Art Smith is a Chicago-based chef, cookbook author, television personality and humanitarian, whose mission is to encourage families and friends to gather around the table to share a meal. He and partner Chicago designer Julie Latsko, own the Chicago restaurant, Table Fifty-Two, which celebrates Southern food, the food of his youth. In the nation's Capital he co-owns Art and Soul, at The Liaison Affinia Hotel on Capital Hill, Washington, DC. His newest restaurant venture "At Home With Chef Art Smith", will open at The Streets of Buckhead, Atlanta-Buckhead, 2010.

A native of Jasper, Florida, Chef Smith began his professional career as the chef for Florida Governor Bob Graham. Following his time in the governor’s mansion, he became a personal chef for families, celebrities and politicians and was able to travel extensively in Europe and Africa. Eventually he settled in Chicago and from 1997 until 2007, he was Oprah Winfrey and Stedman Graham’s personal chef. The chef now is the specialty chef for Oprah’s most important events.

Chef Smith is a two-time James Beard Award recipient, having won the Best Cookbook award in 2002 for Back to the Table, and the Humanitarian award in 2007. For his second cookbook, Kitchen Life: Real Food for Real Families, he received the 2001 Gourmand World Cookbook Award for the Best Family and Children’s Cookbook. His book, Back to the Family, won the same award in 2008.

He was selected twice as keynote speaker for Florida Governor Jeb Bush’s “Celebration of Reading,” sponsored by the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy. He recently received an honorary MBA from Florida State University School of Business.

Chef Smith is a contributing chef for best-selling author Dr. Dean Ornish’s new family health book. He is a contributing editor to O, the Oprah Magazine and the food section of Oprah.com and has appeared several times on Oprah. He is featured regularly on television programs such as Today and Good Day Live. In addition, he is a regular tasting judge for Iron Chef America. His clients range from President Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey to former President George W. Bush and Mrs. Barbara Bush.

As a way to support his community, in 2003 the chef and Charles Annenberg Weingart, a trustee of The Annenberg Foundation partnered and established Common Threads, a nonprofit organization that embodies his mission to foster a familial environment where children can learn to value each other and discover universal understanding and mutual acceptance. The program serves more than 1,000 children at 22 locations from Chicago, LA, Miami and soon Washington, DC. He recently expanded into the Oprah Winfrey Boys & Girls Club of Kosciusko, Mississippi. Ar t, also travels teaching children cooking from the Norwegian Arctic Circle to The Oprah Winfrey Girls Leadership Academy, in Henly On Klip, South Africa.

Chicago Magazine named the chef and longtime partner Jesus R. Salgueiro, “Chicagoan of the Year” for their work with Common Threads. He also serves on the board of directors of “Kids Café,” a nutrition program for children in Minneapolis. Common Threads recently was featured on NBC Nightly News in its "Making a Difference" segment

The chef lives in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood with his life partner renowned artist Jesus Salgueiro, tending to their garden and their three dogs, five cats, 15 fish, and 4 birds.

Did You Know?
Chef Smith began his career with two internships at The Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia, and from there was selected to attend the Walt Disney Magic Kingdom College Program.

Competing for: Common Threads