‘Frugal Gourmet’ Accuser Says Shame Kept Him Quiet

George Heitman was a 15-year-old sophomore at Tacoma’s Stadium High School when he met Jeff Smith.

Now, more than 20 years after their first meeting, Heitman has sued the renowned “Frugal Gourmet” television chef, alleging Smith used alcohol, threats and physical force to get him to engage in sex when he was participating in a vocational education program at Smith’s restaurant and catering business in Tacoma.

Why did it take so long?

Heitman, who is married and has two children, told The Seattle Times shame and fear kept him silent. He said he also thought what had happened was his fault.

Smith, 58, an ordained minister, has denied the allegations made in a civil lawsuit filed Thursday in Pierce County Superior Court.

A request for an interview left at Smith’s test kitchen in Seattle was not answered.

About a month after his job began, Heitman said Smith’s sexual approaches became increasingly explicit and aggressive.

“I felt very, very trapped. And very confused. My parents were happy that I was working. I wasn’t a real high achiever at school. It was a total nightmare,” Heitman said.

“He’s bearing up,” Smith lawyer Ed Winskill said of his client. “And he will bear up. And he will defend himself. We are going to fight, and we are going to fight hard. I represent an innocent client.”

If Heitman’s story were true, Winskill insists that it wouldn’t have taken him so long to realize he had been harmed.

But Heitman says realization that he wasn’t alone didn’t come until June 1995 when he heard that another alleged victim, 36-year-old Clint Smith (no relation to Jeff Smith), had talked about his experience on a radio talk-show.

Heitman called KVI and told his story on the air without giving his name.

Winskill said Jeff Smith will defend himself against Heitman’s contentions and also show that the allegations are being orchestrated by Clint Smith. Clint Smith is an ex-convict who alleges that he, too, was raped by Jeff Smith, and that Jeff Smith signed an out-of-court settlement promising him a large amount of money.

Heitman said his decision to sue was sealed when he saw a picture of Jeff Smith on the cover of a Christian magazine.