Position: Restaurateur, Entertainer, Designer, Spokesperson, Author, Producer
Career: B. Smith knows style whether it's on the runway, in a restaurant or in the comfort of your home. The former fashion model turned restaurateur, television host, author, entrepreneur and entertainer extraordinaire is widely regarded as an expert when it comes to casual but elegant living.
Television viewers can enjoy B. Smith's effervescent personality and creative ideas via her lifestyle television show B. Smith with Style, and appearances on programs such as “Good Morning America” and “The View.” B. Smith has a regularly scheduled twice a week radio vignettes B. Smith Tips for a Better Life on the #1 adult 25-54 radio station in New York City WBLS-FM.
A seasoned culinary expert who was recognized by Elle Décor as one of America 's 10 most outstanding non-professional chefs, Smith is the owner of three successful B. Smith restaurants in New York, Washington D.C., and the scenic Long Island Hampton village of Sag Harbor. Smith's first restaurant, launched in Manhattan in 1986, was located on 8th Avenue and 47th Street for 13 years. In 1999, Smith relocated the restaurant to Restaurant Row, where the flagship has just entered its 22nd year in business.
Smith's flair for décor, demonstrated in the ambiance of her restaurants, led to her entry in home style and the Spring 2001 launch of her first collection at Bed Bath & Beyond. The B. Smith with Style Home Collection includes bedding as well as tabletop, bathroom accessories, wall art and paper products. Smith also has her own line of jewelry, the B. Smith Jewelry Collection which reflects her international, multi-cultural appeal.
In Spring 2007, Smith debuted her first furniture collection with Clayton Marcus, a division of La-Z-Boy. The introduction of Smith's upholstery collection will mark the first time an African American woman has presented her own furniture collection for national distribution.
A native of western Pennsylvania , Smith started her career as a fashion model. She has graced the covers of 15 magazines including Mademoiselle 's first ever featuring an African-American woman. She is currently the spokesperson for Colgate Palmolive Oxy Plus dishwashing products, General Mills Betty Crocker Cornbread and Muffin Mix, Pillsbury Grands and Unilever's Lawry seasonings, and appears in a national television commercial for Mercedes Benz.
Smith is the author of two tabletop books on entertaining, the host of “B. Smart Tips for a Better Life” heard on New York 's WBLS-FM, and a former columnist for Soap Opera Digest . She and her husband Dan Gasby have produced four television specials for TV One. The couple's B. Smith Restaurant Group, formed in May 1998, is in the process of expanding its holdings. Smith and Gasby recently spoke about their successful partnership as a “power couple” at the Harvard Business School's Dynamic Women in Business Conference.