If you're not familiar with the name Art Smith, it's time you met the man.
Smith, who had the opportunity to travel to Italy and cook for the Pope earlier this summer, is at the helm of three Chicago restaurants: serving as top gun in the kitchen of 4.4 star rated Chicago q, 1160 N. Dearborn St., proprietor of 4.4 star rated Blue Door Kitchen (formerly Table 52), 52 W. Elm St. and his most recent venture 4.3 three star rated Reunion which opened in 2022 at Navy Pier, 600 E. Grand Ave.
Smith's first leap to fame came in his home state of Florida, where he worked for two former governors, one with ties to two U.S. presidents.
In 1989 Smith headed to Chicago to accept the position of personal chef for soon to be queen of morning talk shows—Oprah Winfrey. It wasn't surprising the more popular Winfrey became the more notice Smith received, eventually leaving Winfrey's employ to open his first Chicago area restaurant—Table 52.
Having received just about every culinary honor given in his industry Smith continues to bring the best he can offer to the table. To do Smith stays on top of current trends, implementing changes into his cooking to reflect what's trending in the food industry.
The current trend—clean eating.
"Diners today are into clean eating," Smith said, noting the current popularity of Asian and authentic Mexican food to make his point.
Smith offers this tip to home chefs, "you don't need a laundry list of ingredients to enhance your food, especially meats. Go light on sauces and use fresh ingredients." PHOTO: Blue Door Kitchen
Below is an original recipe Chef Smith prepared for Oprah Winfrey, one that any home chef can master:
Edamame Hummus with cucumber slices: source: Oprah.com
Serves 8 (1 quart)
Ingredients:
- 1 pound frozen, shelled edamame, thawed
- 1/2 cup tahini paste
- 3/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 1/2 Tbsp. chopped garlic
- 2 tsp. ground cumin
- 2 tsp. ground coriander
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt
- 2 cucumbers, sliced 1/8-inch thick
Preparation:
In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, mix the edamame, tahini, 1/2 cup water, lemon juice, garlic, cumin and coriander and process until smooth. It may be necessary to stop the food processor and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to ensure even mixing. With the food processor running, slowly drizzle the oil into the hummus and process until fully incorporated. Season to taste with salt. Refrigerate the hummus until ready to serve.
Place the chilled edamame hummus in a serving bowl and set it alongside the sliced cucumbers. (photo credit: Thinkstop)
Calories: 289
Fat: 25 g
Saturated fat: 3 g
Protein: 9 g
Carbohydrates: 12 g
Fiber: 4 g
Sodium: 10 mg
Sugar: 3 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Calcium: 79 mg
For more information on Smith visit: chefartsmith.net.
