2021 Black History Series: B. Smith - Queen of Event Curation

Our 2021 Black History Series starts off with a salute to one of the most elegant and creative event curators   to ever do it and one of my personal inspirations, B. Smith.

Barbara Elaine Smith, professionally known as B. Smith, was an American restauranteur, model, author, businesswoman, television host, and event curator.

She was the first person I saw that looked like me, doing what I had a passion to do, and making a living doing it. Representation does matter, because of her I decided at a young age to cultivate my passion to celebrate life with excellence!

B. Smith owned multiple restaurants called B. Smith in New York City, and she also owned a restaurant in the historic Beaux-Arts Union Station in Washington D.C. 

Smith's interest in décor and restaurant design led to the development of her first home collection, which debuted at Bed, Bath and Beyond in Spring 2001. She also launched a line of serve-ware in 2004. 

But it were her books on entertaining family and friends and celebrating life for me 🥰.

She authored three books concentrating on recipes and presentation: B. Smith's Entertaining and Cooking for Friends (1995), B. Smith's Rituals and Celebrations (1999), and B. Smith Cooks Southern Style (2009).

I still reference B. Smith's Rituals and Celebrations for design inspiration.  This solidifies that classic style is timeless.

Here is an excerpt from that book-

“I get a huge amount of satisfaction out of creating lasting memories. That's one reason I've made celebrations such a major part of my life. When you really throw yourself into preparing something that you're sharing with other people, something that comes from your heart--whether it's your own version of a Chinese New Year dinner or a keepsake Valentine's collage--you create a memory that lasts forever. And, of course, every time you celebrate one of the traditional holidays, you become part of a whole chain of memories woven by the generations that came before you and those that are following after.  The other reason that celebrations are so important to me is simple: I love to have fun. Celebrating something, anything, gives me an excuse. It's more than the fun of everyone having a good time; it's the fun of feeling inspired to try something new, and going with it: an unexpected color, a surprising twist on an old recipe, or a whole new reason to celebrate whatever wakes you up and makes you feel!”

Her sentiments sum up Event Curation!

She leaves a legacy of many that decided to pursue their passion of celebrating life!

Rest Well Queen and we will continue to celebrate down here while you celebrate in paradise!