The executive chef and co-owner of Table fifty-two and Art and Soul restaurants, Art 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.

In summer 2011, Smith along with a stellar team of restaurant and business leaders is opening LYFE Kitchen in Palo Alto, CA—a fast-casual restaurant with healthy eating at its core. And in fall 2011, Smith is opening his latest restaurant, Southern Art at the InterContinental Buckhead Atlanta.

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 lent a hand to a deserving family who have devoted their lives to providing meals for the less fortunate members of their community. Smith also recently completed the filming of the pilot episode for the ABC television show Time Machine Chefs (Over Easy Production Inc.).

Smith has made regular television appearances on programs such as Iron Chef America, The Today Show, Nightline, Fox News, Extra, BBQ Pitmasters, Dr. Oz, 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 groundbreaking cardiologist and New York Times bestselling author Dr. Dean Ornish.

In 2003, he founded Common Threads, a nonprofit 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 was inducted into the Chicago Culinary Museums Hall of Fame in 2010, and September 30, 2010, was proclaimed Chef Art Smith Day in Chicago by then Chicago mayor Richard M. Daley.

Join the m/s Paul Gauguin’s March 3, 2012, sailing, and enjoy cooking demonstrations and the opportunity to meet one of America’s most celebrated chefs in person. Smith will also host a special event for Tahitian children on behalf of his charitable organization, Common Threads.