Who Was B. Smith?

Updated

B. Smith was Barbara "B." Elaine Smith (August 24, 1949 – February 22, 2020), an American restaurateur, magazine publisher, celebrity chef, and nationally known lifestyle maven. Her official site, bsmith.com, describes her as a figure whose work spanned restaurants, publishing, television, and home decor — all tied together by her signature motto: "Whatever you do, do it with style!"

Her main roles

  • Restaurateur — she ran her own restaurants, bringing her approach to food and hospitality to a public audience.
  • Magazine publisher — she published a magazine, extending her lifestyle brand into print.
  • Celebrity chef — she became a nationally recognized culinary figure.
  • Lifestyle maven — her influence reached beyond the kitchen into how people entertain and decorate.

Her motto and outlook

Two lines quoted on bsmith.com capture how she framed her work:

  • "Whatever you do, do it with style!"
  • "I've have stood on a mountain of no's for one yes."

The first is her defining public message — a call to bring care and polish to everyday life. The second speaks to persistence: the idea that a long run of rejections can sit behind a single breakthrough.

Home decor and entertaining

B. Smith's design sensibility carried into a B. Smith Home Decor & Entertaining Collection, sold through retail partners. According to the site, the collection offers "fresh, new options inspired by B.'s own style guides," developed by the same design team she curated and worked with for many years. This is the clearest example of how her personal style translated into products people could bring into their own homes.

Legacy and current activity

  • "Before I Forget: The Book That Dared to Care" — a book associated with her and with Dan, referenced on the site under an "About B. and Dan" section.
  • YouTube channel — the site points visitors to a B. Smith YouTube channel with a "Watch & Subscribe" call to action.

If you're looking for her recipes, design collections, or the book, bsmith.com is the starting point — it directs visitors to retail partners for the home collection and to the YouTube channel for video content.