Art Smith (chef)
Encyclopedia
Charles Arthur "Art" Smith (born March 1, 1960) is an American chef
who has worked for former Florida
governor Bob Graham
and Jeb Bush and until 2007 was personal chef to Oprah Winfrey
. His expertise is Southern cuisine
.
While attending Florida State University
he completed culinary internships with The Greenbrier
and the Walt Disney Magic Kingdom College Program
.
.
, Season 1.
Acclaimed chef, restaurateur and cookbook author Art Smith opened the doors to Southern Art and Bourbon Bar, his first restaurant concepts in the Southeast, on Wednesday, October 12, 2011. Smith’s highly anticipated debut in the heart of Atlanta’s Buckhead neighborhood combines a hip, urban eatery with classic Southern charm, offering Southern-inspired cuisine and cocktails in a welcoming, relaxed atmosphere.
Executive Chef Anthony Gray
Influenced by his Southern upbringing which included much hunting and fishing with his father and his family’s emphasis on cooking and sharing food, executive chef Anthony Gray greatly appreciates food’s ability to bring people together. Prior to joining Southern Art, Gray was the executive chef of the Maverick Southern Kitchens restaurants High Cotton in Greenville and Charleston, S.C. Under his direction, the restaurants were featured in The New York Times, Bon Appetit, Southern Living, Boston Globe and numerous other national and regional publications. Gray moved to Greenville from Charleston in 2009 after being promoted to executive chef of both restaurants in 2008. One year earlier, Gray became chef de cuisine of High Cotton in Charleston following his nine-year role as a sous chef when it opened in 1999. Gray first joined the Maverick Southern Kitchen family in 1997 when he worked alongside executive chef Frank Lee at Slightly North of Broad while attending Johnson & Wales University in Charleston.
General Manager Alain Zemmour
General manager Alain Zemmour joins Southern Art from his most recent position as general manager at 10 Degrees South. Prior to spending two years at the acclaimed restaurant, he spent time at The St. Regis Atlanta and The Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead. Zemmour’s familiarity with and knowledge of the Atlanta hospitality community also includes experience catering with Prestige Gourmet Catering and owning L’Assiette French Bistro. Zemmour also worked many years for Club Med, during which his various positions took him to more than 10 different countries spanning four continents. Zemmour first joined the restaurant industry at a very young age while working in family-owned restaurants in his native country France.
Pastry Chef Meredith Miller
Pastry chef Meredith Miller embraces and showcases her family’s Southern roots by creating regional classics, including buttermilk chocolate cake, mockingbird cake with crushed peaches and Georgia pecans and summer peach pie, all which are showcased on the restaurant’s vintage pie table. Spending more than fifteen years in the restaurant industry, Miller has garnered experience as the pastry supervisor at The St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort where she worked alongside renowned chef and her personal mentor Stephane Treand for three years. Prior to her time with Treand, Miller served as a pastry cook at The Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg, Va., and also at The Ritz-Carlton in Laguna Niguel, Calif. She earned a bachelor’s degree of professional studies in baking and pastry management at the distinguished Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York.
Head Mixologist and Bar Manager Brian Stanger
Head mixologist and bar manager Brian Stanger, who changes his drink menu every three to four months, tailors his libations for each season and enjoys featuring styles from every era. He joins Southern Art and Bourbon Bar from his most recent position as manager and mixologist of Atlanta’s Top Flr, where his “bloody stanger” mix awarded him a placement on Creative Loafing’s 100 Things to Eat in Atlanta Before You Die list. Stanger also served as the bar manager and mixologist at Abattoir for two years, during which he was named Mixologist of The Year 2010 by Creative Loafing. During his time in Atlanta, Stanger also worked at Shaun’s and Beleza, where he first concentrated on perfecting his mixology skills. Stanger spent time as a bar back at Copa Cabana while living in Manhattan after he first entered the hospitality industry as a breakfast cook at Quinn Luncheonette in Beacon, N.Y., in 1987.
The Cuisine
The menu at Southern Art is a blend of Smith’s Southern cooking heritage, true love for
Southern comfort food and strong commitment to serving traditional classics prepared with his light, modern approach. Embracing farm-to-table and regional cooking, Smith encourages diners to celebrate comfort and health. The menu also is reflective of Smith’s own family traditions with roots deep in the South, featuring a few select custom-aged steaks from the Smith family’s 100-year-old cattle ranch located in Hamilton County on the border of south Georgia and north Florida.
Sample appetizers include baked oysters with crispy Benton’s bacon, spinach and charred lemon, Smith’s mother Addie Mae’s chicken-and-dumpling soup, heirloom squash soup with lemon thyme, spiced pumpkin seed and brown butter and Georgia white shrimp and grits with Benton’s bacon, hominy, butter beans, spiced tomato broth and Anson Mills grits. Entrée selections range from Carolina black rice “risotto” with forest mushrooms, fennel, lemon and Flat Creek Lodge asiago, North Carolina catfish with creamy Anson Mills cheddar grits, grilled green tomato-apple relish and bacon crumble and Chef Art’s buttermilk fried chicken with Springer Mountain chicken, creamed butter ball potato, Brussels sprout leaves and Nancy’s red eye gravy to six-ounce center cut filet mignon with sautéed spinach, roasted sweet potato puree and SA steak sauce and grilled heritage pork chop with pig pickin’ pork and beans, buffalo pig eats and bourbon mustard glaze. For a complete Southern dining experience, guests can savor classic side dishes such as sweet potato casserole, three cheese mac and cheese and greens and pot licker.
Artisan Ham Bar
Further embracing Southern culinary traditions, Southern Art features an artisan ham-and-charcuterie bar to showcase the strong craft and long-standing traditions of regional country hams. Carved to order and served with piping hot biscuits or crackling skillet corn bread and house-made butter and pickles, the artisan ham bar is a unique focal point for the dining room and a distinctive beginning to any meal.
Pies and Cakes
In addition, guests can peruse delectable house-made desserts from a vintage pie table from which classics such as blueberry cobbler, buttermilk chocolate cake, 12-layer red velvet cake, mockingbird cake with crushed peaches and Georgia pecans and summer peach pie will be served. Guests can order a house-made pie, baked to order, to enjoy in house or to take home for friends and family to share.
The Space
In keeping with the hallmark of Smith’s acclaimed restaurants, Southern Art strikes the balance between comfortable and sophisticated, combining a hip, urban eatery with classic Southern charm. Guests are greeted by a vintage pie table resplendent with antique cake stands and white daisies. A unique collage of artwork is suspended from the ceiling and floats over guests like a cultural cloud. Each piece reflects the diverse imagery of the city itself. The juxtaposition of chair styles and patterned textiles adds personality and character to the restaurant, encouraging guests to relax and linger over Southern-inspired cuisine. Beautiful glass chandeliers are hung between the artwork, adding vibrancy to the aesthetic, while a custom damask wall paper hung above a painted wainscot creates a charming library feel.
Bourbon Bar
With seating for 74 guests, Bourbon Bar serves as both a meeting place for after-work and post-dinner gathering in a convivial, friendly atmosphere. The Southern-inspired bar features a well-cultivated selection of American bourbon distillers, focusing on small-batch producers and featuring select bourbons only available at Bourbon Bar through exclusive agreements. In addition to more than 70 bourbon offerings, guests can sip on an array of cocktails which showcase distinctive twists on American classics from the pre-Prohibition era that are available only in the bar. Bourbon Bar features large communal tables, a rich tobacco-colored wall covering and a bronze and linen pendant fixture. The impressive artisan ham-and-charcuterie bar lures visitors to the 92-seat main dining room which is complete with a large private dining room that seats up to 40 people. Guests are also invited to dine al fresco on the 48-seat outdoor terrace along bustling Peachtree Road in the heart of Buckhead’s business district.
Southern Art is an Atlanta debut of acclaimed chef, restaurateur and cookbook author Art Smith and combine a hip, urban eatery with classic Southern charm, offering Southern-inspired cuisine and cocktails in a welcoming, relaxed atmosphere. Southern Art is located at 3315 Peachtree Road in Atlanta’s bustling Buckhead business district. Southern Art serves breakfast from 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Monday through Friday and from 7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. Lunch is served from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Brunch is served Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dinner is served from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The artisan ham bar is open from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday. For more information about Southern Art, please visit www.southernart.com, www.facebook.com/southernartbourbonbar or call 404.946.9070.
and the current King of Sweden
. In addition to being chef for Florida Governor Bob Graham
, he cooked for Florida Governor Jeb Bush
, Romero Britto
, film stars Ali Landry
and Eduardo Verástegui
amongst many others. He has also appeared on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
.
He will appear and cook with Lady Gaga on 'A Very Gaga Thanksgiving' which airs on Thanksgiving night on abc.
Shortly before his 50th birthday, Smith was diagnosed with diabetes. In response, he changed his diet and lost 85 pounds to reverse the diagnosis.
Chef
A chef is a person who cooks professionally for other people. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who cooks for a living, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation.-Etymology:The word "chef" is borrowed ...
who has worked for former Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
governor Bob Graham
Bob Graham
Daniel Robert "Bob" Graham is an American politician. He was the 38th Governor of Florida from 1979 to 1987 and a United States Senator from that state from 1987 to 2005...
and Jeb Bush and until 2007 was personal chef to Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey is an American media proprietor, talk show host, actress, producer and philanthropist. Winfrey is best known for her self-titled, multi-award-winning talk show, which has become the highest-rated program of its kind in history and was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2011...
. His expertise is Southern cuisine
Cuisine of the Southern United States
The cuisine of the Southern United States is defined as the historical regional culinary form of states generally south of the Mason Dixon Line dividing Pennsylvania from Maryland and Delaware as well as along the Ohio River, and extending west to Southern Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas.The most...
.
While attending Florida State University
Florida State University
The Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation...
he completed culinary internships with The Greenbrier
The Greenbrier
The Greenbrier is a Forbes four-star and AAA Five Diamond Award winning luxury resort located just outside the town of White Sulphur Springs in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, United States....
and the Walt Disney Magic Kingdom College Program
Walt Disney World College Program
The Walt Disney College Program is a U.S. national internship program operated by The Walt Disney Company, located at the Walt Disney World Resort and the Disneyland Resort...
.
Publications
Smith has published two cookbooks, Back to the Table and Kitchen Life, about home cooking and family life. He edits a monthly article on Oprah.com and contributes articles to O, The Oprah MagazineO, The Oprah Magazine
O: The Oprah Magazine, sometimes simply abbreviated to O, is a monthly magazine founded by Oprah Winfrey and Hearst Corporation.-Overview:...
.
Projects
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. Smith owns and runs a highly successful restaurant in Chicago called TABLE fifty-two as well as Art and Soul in Washington, D.C. In 2009, Smith raised $10,000 for Common Threads as a participant on the television show Top Chef MastersTop Chef Masters
Top Chef Masters is an American reality competition show currently broadcast on the cable television network Bravo. It is a spinoff of Bravo's hit show Top Chef. In the series, 24 world-renowned chefs compete against each other in weekly challenges...
, Season 1.
Acclaimed chef, restaurateur and cookbook author Art Smith opened the doors to Southern Art and Bourbon Bar, his first restaurant concepts in the Southeast, on Wednesday, October 12, 2011. Smith’s highly anticipated debut in the heart of Atlanta’s Buckhead neighborhood combines a hip, urban eatery with classic Southern charm, offering Southern-inspired cuisine and cocktails in a welcoming, relaxed atmosphere.
Executive Chef Anthony Gray
Influenced by his Southern upbringing which included much hunting and fishing with his father and his family’s emphasis on cooking and sharing food, executive chef Anthony Gray greatly appreciates food’s ability to bring people together. Prior to joining Southern Art, Gray was the executive chef of the Maverick Southern Kitchens restaurants High Cotton in Greenville and Charleston, S.C. Under his direction, the restaurants were featured in The New York Times, Bon Appetit, Southern Living, Boston Globe and numerous other national and regional publications. Gray moved to Greenville from Charleston in 2009 after being promoted to executive chef of both restaurants in 2008. One year earlier, Gray became chef de cuisine of High Cotton in Charleston following his nine-year role as a sous chef when it opened in 1999. Gray first joined the Maverick Southern Kitchen family in 1997 when he worked alongside executive chef Frank Lee at Slightly North of Broad while attending Johnson & Wales University in Charleston.
General Manager Alain Zemmour
General manager Alain Zemmour joins Southern Art from his most recent position as general manager at 10 Degrees South. Prior to spending two years at the acclaimed restaurant, he spent time at The St. Regis Atlanta and The Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead. Zemmour’s familiarity with and knowledge of the Atlanta hospitality community also includes experience catering with Prestige Gourmet Catering and owning L’Assiette French Bistro. Zemmour also worked many years for Club Med, during which his various positions took him to more than 10 different countries spanning four continents. Zemmour first joined the restaurant industry at a very young age while working in family-owned restaurants in his native country France.
Pastry Chef Meredith Miller
Pastry chef Meredith Miller embraces and showcases her family’s Southern roots by creating regional classics, including buttermilk chocolate cake, mockingbird cake with crushed peaches and Georgia pecans and summer peach pie, all which are showcased on the restaurant’s vintage pie table. Spending more than fifteen years in the restaurant industry, Miller has garnered experience as the pastry supervisor at The St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort where she worked alongside renowned chef and her personal mentor Stephane Treand for three years. Prior to her time with Treand, Miller served as a pastry cook at The Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg, Va., and also at The Ritz-Carlton in Laguna Niguel, Calif. She earned a bachelor’s degree of professional studies in baking and pastry management at the distinguished Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York.
Head Mixologist and Bar Manager Brian Stanger
Head mixologist and bar manager Brian Stanger, who changes his drink menu every three to four months, tailors his libations for each season and enjoys featuring styles from every era. He joins Southern Art and Bourbon Bar from his most recent position as manager and mixologist of Atlanta’s Top Flr, where his “bloody stanger” mix awarded him a placement on Creative Loafing’s 100 Things to Eat in Atlanta Before You Die list. Stanger also served as the bar manager and mixologist at Abattoir for two years, during which he was named Mixologist of The Year 2010 by Creative Loafing. During his time in Atlanta, Stanger also worked at Shaun’s and Beleza, where he first concentrated on perfecting his mixology skills. Stanger spent time as a bar back at Copa Cabana while living in Manhattan after he first entered the hospitality industry as a breakfast cook at Quinn Luncheonette in Beacon, N.Y., in 1987.
The Cuisine
The menu at Southern Art is a blend of Smith’s Southern cooking heritage, true love for
Southern comfort food and strong commitment to serving traditional classics prepared with his light, modern approach. Embracing farm-to-table and regional cooking, Smith encourages diners to celebrate comfort and health. The menu also is reflective of Smith’s own family traditions with roots deep in the South, featuring a few select custom-aged steaks from the Smith family’s 100-year-old cattle ranch located in Hamilton County on the border of south Georgia and north Florida.
Sample appetizers include baked oysters with crispy Benton’s bacon, spinach and charred lemon, Smith’s mother Addie Mae’s chicken-and-dumpling soup, heirloom squash soup with lemon thyme, spiced pumpkin seed and brown butter and Georgia white shrimp and grits with Benton’s bacon, hominy, butter beans, spiced tomato broth and Anson Mills grits. Entrée selections range from Carolina black rice “risotto” with forest mushrooms, fennel, lemon and Flat Creek Lodge asiago, North Carolina catfish with creamy Anson Mills cheddar grits, grilled green tomato-apple relish and bacon crumble and Chef Art’s buttermilk fried chicken with Springer Mountain chicken, creamed butter ball potato, Brussels sprout leaves and Nancy’s red eye gravy to six-ounce center cut filet mignon with sautéed spinach, roasted sweet potato puree and SA steak sauce and grilled heritage pork chop with pig pickin’ pork and beans, buffalo pig eats and bourbon mustard glaze. For a complete Southern dining experience, guests can savor classic side dishes such as sweet potato casserole, three cheese mac and cheese and greens and pot licker.
Artisan Ham Bar
Further embracing Southern culinary traditions, Southern Art features an artisan ham-and-charcuterie bar to showcase the strong craft and long-standing traditions of regional country hams. Carved to order and served with piping hot biscuits or crackling skillet corn bread and house-made butter and pickles, the artisan ham bar is a unique focal point for the dining room and a distinctive beginning to any meal.
Pies and Cakes
In addition, guests can peruse delectable house-made desserts from a vintage pie table from which classics such as blueberry cobbler, buttermilk chocolate cake, 12-layer red velvet cake, mockingbird cake with crushed peaches and Georgia pecans and summer peach pie will be served. Guests can order a house-made pie, baked to order, to enjoy in house or to take home for friends and family to share.
The Space
In keeping with the hallmark of Smith’s acclaimed restaurants, Southern Art strikes the balance between comfortable and sophisticated, combining a hip, urban eatery with classic Southern charm. Guests are greeted by a vintage pie table resplendent with antique cake stands and white daisies. A unique collage of artwork is suspended from the ceiling and floats over guests like a cultural cloud. Each piece reflects the diverse imagery of the city itself. The juxtaposition of chair styles and patterned textiles adds personality and character to the restaurant, encouraging guests to relax and linger over Southern-inspired cuisine. Beautiful glass chandeliers are hung between the artwork, adding vibrancy to the aesthetic, while a custom damask wall paper hung above a painted wainscot creates a charming library feel.
Bourbon Bar
With seating for 74 guests, Bourbon Bar serves as both a meeting place for after-work and post-dinner gathering in a convivial, friendly atmosphere. The Southern-inspired bar features a well-cultivated selection of American bourbon distillers, focusing on small-batch producers and featuring select bourbons only available at Bourbon Bar through exclusive agreements. In addition to more than 70 bourbon offerings, guests can sip on an array of cocktails which showcase distinctive twists on American classics from the pre-Prohibition era that are available only in the bar. Bourbon Bar features large communal tables, a rich tobacco-colored wall covering and a bronze and linen pendant fixture. The impressive artisan ham-and-charcuterie bar lures visitors to the 92-seat main dining room which is complete with a large private dining room that seats up to 40 people. Guests are also invited to dine al fresco on the 48-seat outdoor terrace along bustling Peachtree Road in the heart of Buckhead’s business district.
Southern Art is an Atlanta debut of acclaimed chef, restaurateur and cookbook author Art Smith and combine a hip, urban eatery with classic Southern charm, offering Southern-inspired cuisine and cocktails in a welcoming, relaxed atmosphere. Southern Art is located at 3315 Peachtree Road in Atlanta’s bustling Buckhead business district. Southern Art serves breakfast from 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Monday through Friday and from 7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. Lunch is served from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Brunch is served Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dinner is served from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The artisan ham bar is open from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday. For more information about Southern Art, please visit www.southernart.com, www.facebook.com/southernartbourbonbar or call 404.946.9070.
Events
Smith has cooked for many celebrities and heads of state, including Barack ObamaBarack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
and the current King of Sweden
Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden
Carl XVI Gustaf is the reigning King of Sweden since 15 September 1973, succeeding his grandfather King Gustaf VI Adolf because his father had predeceased him...
. In addition to being chef for Florida Governor Bob Graham
Bob Graham
Daniel Robert "Bob" Graham is an American politician. He was the 38th Governor of Florida from 1979 to 1987 and a United States Senator from that state from 1987 to 2005...
, he cooked for Florida Governor Jeb Bush
Jeb Bush
John Ellis "Jeb" Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd Governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007. He is a prominent member of the Bush family: the second son of former President George H. W. Bush and former First Lady Barbara Bush; the younger brother of former President George W...
, Romero Britto
Romero Britto
Romero Britto is a Brazilian Neo-pop artist, painter, serigrapher, and sculptor. He combines elements of cubism, pop art and graffiti painting in his work. He is known for his contemporary work. Britto has lived in Miami, Florida since 1989...
, film stars Ali Landry
Ali Landry
Ali Germaine Landry is a former Miss USA , model and actress. She is perhaps best known as the Doritos Girl from her 1998 Super Bowl commercial, and for her portrayal of Rita Lefleur on the UPN sitcom Eve. In 1998, she was named by People magazine as one of 50 most beautiful people in the world.-...
and Eduardo Verástegui
Eduardo Verástegui
Eduardo Verástegui is a Mexican model, singer, and actor.- Biography :Verástegui was born in Mante, Tamaulipas, México and was raised as a devout Roman Catholic. He moved to Mexico City to pursue modeling, landing work with Calvin Klein among others...
amongst many others. He has also appeared on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is a reality television series providing home renovations for less fortunate families and community schools etc...
.
He will appear and cook with Lady Gaga on 'A Very Gaga Thanksgiving' which airs on Thanksgiving night on abc.
Awards
- The 2002 James Beard Award for Back to the Table: The Reunion of Food and Family.
- 2001 Gourmand World Cookbook Award - Category, “For Human Values.”
- Humanitarian of the Year, 2007, James Beard Foundation
Personal
Smith lives in Chicago, Illinois with his partner of ten years, Jesus Salgueiro, a painter; 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. In response, he changed his diet and lost 85 pounds to reverse the diagnosis.