Naples Bay Resort Announces Far Reaching Agreement With Celebrity Chef Art Smith
Naples, Florida (PRWEB) November 01, 2015 -- When Naples businessman Fred Pezeshkan met Chef Art Smith 10 years ago at a Celebration of Reading event held by Mrs. Barbara Bush in Naples, he knew the two would be doing business together in the future. Chef Smith was being honored for his “Back to the Table” book which was a NY Times best seller. This month Pezeshkan and Smith, who was named Humanitarian of the Year in 2007 by the James Beard Foundation, have finalized an agreement for Chef Art Smith to oversee the food and beverage offerings at Naples Bay Resort.
“This agreement is far reaching. First we will start by expanding and bringing new culinary experiences to Naples Bay Resort and will consider more options when we are ready. Chef Art Smith and his team will bring an entirely new experience and culinary options to the Naples community and to Naples Bay Resort,” said Douglas Rucker, the new general manager at Naples Bay Resort. “Chef Art is a US State Department American Diplomatic Culinary Corp Chef as well as a sixth generation Floridian – our guests will enjoy getting to know him.”
“We are not yet ready to announce an opening date but our team of designers, architects and many others has already started putting the pieces in motion for what’s soon to come to Naples Bay Resort,” Rucker continued.
“Food is love, food is diplomacy and food is power,” he said “Though I have worked for celebrities, elected officials from both sides of the aisle and many others, there is nothing like coming back to Florida,” said Chef Art Smith who was Oprah’s personal chef for a decade.
The Naples location will carry on this love for what is fresh and flavorful, but prepared in new ways.
“I will be pairing Southern American food with what I just saw in Milan at the World’s Fair. Italian families understand the love and power of food so the pairing is perfect.” For Naples’ sophisticated diners this will definitely be a one-of-a-kind menu with a lot of surprises,” said Smith who is an acclaimed chef and was Oprah’s personal chef for more than a decade.
Garden-to-Kitchen is how Chef Art refers to his approach to the culinary options that will go on the Naples menu. But, will that magical 12-layer chocolate cake be on the menu at the Naples Bay Resort? “You bet it will,” said Smith.
About Chef Art Smith
Charles Arthur "Art" Smith, age 55, is an American chef who worked for former Florida governors Bob Graham and Jeb Bush and, until 2007, was personal chef to Oprah Winfrey. His expertise is Southern American cooking. While attending Florida State University, he completed culinary internships with The Greenbrier in West Virginia and the Walt Disney World College Program.
A two-time James Beard Award recipient, including for his cookbook Back to the Table: The Reunion of Food and Family, Smith has also authored Kitchen Life: Real Food for Real Families; and Back to the Family. His latest cookbook, Art Smith’s Healthy Comfort, has a focus on healthy cooking and healthy living.
Smith is executive chef and co-owner of the highly successful restaurants Table Fifty-Two in Chicago, Southern Art and Bourbon Bar in Atlanta, Art and Soul in Washington, D.C., and opening summer of 2016 Homecoming at Disney Springs, Orlando, FL.
About Naples Bay Resort
Overlooking scenic Naples Bay in southwest Florida, at the threshold of the area’s famed shopping, dining, and art districts Naples Bay Resort blends the individuality and style of a boutique hotel with the amenities of a full-service destination resort. The pet-friendly property offers 144 one, two and three-bedroom suites with kitchens, and deluxe guestrooms. It is the only resort in southwest Florida with a fully operational marina and direct access to the Gulf of Mexico. In addition to the 97-slip full-service marina and water sports, the resort’s list of amenities include a spa and fitness center, full-service tennis center, four swimming pools a lagoon-style lazy river and 6,000 square feet of event and meeting space. The hotel is located at 1500 Fifth Avenue South, Naples, FL 34102. The main phone number is 239-530-1199, the website is http://www.NaplesBayResort.com.
Laura Phillips Bennett, Bennett & Company, http://www.bennettandco.com, +1 4074784040, [email protected]
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