BJ Smith

Current Residency: Portland, OR
Occupation: Executive Chef/Owner, Smokehouse 21

Chef B.J. Smith is the Owner and Executive Chef of Smokehouse 21, Smokehouse Tavern, and Kim Jong Smokehouse at Pine Street Market in Portland, Oregon as well as the newest location, Smokehouse Provisions, in Vancouver, Washington. Smith brings more than two decades of culinary experience to his role, applying both classic and modern cooking techniques to high quality ingredients provided by local farmers including Cattail Creek Farm, Prairie Creek Farms and Your Kitchen Garden. Growing up in a restaurant family, Smith recalls spending most of his childhood at his parent's Coney Island restaurant in South Bend, Indiana where his first role in food was as a junior prep cook. His love for cooking brought him to the former Western Culinary Institute in Portland, Oregon. Post-graduation life led him to the kitchens of nationally acclaimed restaurants: Le Bernardin and Gotham Bar & Grill in New York City, Citrus in Los Angeles and Paley's Place, Veritable Quandary and Olea Restaurant in Portland, Oregon. In his spare time, Chef Smith likes to DJ and loves making music as much as he does food.