Charles Arthur Smith (born March 1, 1960) is an American
chef
A chef is a trained professional cook and tradesman who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation, often focusing on a particular cuisine. The word "chef" is derived from the term ''chef de cuisine'' (), the director or head of a kitche ...
who has worked for former
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
governors
Bob Graham
Daniel Robert "Bob" Graham (born November 9, 1936) is an American lawyer, author, and politician who served as the 38th governor of Florida from 1979 to 1987 and a United States senator from Florida from 1987 to 2005. He is a member of the Dem ...
and
Jeb Bush
John Ellis "Jeb" Bush (born February 11, 1953) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 43rd governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007. Bush, who grew up in Houston, was the second son of former President George H. W. Bush a ...
and until 2007 was personal chef to
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954), or simply Oprah, is an American talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and philanthropist. She is best known for her talk show, ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', br ...
.
His expertise is
Southern cuisine
The cuisine of the Southern United States encompasses diverse food traditions of several regions, including Tidewater, Appalachian, Lowcountry, Cajun, Creole, and Floribbean cuisine. In recent history, elements of Southern cuisine have spread t ...
.
While attending
Florida State University
Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the st ...
he completed culinary internships with
The Greenbrier
The Greenbrier is a luxury resort located in the Allegheny Mountains near White Sulphur Springs in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, in the United States.
Since 1778, visitors have traveled to this part of the state to "take the waters" of the ...
and the
Walt Disney Magic Kingdom College Program.
Publications
Smith has authored three award-winning cookbooks: ''Back to the Table''; ''Kitchen Life: Real Food for Real Families''; and ''Back to the Family''. He contributed recipes and cooking advice to ''The Spectrum'', the newest book by cardiologist and New York Times bestselling author Dr. Dean Ornish. He edits a monthly article on Oprah.com and contributes articles to ''
O, The Oprah Magazine
''O, The Oprah Magazine'', also known simply as ''O'', is an American monthly magazine founded by talk show host Oprah Winfrey and Hearst Communications.
Overview
It was first published on April 19, 2000. , its average paid circulation was ...
''.
His latest cookbook, (released May 2013), Art Smith's Healthy Comfort, has a focus on healthy cooking and healthy living, (published by Harper One 2013).
Projects
On October 9, 2015, the Disney Parks Blog confirmed that Chef Smith will be opening a new restaurant (Homecoming: Florida Kitchen and Southern Shine) in the Summer of 2016 at Disney
Springs.
Common Threads
Smith founded the non-profit charity Common Threads, which focuses on teaching children about different cultures through food and art. Common Threads has served over 750 children and served 2,000 healthy meals to children in 2006. He serves on the board of directors of “Kids Café”, a nutrition program, for children in
Minneapolis
Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...
. Smith owns and runs a highly successful restaurant in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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called TABLE fifty-two as well as Art and Soul in
Washington, D.C.
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[ He is the executive chef and co-owner of Southern Art and Bourbon Bar in ]Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
, Joanne Trattoria, and LYFE Kitchen restaurants. In 2009, Smith raised $10,000 for Common Threads as a participant on the television show
Top Chef Masters
''Top Chef Masters'' is an American reality competition series that aired on the cable television network Bravo, and premiered June 10, 2009. It is a spinoff of Bravo's hit show ''Top Chef''. In the series, chefs
A chef is a trained profes ...
, Season 1.
[
]
Events
Smith has cooked for many celebrities and heads of state, including President Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...
and the current King of Sweden
The monarchy of Sweden is the monarchical head of state of Sweden,See the Instrument of Government, Chapter 1, Article 5. which is a constitutional and hereditary monarchy with a parliamentary system.Parliamentary system: see the Instrument o ...
. In addition to being chef for Florida Governor Bob Graham
Daniel Robert "Bob" Graham (born November 9, 1936) is an American lawyer, author, and politician who served as the 38th governor of Florida from 1979 to 1987 and a United States senator from Florida from 1987 to 2005. He is a member of the Dem ...
, he cooked for Florida Governor Jeb Bush
John Ellis "Jeb" Bush (born February 11, 1953) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 43rd governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007. Bush, who grew up in Houston, was the second son of former President George H. W. Bush a ...
, Romero Britto
Romero Britto (born October 6, 1963) is a Brazilian artist, painter, serigrapher, and sculptor. He combines elements of cubism, pop art, and graffiti painting in his work, using vibrant colors and bold patterns as a visual expression of hope, ...
, film stars Ali Landry
Ali Germaine Landry (born July 21, 1973) is an American actress, model, and beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss USA 1996. She played Rita Lefleur on the UPN sitcom '' Eve'' and was the Doritos Girl in a 1998 Super Bowl commercial. In 1998, ...
and Eduardo Verástegui
José Eduardo Verástegui Córdoba (; born May 21, 1974) is a Mexican producer and actor. He was part of band Kairo and later a solo music career, before he started appearing in Mexican telenovelas and eventually feature films like ''Chasing Papi ...
amongst many others. He has also appeared on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.
Smith also appeared in a cooking segment in Lady Gaga
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...
's 2011 ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
special '' A Very Gaga Thanksgiving'' in which he and Gaga prepared a Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden and ...
meal of turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
and waffle
A waffle is a dish made from leavened batter or dough that is cooked between two plates that are patterned to give a characteristic size, shape, and surface impression. There are many variations based on the type of waffle iron and recipe used ...
s. Months later, Smith became the head chef of Joanne Trattoria, an Italian restaurant
''Italian Restaurant'' is an Italian comedy television series.
Cast
*Gigi Proietti: Giulio Broccoli
*Nancy Brilli: Connie Mancuso
*Adriano Pappalardo: Frank Di Giacomo
*Tiberio Murgia: Salvatore
*Cristiana Capotondi: Angie
*Luigi Montini: Mancu ...
in New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
owned by Lady Gaga's parents.
He was also a celebrity judge on the second seasons of the reality shows BBQ Pitmasters and Nailed It
''Nailed It!'' is an American reality television series that premiered on March 9, 2018 on Netflix. The series is a bake-off competition in the style of reality television, where three amateur bakers compete to replicate complicated cakes and conf ...
, as well as competing in the Chopped Season 24 All-Stars Tournament, advancing to the final round.
Awards
* The 2002 James Beard Award
The James Beard Foundation Awards are annual awards presented by the James Beard Foundation to recognize chefs, restaurateurs, authors and journalists in the United States. They are scheduled around James Beard's May 5 birthday. The media award ...
for ''Back to the Table: The Reunion of Food and Family''.
*2001 Gourmand World Cookbook Award
A gourmand is a person who takes great pleasure and interest in consuming good food and drink. ''Gourmand'' originally referred to a person who was "a glutton for food and drink", a person who eats and drinks excessively; this usage is now rare. ...
- Category, “For Human Values.”
*Humanitarian of the Year, 2007, James Beard Foundation
*In 2008 Art Smith was inducted into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame
The Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame (formerly Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame) is an institution founded in 1991 to honor persons and entities who have made significant contributions to the quality of life or well-being of the LGBT community in Chic ...
.
Personal
Smith lives in Jasper, Florida
Jasper is a city in northern Florida and is the county seat of Hamilton County, Florida, United States. The population was 4,546 at the 2010 census, up from 1,780 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Hamilton County. The Old Hamilton Co ...
with his husband, Jesus Salgueiro, a painter. The two married at the Lincoln Memorial in 2011, after being together 10 years. They donate their time to many causes, from children's cooking classes to humanitarian aid.
Shortly before his 50th birthday, Smith was diagnosed with diabetes
Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...
. He later went on a diet, and lost 100 pounds. Smith now tries to eat six small meals a day. He has also completed many marathons.
He and his husband recently (as of 2018) adopted five children.
References
External links
Common Threads
*
*
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Art
1960 births
Living people
People from Jasper, Florida
Chefs from Chicago
American male chefs
American food writers
LGBT people from Florida
James Beard Foundation Award winners
21st-century LGBT people
LGBT chefs