The Gift Theatre marked its 13th year with The GIFT Gala 2014, held at the Chicago Cultural Center.
The company honored chef Art Smith, this year’s recipient of the Total Gift Award, with a culinary and theatrical experience.
Smith—the former personal chef to Oprah Winfrey and current co-owner of the upscale Southern comfort-food restaurant Table Fifty-two—founded the non-profit charity Common Threads, which focuses on teaching children about diverse cultures through food and art, for which he was awarded the 2007 James Beard Foundation Humanitarian Award. Smith is also a subscriber to The Gift Theatre Company.
The gala consisted of a Southern-themed culinary tour, with a theatrical/musical experience following that.
A 2013 interview with Smith is available at the link: windycitytimes.com/lgbt/Table-Fifty-Two-Art-Smiths-labor-of-love-/44190.html.
Savor got a chance to talk with Smith, who was more than happy to discuss how Table Fifty-Two got started and the role his husband, Jesus Salgueiro, played in it through sacrifice—truly making the restaurant a labor of love. In the process, Smith reveals that he’s more than Winfrey’s former chef.