Why was Gargamel after the Smurfs?

Answer 1

Answer: He never caught The Smurfs in the cartoon, The smurfs always escaped from him and he gets angry sometimes when he never gets to eat a smurf

and the smurfs escaped from the evil wizard themselfs.

Answer 2

His reasons for chasing the Smurfs vary depending on the episode. In some episodes he mentions a recipe for a potion that can turn things into gold; but he needs a smurf to make the potion. In other episodes he hints at the possibility of eating them. Most often however he is simply annoyed by them and their constant cheerfulness.
to eat them

Answer 3

Despite the fact that Gargamel captured Smurfs on some occassion, he never managed to eat them,because the Smurfs always outsmarted the evil wizard and were successful in finding a way to escape from his clutches.