Comments on: Memories of James

By: Lindsey

Lindsey — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 23:46:56 +0000

Every day that I came home from school, it was my job to clean the kitchen and do the supper prep, so it was ready for my mom to start when she got home. I was home by myself for an hour before anybody else got home, and lived in the country, and sometimes would get a bit scared (we had coyotes that would come into the yard). So, I started watching the Urban Peasant on the small tv in the kitchen, because it was absolutely impossible to be freaked out by anything while Mr. Barber was on. My love of cooking started then, messing around all by myself, in the kitchen, when I was 11. He not only taught me not be scared of being alone, but also, to never be scared of trying something new in the kitchen, how to sub ingredients, and how to use what was on hand to create something special. I remember thinking when I was younger, how much I couldn’t wait until I was old enough to have real dinner parties, and have a kitchen and dinner table as warm and inviting as his.

I was recently informed by a friend,that he had passed away,after we were discussing about how James pretty much raised us after school, and inspired in us a love of food. My sympathy goes out to his friends and family.

By: Gerald M

Gerald M — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 18:23:25 +0000

first watched urban peasant when i was a 12 or 13, i was amazed at how he made all these dishes in half and hour and how he made cooking easy, he didn’t just make it look easy, he made it easy for anyone to pick up, i’m married now, 27 years old, and just recently found out they were showing him on ion, so i’ve been recording some episodes, and me and the mrs have made 4 or 5 dishes so far, and each one has been great, the thing i like best about him is he doesn’t have all these fancy ingredients that you have to ship in from greece or france, and if you dont’ have something he’s using, he says, hey, if you don’t have it, don’t use it, lol, if you dn’t have green onions use white ones, if you have run out of salt, use soy sauce, i love this show and he will be truly missed, and i’m mad at myself for just now starting to make some of these wonderful dishes he’s made….James Barber = greatest chef/cook ever

By: James Barber

James Barber — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:50:39 +0000

i cant believe he iz dead OMG ive cooked about 10 of his recipies !

By: nicole

nicole — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 00:48:55 +0000

I was only 3 years old when I first started watching James! And I never could stop watching or loving this man.I actually felt like i some kind of connection with him!Even if he was inside of the t.v and even if I was a little kid. James you are truly a legand and you will be missed dearly!

By: Sheri

Sheri — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 19:08:14 +0000

When my son was young, we watched James together. My son liked to help me cook and he would pretend he was hosting his own cooking show. He decided to become a Chef when he was 9 years old. My son was recently accepted into a very prestigous cooking school and I thought I’d write James to tell him what a great inspiration he was. I’m so sad to find that James will not read this message himself but I’m hoping that his close friends and family will know how grateful I am.

By: Mike D

Mike D — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 08:56:26 +0000

With the transition to digital TV and my late night insomnia I ran across The Urban Peasant on ION and no cooking show will ever be the same for me. My roommate and I now share beers and laughs watching him almost every night.

My favorite moments so far are when he dressed like a woman (hilarious!) and when he could not find the powdered sugar only to have an arm pop up from behind the stove with tupperware in hand saving the day.. oh – and of course we love it when the phone rings and tells him that something is burning.

What a wonderful gift it is to us all to be able to watch him anytime. He is truly something else and I must say I am deeply saddened to hear of his passing.

God bless you James “The Urban Peasant” Barber for sharing your truly unique style and personality with us all!…

By: Elaine Bright

Elaine Bright — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 00:00:47 +0000

I took my sister who was visiting from Edmonton, AB, spring 2009, to a funky coffee shop called Black Coffee. It is located at Whippletree Junction south of Duncan, BC. As she was sitting back and enjoying her coffee, she exclaimed, “Why is a picture of The Urban Peasant hanging on the wall here?!!”. She asked the owner. The owner replied that James Barber was a regular customer and that the picture happened to be taken there shortly before his death. Then my sister told her story that her daughter became a chef because of the Urban Peasant show. She claims her daughter’s interest in cooking started due to her religiously watching his show on TV in the 80′s. She could never figure out why her young daughter was held so captive by his show. I think it was partially because she would have been captivated by his unique smiling personality that is still evident from the smile on his face in the photo hanging on the coffee shop wall. I watched his show when I was home with babies and have fond memories of the man and his show. I just wished I could have met him in person.

By: Pierre Aganier

Pierre Aganier — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 23:13:37 +0000

Unique experience, made cooking a passion… Living forever in our heart.

By: Joyce Dupont

Joyce Dupont — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 04:43:45 +0000

I am sorry to read that the “Urban Peasant” has passed away. I just have recorded and watched two of his shows on “ION” (USA) and fell in love with his charm and friendly manner. So cute! I showed him to my husband as we watched him doing a Summer BBQ in the Winter. Great, easy recipes. I will watch any of his shows for sure and will be looking for his books as I will certainly add him to my collection. I had not heard of him until I came across his show in the wee hours of the morning recently, but will enjoy each show. Sympathy to his family. What a tribut this site is for you to see how people cared for him.

By: Jan Wesselius

Jan Wesselius — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 02:16:00 +0000

I used to watch James on CKLW TV channel 9 from Canada when I lived near Detroit. I will miss James. James never talked down to you and never made anything the adverage cook couldn’t handle. He taught me how to subsitute ingedients. Use what you have on hand. He also taught me that a man should know how to cook, well. Thank you James!