Great Chef Michael Smith

Michael Smith
Restaurant Michael Smith
Kansas City MO

http://www.michaelsmithkc.com

as taped at
The American Restaurant, Kansas City, MO

Michael Smith’s degree from the University of Southern Colorado was in psychology. Most chefs and restaurateurs would agree it is the perfect foundation for a career in the culinary business. Smith went from college to Chateau Pyranees in Denver, where he studied and worked under Jean-Pierre Lelievre and, later, under Great Chef George Mavrothalassitis (now in Hawaii). He traveled to Nice and Cassis in the south of France, cooking and learning, and was struck with the French approach — artisanal products, fresh and local ingredients. It was a lesson he carried back to the U.S., working at Charlie Trotter’s, then Carlo’s, then Gordon in Chicago. Moving on to Kansas City, he took over The American Restaurant, where he was taped for Great Chefs. While at The American Restaurant he won the James Beard Award for Best Chef, Midwest, 1999. Kansas City had never before had a chef so honored. The James Beard Awards weren’t through, however — Smith’s restaurant Forty Sardines won Best New Restaurant in 2002. His newest place is Restaurant Michael Smith on Main Street, open for lunch and dinner.