A two-time James Beard Foundation award wi nner\, Art Smith believes &ldquo\;The art of cooking\, the act of feed ing people\, is the most engaging\, most memorable way to connect with peo ple.&rdquo\;
\nSmith began his career at the Florida Culinary I nstitute and honed his skills working with top chefs in France before find ing himself in Chicago. Here he served as Oprah Winfrey&rsquo\;s personal chef for a decade and opened his first critically-acclaimed restaurant\, T able Fifty-Two\, known for its modern Southern dishes and locally sourced ingredients.
\nSmith is also a prolific cookbook author and TV perso nality\, sharing his passion for Southern cuisine. He has appeared on Top Chef\, Top Chef Duels\, Top Chef Masters\, Iron Chef America\, The Today S how\, Good Morning America\, Entertainment Tonight\, BBQ Pitmasters\, The Oprah Winfrey Show and more. \;
\nNamed Chicagoan of the Year by Chicago Magazine and Humanitarian of the Year by the James Beard Foundati on\, both in 2007\, Smith is currently Executive Chef and Co-Owner with re staurants in Chicago\, Orlando\, Atlanta and Washington\, D.C. He is the f ounder of Common Threads\, a non-profit organization teaching low-income c hildren to cook wholesome and affordable meals. \;
\nSmith will be joined in conversation by Monica Eng\, award-winning Chicago journalist \, and co-host of the food podcast "Chewing" w/ Louisa Chu.
\nThis e vent is made possible by Illinois Libraries Present (ILP)\, a statewide co llaboration among public libraries offering premier events. ILP is funded in part by a grant awarded by the Illinois State Library\, a department of the Office of the Secretary of State\, using funds provided by the U.S. I nstitute of Museum and Library Services\, under the provisions of the Libr ary Services and Technology Act (LSTA). \;
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