Website review
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What is B. Smith?
B. Smith is the brand and legacy site for Barbara “B.” Elaine Smith (1949–2020), a restaurateur, magazine publisher, celebrity chef, and lifestyle figure known nationally for home entertaining and design. The site presents her as a style authority across food, home decor, and entertaining, and it carries her motto: “Whatever you do, do it with style!”
What the site covers
The page centers on a few connected things:
- Home decor and entertaining collections sold through retail partners, described as new options inspired by B.’s own style guides.
- Her book, Before I Forget, framed as “the book that dared to care.”
- Background on B. and Dan, with a “learn more” path for visitors who want the personal story.
- A YouTube channel with a watch-and-subscribe prompt.
Who it is for
The likely audience is people who followed B. Smith’s restaurants, television appearances, or design work, plus readers interested in home entertaining and the memoir. Someone arriving for a specific product should note that the site points to retail partners rather than selling directly; someone arriving for biography or media should head to the book and “About B. and Dan” sections.
A practical next step: if you came for the story, start with the Before I Forget page and the “About B. and Dan” section; if you came for the collections, use the retail-partner links to check current availability and pricing there.
Who was B. Smith and what is her legacy?
B. Smith was Barbara Elaine Smith, a restaurateur, magazine publisher, celebrity chef and lifestyle figure whose work centered on the idea that everyday living—food, home, entertaining—deserves care and flair. Her own phrasing captured that outlook: “Whatever you do, do it with style.” Her site presents her as a curator of home decor and entertaining collections developed with the design team she worked with for years, and it points visitors to retail partners for those collections. It also highlights Before I Forget, described as “the book that dared to care,” and a YouTube channel where her story and work can be watched.
Her legacy is less a single title than a template: a Black woman building a public career across restaurants, publishing and television at a time when few occupied all three, and tying them together with a consistent voice about hospitality and personal style. The site keeps that voice active through the collections and the book, and it marks her dates plainly: August 24, 1949 – February 22, 2020.
How different audiences can use her story
- Home cooks and hosts looking for a model of entertaining as a personal signature rather than a rigid ruleset can start with the collections and the style guides behind them.
- Readers interested in memoir and caregiving will find Before I Forget the most direct entry point, since the site frames it around why it was written.
- Students of media and business can study the combination of restaurant work, magazine publishing and television as one career rather than separate ventures.
A practical next step: choose one thread rather than trying to absorb everything at once. If you want the voice, read the book. If you want the aesthetic, browse the home and entertaining collections through the retail partners listed on the site. If you want the public presence, watch the channel. The through-line in all three is the same standard she stated herself—do it with style, and do it with care.
How can I shop the B. Smith Home Decor & Entertaining Collections?
The B. Smith site does not sell the Home Decor & Entertaining Collections directly. It points shoppers to retail partners, where collections inspired by B. Smith's style guides are sold by the same design team she worked with. So the practical route is to browse the retail partners named on the site, then search those retailers for "B. Smith" home and entertaining pieces.
What to expect on the site
- A Subscribe section, which is the main action offered rather than a cart or checkout.
- Links to retail partners for the home and entertaining collections.
- A YouTube channel with a watch-and-subscribe prompt.
- Background on B. Smith and Dan, plus a book titled Before I Forget.
A workable shopping path
- Start at B. Smith and follow the retail partner links listed there.
- Search each partner's site for "B. Smith" to see current decor and entertaining stock.
- Subscribe on the B. Smith site if you want updates when new options appear.
- Check the YouTube channel for styling ideas before buying, especially if you are matching pieces to a table or living space.
Deciding whether it fits you
This route suits someone who wants the B. Smith look but is comfortable buying through third-party retailers, with their own shipping, returns and stock levels. If you need one cart, one return label and one loyalty account, buying from a single retailer that carries several pieces will be simpler. If you are hunting a specific discontinued item, the retail-partner route may not help; in that case, resale marketplaces are the realistic option, though the site itself does not list them.
What is the book 'Before I Forget' about?
"Before I Forget" is presented on B. Smith's site as her memoir—subtitled The Book That Dared to Care. It tells Barbara "B." Elaine Smith's own story: the restaurateur, magazine publisher, celebrity chef and lifestyle figure who built a public career around entertaining and design, and who later became a leading voice on living with Alzheimer's disease after her diagnosis. The book is also a caregiving account, since her husband Dan Gasby wrote and spoke alongside her about the realities of the illness and about advocating for better awareness and research.
Who it is for
- Caregivers and families facing a dementia diagnosis, who want a first-person view of how a household adapts.
- Readers interested in B. Smith's career, from restaurateur and publisher to television personality and product designer.
- Anyone looking at memory loss and public life, including the question of how much of a diagnosis to share and how to keep working and living well afterward.
What to expect, and what not to
It is a personal narrative rather than a medical manual: expect biography, marriage, work and advocacy, not clinical guidance or a treatment plan. If you want practical caregiving technique, pair it with a caregiver-focused resource or a clinician's advice. If you want the human texture of a diagnosis inside a high-profile life, this is the direct source.
A useful next step is to read the book alongside the site's own framing of B.'s legacy: the home decor and entertaining collections made with the design team she curated, and the reminder she left behind—"Whatever you do, do it with style." For context on Alzheimer's caregiving more broadly, the Alzheimer's Association at Alzheimer's Association is a reasonable starting point.
What can I find on the B. Smith YouTube channel?
The B. Smith YouTube channel is the video arm of the lifestyle brand built by restaurateur, magazine publisher, and television chef Barbara “B.” Smith. According to the site, the channel is newly launched and visitors are invited to watch and subscribe. The surrounding page frames it as part of her broader style legacy and points to her home decor and entertaining collections, so expect the videos to sit alongside that lifestyle context rather than function as a standalone media library.
What to expect
- Lifestyle and entertaining content tied to B. Smith's design and hosting style.
- A subscribe prompt, since the channel is presented as a new addition to the brand.
- A likely home for archival or tribute material, given the site also notes her dates, August 24, 1949 – February 22, 2020.
How to use it
If you are planning a dinner party or browsing her home collections, start with the channel to see how the products and style guides are demonstrated, then move to the retail partners listed on the main site. For a fuller picture of her work, the official pages for her book and foundation are also relevant: B. Smith.
Practical note
The site does not list a video catalog, upload schedule, or episode list, so the channel itself is the only way to see what is currently posted. Check it directly before assuming a specific series or topic is available.
How does B. Smith's style philosophy apply to home entertaining?
B. Smith's philosophy, as stated on her site, is "Whatever you do, do it with style!" For home entertaining, that translates into a simple operating principle: style is a decision you make about care and presentation, not a budget line. Her own approach was built on restaurant hospitality and lifestyle publishing, so the emphasis falls on how a table feels to a guest rather than on how much it cost to assemble.
What the philosophy looks like in practice
- Set a point of view, then repeat it. Pick one idea — a color, a texture, a cuisine, a season — and carry it through the table, the menu and the music. Coherence reads as intention.
- Treat hosting as service, not performance. Restaurant thinking puts the guest's comfort first: seating that works, food that arrives at the right temperature, a host who isn't stranded in the kitchen.
- Use what you own confidently. Her site points shoppers toward B. Smith Home Decor & Entertaining collections at retail partners, which reflects a practical stance: buy pieces you'll actually reuse, then vary them by occasion.
- Layer rather than replace. A neutral base of plates, glassware and linens lets a few seasonal or themed accents do the styling work, which keeps costs and storage manageable.
The trade-off is time. A deliberate table and a paced menu take planning, and hosts who prefer spontaneity may find the "point of view" step constraining. The counterweight is that a defined style makes future gatherings faster, because you already know your defaults.
A concrete scenario
You're hosting six people for a Sunday lunch in a small dining room. Applying the philosophy: choose one anchor — say, a warm terracotta palette — and let it appear in the runner, the napkins and one dish on the menu. Serve family-style so no one waits on plating, and set the drinks station away from the kitchen so guests can help themselves while you finish cooking. The room looks considered; you stay present.
Where to go next
If you want the source material behind the approach, her book Before I Forget is featured on the site, and the site also links to a YouTube channel for watching and subscribing. For broader reading on entertaining and home style, established references include Martha Stewart and Better Homes & Gardens.
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