The executive chef and co-owner of Table Fifty-Two, Art Smith has received the culinary profession's highest awards and has cooked for some of the world's most famous celebrities as personal chef to Oprah Winfrey.

A native of Jasper, Florida, where he grew up on his family's farm, Smith is the former executive chef of the Florida Governor's Mansion during the tenure of Bob Graham, now a United States Senator.

A graduate of the prestigious Walt Disney Magic Kingdom College culinary program, Smith also was chosen for, and completed, two highly selective internships at The Greenbrier Resort. In addition he has studied at the Florida State University School of Business. In 1997, Smith became the personal, day-to-day chef to Oprah Winfrey, a position that lasted ten years. Smith now coordinates and cooks for the headline-grabbing special events that Ms. Winfrey hosts all around the world.

Smith has made regular television appearances on programs such as Iron Chef America, The Today Show and Oprah in addition to having served as a Williams-Sonoma culinary instructor and the special events chef for Martha Stewart Living magazine.

Smith's cooking and writing talents have earned him highest praise, but perhaps his greatest gift to the community at large has been his philanthropy. In 2003 he founded Common Threads, a non-profit organization that teaches children about diversity and tolerance through the world's great cultures.

For his tireless Common Threads leadership, Smith was honored by Chicago magazine as a "Chicagoan of the Year" in 2007. That same year, the prestigious James Beard Foundation named him "Humanitarian of the Year." Smith lives in Chicago with his life partner, renowned artist Jesus Salgueiro, and their three dogs, five cats and fifteen fish.