Heidi Van Pelt is an American vegan chef and restaurant owner from Kansas City.
Most people know her as the first wife of former Home Improvement actor Taran Noah Smith.
They married on April 27, 2001, when he was 17 and she was 16 years older. She later built a raw and vegan food brand in Kansas City.
So why do people still search her name? The age gap drew heavy press. Then came a business fight, a popular restaurant, and a sudden closure.
Many online bios also get basic facts wrong. This guide sorts out what the news record actually supports.
Heidi Van Pelt Profile Summary
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full name | Heidi Van Pelt (also written Heidi Van Pelt-Belle) |
| Known for | Vegan cooking, Playfood, Füd, marriage to Taran Noah Smith |
| Birth date | July 11, 1968 (reported by weak sites, not confirmed) |
| Age in 2026 | About 58, if that date is right |
| Hometown | Kansas City area, per The Pitch |
| Profession | Chef and food business owner |
| First husband | Taran Noah Smith |
| Marriage date | April 27, 2001 |
| Divorce filed | February 2, 2007 |
| Main businesses | Playfood and Füd |
| Net worth | No reliable public figure |
Fast Facts About Heidi Van Pelt
- She married Taran Noah Smith when he was still a teenager.
- Smith played Mark Taylor on Home Improvement for 201 episodes.
- Playfood sold plant-based cheese made from nuts.
- Füd was a vegan and raw restaurant on Kansas City’s Westside.
- Füd closed in August 2017 after a very public staff dispute.
- Her net worth has never been confirmed by a trusted source.
Who Is Heidi Van Pelt?
Van Pelt grew up in Kansas City, according to The Pitch. She later cooked in Los Angeles. The Pitch described her as a vegan chef to the stars who made tabloid news in the early 2000s. That fame came mostly from her marriage, not from her cooking.
She moved back to Kansas City in 2005. She began with an underground dining club and a four month stand inside the Bad Seed market. Those events worked like a test kitchen. They helped her build a loyal local following.
How Old Is Heidi Van Pelt?
Most weak bio sites list her birth date as July 11, 1968. No major outlet confirms it. The math does fit, though. Smith turned 18 in April 2002, so he was born in 1984. A woman 16 years older would be born around 1968.
That means she was 32 on her wedding day, not 33. The Pitch also says 32. Several copycat sites say 33. One site claims she was born in 1976, which breaks the 16 year gap.
If the July 1968 date is right, she turns 58 in July 2026 and is 58 now.
Who Is Heidi Van Pelt’s Husband?
Her first husband was Taran Noah Smith. He is a former child actor and now a businessman. He won two Young Artist Awards for his Home Improvement role. He later worked as technical manager for the Community Submersibles Project.
Her second husband was Jerimiah Rozzo-Belle. A 2010 review said they opened Füd together and had a young child. By 2017 The Pitch called him her ex-husband and Füd co-manager.
| Person | Relationship | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Taran Noah Smith | First husband | 2001 to 2007 |
| Jerimiah Rozzo-Belle | Second husband, later business partner | Around 2008 to before 2017 |
The exact end date of the second marriage is not public.
What Happened in the Heidi Van Pelt Marriage and Divorce?
The 2001 wedding sparked loud debate because of the age gap. Smith had also been in a public fight with his parents over his trust fund. He gained control of about $1.5 million at age 18.
Online sources disagree on how the couple met. Some say a charity event. Others say friends in the vegan community. No strong source settles it.
The marriage ended in a legal fight. The couple filed for divorce on February 2, 2007. Smith also sued, saying money moved from Playfood Inc. into her separate company, Playfood Manufacturing LLC. Treat that as his claim. The IMDb trivia page is user edited, so weigh it with care.
What Is Playfood?
Playfood was a plant-based food company. Smith and his then wife formed it in 2005 to make non-dairy cheese and run a restaurant. Her cashew cheese was the main product.
Sources differ on where it ran. Wikipedia says California. The Pitch tied the cheese fight to Kansas City. A fair reading is that the business crossed both places during a messy time.
What Is Füd and What Happened to It?
Füd was her best known project. It sat at 813 West 17th Street in Kansas City and opened as a stand alone spot in 2010. The menu mixed raw dishes with vegan comfort food.
Her signature raw tacos used wild rice meat, avocado, and goji cashew cheese. Early on, the place took cash only. Reviewers praised the mac and cheese, the jackfruit Reuben, and the cashew soft serve.
Then came August 2017. On August 4, Van Pelt arrived with her lawyer and a police officer and ordered everyone to leave.
Former staff told The Pitch she had voiced fringe and offensive views at work. She denied this. She called the claims character assassination and said the dispute was about money.
Rozzo held 49 percent of the business and she held 51 percent. They were working out how to end the partnership. She said she expected Füd to reopen.
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 2001 | Marries Taran Noah Smith |
| 2005 | Forms Playfood and returns to Kansas City |
| 2007 | Divorce filed and business lawsuit |
| 2009 to 2010 | Takes over the old Sun Ray Cafe space and opens Füd |
| 2017 | Füd closes during a staff and partner dispute |
What Is Heidi Van Pelt’s Net Worth?
No trusted outlet has reported her net worth. One weak bio site lists $300,000. It shows no proof. Another site claims her wealth came from the marriage, with no evidence either.
Here is a fair way to frame it. She owned a small local restaurant and a niche food brand. Small restaurants rarely make owners rich. Any exact number is a guess.
| Claim | Source quality | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| $300,000 net worth | Copycat bio site, no proof | Unverified |
| Rich from marriage | Weak sites | No evidence |
| Owned 51% of Füd | The Pitch, 2017 | Reliable, but not a dollar value |
Where Is Heidi Van Pelt Now?
Public records on her life after 2017 are thin. Some sites say she lives quietly. Those claims cite nothing. Food listing sites still show Füd with open hours, but I could not confirm that the restaurant runs today. Check the restaurant’s own page or call first.
Taran Noah Smith moved far from acting. He did disaster relief work in 2014 and later taught people to pilot submarines.
Common Mistakes in Heidi Van Pelt Bios
| Common claim | What the record shows |
|---|---|
| She was 33 at the wedding | She was 32 by the math and The Pitch |
| Born in 1976 | Breaks the 16 year gap |
| Her child is named Nolan Eric Smith | No reliable source backs this |
| Playfood was only in California | Sources point to both California and Kansas City |
| She became very rich | No proof exists |
Heidi Van Pelt FAQs
How old is Heidi Van Pelt?
She is about 58 if the July 11, 1968 date is right. That date comes from weak sources. The 16 year gap with Smith supports it.
Is Heidi Van Pelt still married to Taran Noah Smith?
No. They married in 2001 and filed for divorce in February 2007. She later married Jerimiah Rozzo-Belle.
What did Heidi Van Pelt do for a living?
She worked as a vegan chef and food business owner. She ran Playfood and co-owned Füd.
What is Heidi Van Pelt’s net worth?
No reliable number exists. Treat any exact figure online as a guess.
Is Füd in Kansas City still open?
It closed in August 2017 during a dispute. Later listings show hours, but current status is unconfirmed. Call before you go.
Conclusion
Heidi Van Pelt is more than a headline about an age gap. She was an early voice in Kansas City’s vegan food scene. Her cashew cheese and raw tacos earned real praise.
Her story also includes a public divorce, a business fight, and a messy restaurant closing.
Be careful with what you read online. Many bios copy each other and repeat the same errors. Stick to news reports and primary records, and check dates before you share them.
Resources
- Taran Noah Smith on Wikipedia
- The Pitch: Füd has closed (2017)
- The Pitch: Fud opens on the West Side
- The Pitch: At Fud, Heidi Van Pelt-Belle offers vegan fun
- Tonganoxie Mirror: FüD for thought (2015)
- IMDb trivia for Taran Noah Smith
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