef/doc --> | name = Mr. Food | image =US Navy 110430-N-PS473-027 Art Ginsburg serves breakfast to Sailors aboard USS Ross (DDG 71) during Fleet Week Port Everglades for a taping of a Sa (cropped).jpg | caption =Ginsburg in 2011 | birth_name = Arthur Ginsburg | birth_date = {{Birth date|1931|7|29}} | birth_place = Troy, New York, US | death_date = {{Death date and age|2012|11|21|1931|7|29|mf=yes}} | death_place = Weston, Florida, US | resting_place = Beth David Memorial Gardens, Hollywood, Florida<ref name="Sun-Sentinel Obit" /> | resting_place_coordinates = {{Coord|26.036|-80.231|type:landmark|display=inline}} | occupation = {{flatlist| * Celebrity chef * Author }} | years_active = 1975-2012 | spouse = {{marriage|Ethel Ginsburg|1955}} | children = 3 | style = | education = | restaurants = | television = }}
'''Art Ginsburg''' (July 29, 1931 – November 21, 2012), commonly known as '''Mr. Food''', was an American television chef and best selling author of cookbooks.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/24/us/art-ginsburg-known-as-mr-food-dies-at-81.html|title=Art Ginsburg, TV Chef Who Didn’t Scoff at Cake Mix, Dies at 81|website=The New York Times|date=November 23, 2012|first=Douglas|last=Martin|access-date=May 19, 2026}}</ref> He was known for ending each of his TV segments with the catch phrase "Ooh! It's so good!"<ref name="Hirsch">{{cite web|last=Hirsch|first=J.M.|url=https://tv.yahoo.com/news/tv-chef-art-ginsburg-mr-food-dies-81-155816058.html|title=TV chef Art Ginsburg, "Mr. Food", dies at 81|publisher=Associated Press via Yahoo News|date=November 21, 2012|accessdate=November 21, 2012}}</ref> The signature phrase, as spoken by Mr. Food, is registered as a sound trademark with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.<ref>{{cite web|title=USPTO Listing for Sound Mark|url=http://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=74684280&caseType=SERIAL_NO&searchType=statusSearch|accessdate=September 2, 2012}}</ref> Ginsburg was a pioneer of "quick & easy cooking" who, for over 30 years, paved the way for other TV food personalities to follow.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.timesunion.com/local/article/TV-chef-Mr-Food-at-81-4057102.php|title=TV chef 'Mr. Food,' at 81|website=Times Union|date=November 21, 2012|first=J.M.|last=Hirsch|access-date=May 19, 2026}}</ref> With his enthusiastic style, Mr. Food specialized in practical food preparation techniques, using readily available ingredients.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kltv.com/story/20161467/mr-food-seen-on-kltv7-for-years-passes-away/|title=Mr. Food, seen on KLTV7 for years, passes away|website=KLTV|date=November 21, 2012|first=Stephanie|last=Frazier|access-date=May 19, 2026}}</ref> He extolled an "anybody can do it" philosophy of cooking and remains today as one of the early pioneers of cooking on modern television.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mrfood.com/index.php/hct/Mr-Food-Makes-TV-History|title=Mr. Food Makes TV History|website=Mr. Food.com|access-date=May 19, 2026}}</ref>
==Early life== Arthur Ginsburg was born on July 29, 1931, in Troy, New York to Jewish parents who were deeply involved in the local meat trade.<ref name="Roots">{{Cite web|url=https://www.saratogian.com/2010/10/31/mr-food-looks-back-fondly-at-his-roots/|title=Mr. Food looks back fondly on his roots|website=The Saratogian|date=October 31, 2010|first=Chris|last=Fitzgerald|access-date=May 19, 2026}}</ref> His father owned several butcher shops in the city.<ref name="Roots"/>
==Career== left|thumb|Ginsburg in 2002 Ginsburg was originally a butcher.<ref>{{cite news|last=Rempel|first=Mary K.|title=A chat with Art Ginsburg, Mr. Food himself|url=http://www.mlive.com/entertainment/flint/index.ssf/2011/09/whats_cooking_with_art_ginsbur.html|accessdate=December 22, 2011|newspaper=Flint Journal|date=September 1, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-xpm-2012-nov-21-la-et-st-art-ginsburg-mr-food-dies-20121121-story.html|title=TV chef Art Ginsburg (a.k.a. Mr. Food) dies at 81|website=The Los Angeles Times|date=November 21, 2012|first=Kevin|last=Patrick Day|access-date=May 19, 2026}}</ref> He owned and ran a catering business prior to his work in television.<ref name="Hirsch"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/2010/09/23/so-far-soooooo-good-for-syndicated-tv-chef-art-ginsburg-of-weston/|title=So far, soooooo good for syndicated TV chef Art Ginsburg of Weston|date=September 23, 2010|website=South Florida Sun Sentinel|access-date=May 19, 2026}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2012/11/21/us/obit-ginsberg-mr-food|title=Art Ginsburg, TV’s ‘Mr. Food,’ dies at 81|website=CNN|date=November 21, 2012|access-date=May 19, 2026}}</ref> In 1975, Ginsburg turned his flair for acting into a local television food program at WRGB in Schenectady, New York.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tv-chef-art-ginsburg-mr-food-dies-at-81/|title=TV chef Art Ginsburg, 'Mr. Food,' dies at 81|website=CBS News|date=November 21, 2012|access-date=May 21, 2026}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dailygazette.com/news/mr-food-easygoing-television-chef-dies-at-81/article_9d849690-293e-5f3e-86bf-bc1d667531c4.html|title='Mr. Food,' easygoing television chef, dies at 81|date=November 21, 2012|first=Justin|last=Mason|website=The Daily Gazette|access-date=May 21, 2026}}</ref> It is believed that he filmed 1 or 2 episodes at KWWL in Waterloo, Iowa.<ref>"23503035 Study Docs." ''College Sidekick'', n.d. Accessed May 5, 2025.</ref> By 1980, his 90-second Mr. Food segments were being syndicated to nine U.S. television markets,<ref name="Hirsch"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.foxnews.com/food-drink/mr-food-still-oh-so-good-after-30-years|title=Mr. Food Still Oh So Good After 30 Years|date=December 6, 2010|website=Fox News|access-date=May 21, 2026}}</ref> including WKBN-TV in Youngstown, Ohio, which still airs the "Mr. Food's Test Kitchen" segments today.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.wkbn.com/mr-food/ | title=Mr Food | date=June 10, 2019 }}</ref> At its peak in 2007, the program appeared on 168 television stations<ref name="Hirsch"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/art-ginsburg-television-chef-known-as-mr-food-dies-at-82/2012/11/25/bf4b4752-372c-11e2-a263-f0ebffed2f15_story.html|title=Art Ginsburg, television chef known as Mr. Food, dies at 82|website=The Washington Post|date=November 25, 2012|first=J.M.|last=Hirsch|access-date=May 21, 2026}}</ref> through King World Productions.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://mrfood.co/the-evolution-of-the-brand/|title=Brand Evolution|website=Mr. Food.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120516035845/https://www.mrfood.co/the-evolution-of-the-brand/|archive-date=May 16, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mrfood.com/index.php/hct/Mr-Food-Timeline|title=Mr. Food Timeline|website=Mr. Food.com|access-date=May 21, 2026}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/news/art-ginsburg-tvs-mr-food|title=Art Ginsburg, TV's Mr. Food|website=Television Academy|date=August 23, 2013|access-date=May 21, 2026}}</ref>
In addition to his television career, Ginsburg became a prolific writer, with 52 cookbooks published and sales of over 8 million copies.<ref name="Hirsch"/> 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|date=September 2011}} For his other cookbooks, he teamed with such notable publishers as William Morrow and Company, HarperCollins, Chicken Soup for the Soul Enterprises, and Oxmoor House, a division of Southern Progress Corporation and Time Warner.<ref name="Mr. Food">{{Cite web|url=http://www.mrfood.com/|title=Mr. Food website|accessdate=February 26, 2009}}</ref> Since 2009, Mr. Food brand has self-published their own books.<ref>{{Cite web| title = Traditional Publishing :: Mr. Food Corporate| accessdate = 2017-12-25| url = http://mrfood.co/publishing/}}</ref>
Ginsburg was a co-host of the annual Variety Kids Telethon at WKBW-TV (a Mr. Food affiliate) in Buffalo, New York, to raise funds for Children's Hospital.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mrfood.com/index.php/hct/At-Variety-Kids-Telethon-2010-Mr-Food-Will-Ask-Fans-To-Help-Our-Kids-Smile|title=At Variety Kids Telethon 2010 Mr. Food Will Ask Fans to 'Helps Our Kids Smile'|date=March 23, 2010|website=Mr. Food.com|access-date=May 19, 2026}}</ref>
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).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kcbd.com/story/20157843/mr-food-tv-chef-art-ginsburg-dies-at-81/|title=Mr. Food, TV chef Art Ginsburg, dies at 81|website=KCBD|date=November 21, 2012|first=J.M.|last=Hirsch|access-date=May 19, 2026}}</ref> It also produced his line of cookware.<ref name="Hirsch"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.today.com/news/tvs-mr-food-ooh-so-good-even-after-30-years-wbna40497817|title=TV's Mr. Food is 'ooh, so good,' even after 30 years|website=TODAY.com|date=December 3, 2010|access-date=May 21, 2026}}</ref>
== Death == Ginsburg was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2011. He underwent treatments, including surgery, which caused the cancer to go into remission. However, it returned in early November 2012.<ref name="Hirsch"/> Ginsburg died at his home that he shared with his wife Ethel in Weston, 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 in Hollywood, Florida.<ref name="Sun-Sentinel Obit" >{{cite web|title=Arthur "Food" Ginsburg Obituary|url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/sunsentinel/obituary.aspx?n=Arthur-Ginsburg&pid=161187985|publisher=Sun-Sentinel via Legacy.com|accessdate=November 26, 2012|location=Ft. Lauderdale, Florida|date=November 23, 2012}}</ref> The week following his death, the Mr. Food team produced a series of memorial broadcasts featuring his favorite recipes.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mrfood.com/Editors-Picks/Remembering-Mr-Food|title=Remembering Mr. Food|website=Mr. Food.com|access-date=May 21, 2026}}</ref>
==Legacy== "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.<ref>{{cite news|last=Associated Press|title=Art Ginsburg, known as the delightfully dorky Mr. Food, dies from cancer at 81|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/art-ginsburg-known-as-the-delightfully-dorky-mr-food-dies-from-cancer-at-81/2012/11/21/43772f28-33f4-11e2-92f0-496af208bf23_story.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121122123618/http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/art-ginsburg-known-as-the-delightfully-dorky-mr-food-dies-from-cancer-at-81/2012/11/21/43772f28-33f4-11e2-92f0-496af208bf23_story.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 22, 2012|accessdate=November 21, 2012|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=November 21, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.syracuse.com/entertainment/2013/11/the_new_face_of_mr_food_may_lo_1.html|title=The new face of TV's 'Mr. Food' may look familiar: He's a native of Central New York|date=November 5, 2013|first=Don|last=Cazentre|website=Syracuse.com|access-date=May 21, 2026}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist|30em}}
==External links== * [http://www.mrfood.com/ Mr. Food Test Kitchen consumer website] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20060929020020/http://www.mrfood.com/recipe_detail.aspx?item_guid=21c2b2d3-f46a-45c6-8053-13257b2ccb6f Example recipe] * [http://www.nofussmeals.com Mr. Food no-fuss Meals]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Food, Mr.}} Category:1931 births Category:2012 deaths Category:American chefs Category:American television chefs Category:20th-century American Jews Category:Writers from Troy, New York Category:Deaths from pancreatic cancer in Florida Category:People from Weston, Florida Category:21st-century American Jews Category:American gastronomes