FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – June 23, 2010

Contact:  Julia Shell at juliashell@juliashellpr.com or 312-203-3130

CHEFS HALL OF FAME INDUCTION CEREMONY OF CHEF ART SMITH

DATE SET FOR SEPTEMBER 30, 2010

Mid-America Club to Host Annual Fundraiser

(CHICAGO, IL) – The Chicago Culinary Museum and Chefs Hall of Fame is pleased to announce Thursday, September 30, 2010 as the date of the induction of Chef Art Smith into the Chefs Hall of Fame.  Chef Smith’s induction will take place at the Mid-America Club located at 200 East Randolph in Chicago. The event will be open to the public and will also serve as a gala fundraiser for the Chicago Culinary Museum. 

The fifth annual event will not only honor Chef Smith, but it will also promote and celebrate Chicago's culinary preeminence and raise funds for the Chicago Culinary Museum. Tickets for the event, featuring a cocktail reception beginning at 5:30 pm with a full martini bar, silent auction, awards presentation at 6:30 and dinner at 7:00 are $175 per person and $200 at the door, if available. Tickets may be purchased by calling or emailing Carmella Anello of the Chefs Hall of Fame at 630-505-5381 or carmella.anello@us.nestle.com

Previous inductees, whom are also scheduled to attend this year’s ceremony as they have in the past, include the inaugural induction of Chef Charlie Trotter of Charlie Trotter’s in 2006, Chef Jimmy Bannos of Heaven on Seven in 2007, in 2008, Chef Rick Bayless of Frontera Grill and Topolobampo and in 2009, Chef Carrie Nahabedian of NAHA.

About the Chef Art Smith:

Chef Smith is the executive chef and co-owner of Table fifty-two and Art and Soul restaurants.  Smith has received the culinary profession's highest awards and has cooked for some of the world's most famous celebrities. 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 is currently in production of two television shows. His new CBS television series BEAT THE CHEFS (working title) features talented amateurs with a staff of family and friends cook their classic family recipe as top chefs make their own versions of the same dish. The series is produced by Reality Real. Smith’s TLC television series, BBQ PITMASTERS, is in its second season. The show will be fronted by an expert panel of judges who will pick apart each contestant as they vie for the grand prize. The series is produced by Original Media.

Most recently, Smith has made several television appearances including Top Chef and Top Chef Masters, where he quickly became an audience favorite. Smith was also featured in an episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition where he lend a hand to a deserving family that has devoted their lives to providing meals for the less fortunate members of their community.

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

A contributing editor to O, the Oprah Magazine, Smith is also the author of three award-winning cookbooks: Back to the Table; Kitchen Life: Real Food for Real Families; and Back to the Family. Most recently he contributed recipes and cooking advice to The Spectrum, the newest book by ground-breaking cardiologist and New York Times bestselling author Dr. Dean Ornish.

In 2003 Smith 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.

About the Chicago Culinary Museum and Chefs Hall of Fame:

Founded in 2006 by Chefs John Castro and John Kaufmann in conjunction with the Chicago Chefs of Cuisine Association, Inc., the Chicago Culinary Museum and Chefs Hall of Fame was created to celebrate the achievements and contributions of Chicago chefs, food manufacturers, restaurateurs and hoteliers, while promoting and celebrating Chicago as a culinary Mecca.  In order to preserve and foster Chicago’s rich and diverse culinary history, the museum is dedicated to providing educational programs for all ages.  It is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization whose goal is to raise funds and awareness in an effort to establish a physical museum in Chicago.  For more information on the Chicago Culinary Museum and Chefs Hall of Fame, please visit www.thechicagoculinarymuseum.org or call 312-718-3221.

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