Dayhoff Westminster Soundtrack: 20071029 'Chef Tell' Erhardt dies at 63

Monday, November 05, 2007

20071029 'Chef Tell' Erhardt dies at 63

'Chef Tell' Erhardt dies at 63

http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2007-10-29-chef-tell_N.htm

Friedman Paul Erhardt, the German-born cook known as "Chef Tell" who was one of America's pioneering television chefs, died of heart failure on Oct. 26. He was 63.

The mustachioed Erhardt was a fixture of the dining scene in the 1970s and '80s when he owned restaurants in various areas in Pennsylvania. He also built a reputation as a culinary educator, cookbook author and spokesman for major cookware and food product lines.

(AP/The Inquirer, Rose Howerter)

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/sns-2007-deaths-pix,0,5859368.photogallery?coll=ny_wire_promo

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Friedman Paul Erhardt, a German-born cook known as "Chef Tell" who was one of America's pioneering television chefs, has died. He was 63.

Erhardt died of heart failure on Friday at his home in Upper Black Eddy, about 25 miles east of Allentown, his family said.

Erhardt's jolly personality, thick German accent and wit made him a fixture on television shows such as Regis and Kathie Lee and comedy skits on Saturday Night Live. He was also said to be the inspiration for the Swedish chef on The Muppet Show.

[…]

Born in Stuttgart, the son of a newspaper owner, Erhardt earned the nickname "Tell" after playing William Tell in a school play. He trained in restaurants and hotels throughout Europe.

He made his first appearance on a local Philadelphia TV show Dialing for Dollars in 1974. That was followed by a 90-second cooking spot on a nationally syndicated show, which blossomed into appearances on Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, specials for QVC and a PBS program, In the Kitchen With Chef Tell.

[…]

For the last 2 1/2 years, Erhardt taught at the Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College.

A diabetic, Erhardt just completed a new book about cooking for diabetics based on his own experience of working himself off insulin naturally by changing his recipes.

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