Some chefs might consider the opportunity to cook for Oprah Winfrey to be a career highlight. Others might brag about serving the president and first lady. For Art Smith, it’s just another day on the job.
The acclaimed chef, restaurateur, cookbook author and two-time James Beard Award recipient has cooked for some of the world’s most notable people. Right now, he finds himself as the personal chef to Michelle Obama during the book tour for her best-selling memoir “Becoming.”
“Michelle gravitates toward protein — chicken and beef. Not so much pork. A lot of fish and vegetables,” Smith said. Mainly though, it has to be “fresh and delicious.”
Smith served as the former first lady's personal chef during a recent European stint of her book tour. He'll tend to her gastronomical inclinations when she comes to Atlanta for an author appearance May 11 at State Farm Arena. He's also slated for culinary duties when she takes the book tour to Canada.
While Smith feeds the masses at his restaurants – including Southern Art and Bourbon Bar in Atlanta, Art and Soul in Washington, D.C., and Blue Door Kitchen & Garden in Chicago — working as a personal chef is second nature to him. “This is what I did before I ran restaurants,” he said.
“I love cooking for fascinating people — anybody that is fun and interesting,” Smith said.
How does he know what to prepare for these VIPs? “After you spend time with people, you get to know their likes and dislikes,” he said.
It wasn’t a coincidence that Smith was tapped to feed Michelle Obama for her book tour. “We are neighbors in Chicago,” Smith said. “We’ve known each other before he (Barack Obama) was even a senator.”
Smith first shook hands with the Obamas at a dinner hosted by Winfrey. That led to culinary gigs at the White House, and even making birthday cakes for the Obama family.
In Chicago, it wasn’t uncommon for Smith to find himself in his home kitchen cooking up fare for the Obamas and Winfrey simultaneously. “I make a mean turkey chili they like,” he said of similarities between the palates of Michelle Obama and Winfrey. “They love desserts but they don’t eat a lot of them. We always have them available — a cobbler, a tarte Tatin — a real dessert. Not just a bowl of fruit.”
Apparently, Barack Obama digs Smith’s salmon, a tidbit that Smith divulged in a telephone conversation as he was returning from a trip to Washington, D.C., to cook for the annual White House correspondents’ dinner. For that, he prepared schnitzel using domestic acorn-fed pork. What he really likes to serve big wigs, however, is fried chicken.
“Fried chicken takes no sides. Just as many Republicans have eaten my food as Democrats,” said Smith, a Democrat, who has also clocked kitchen duty for Govs. Bob Graham and Jeb Bush. “We are there to serve people. Politics doesn’t belong in food.”
Serving people has been a priority for Smith for years. In 2003, he founded Common Threads, a nonprofit that teaches low-income children about nutrition and physical well-being, while fostering an appreciation of cultural diversity through cooking. Since its inception in Chicago, Common Threads has expanded to nine states.
In 2007, the James Beard Foundation bestowed upon him its Humanitarian of the Year award.
Smith hasn’t stopped his philanthropic efforts, which extend beyond U.S. shores. He recently returned from a trip to Sarajevo for a diplomatic culinary partnership sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. At the capital city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, he met with young entrepreneurs, rolled up his sleeves with culinary students, and visited area farms and restaurants.
“I’ve come a long way to be a cook in a kitchen, to open restaurants and travel the world. The greatest power is to cook and feed people,” Smith said.
EVENT PREVIEW
Mother’s Day at Southern Art and Bourbon Bar
10:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. May 12. Brunch buffet features the restaurant's signature dishes and a waffle and omelet station. The event includes a meet-and-greet with chef-owner Art Smith and interactive card-making station for children to craft their special gift for Mom. $65 for adults, $32 for children ages 6 and older, free for children younger than 6. Call for reservations. 3315 Peachtree Road, Atlanta. 404-946-9070, southernart.com.
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