Art "Mr. Food" Ginsburg dies at 81

Art “Mr. Food” Ginsburg died Wednesday at 81.

The goofy Weston, Florida native, who shared easy recipes during 90-second segments on local newscasts (including WITI- 6 in Milwaukee for this writer) was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. His cancer had gone into remission after early treatments and surgery, but it came back earlier this month.

Ginsburg’s signature catchphrase was “Ooh! It’s so good.” Unlike other celebrity chefs of the day, he embraced processed foods and the Crock-Pot. He shared an “anybody can do it” cooking philosophy.

He published 52 cookbooks as Mr. Food, and sold more than eight million copies of them. Still, he wasn’t well known among America’s foodies and did receive much play in food-related magazines. He told the Associated Press in a 2010 interview that that  is how he liked it.

Speaking of fellow food celebrities, Ginsburg said, “They’re on the Food Network. They’re getting a lot of national publicity… I don’t want to be the super celebrity.” Ginsburg frequently invited celebrities on their way up to make guest appearances, such as Rachael Ray.

His company also produced segments called “Mr. Food’s Test Kitchen,” though he did not appear in those segments.

Ginsburg is survived by his wife, Ethel.