Art Smith, chef, author, and television personality has brought back meaning and symbolism to the word “table” and has united families and friends through the Art of sharing of a meal. He is a contributing editor to O, the Oprah Magazine and the Food section of Oprah.com and has appeared several times on “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” He is featured regularly on television programs, such as “The Today Show” and “Good Day Live” and serves as a regular tasting judge on Food Network’s “Iron Chef America.”

Art was able to break away from his busy schedule to plan a much needed getaway and belated honeymoon with his long time partner Jesus Salgeiro at Zoëtry Casa del Mar.  He also traveled with celebrity health coach Az Ferguson, who helped him stay fit and “keep the sexy going on” during the trip as he tweeted the other day. With the help of Az Ferguson, Art has lost over 100 pounds, successfully completed two marathons and is now planning to become the next Buff Chef.

The trip to Zoëtry Casa del Mar provided the perfect opportunity for running on the beach, bike riding, swimming and working out in our beautiful fitness center with his trainer. Art also enjoyed dining in our gourmet restaurants and appreciated the fact that our menus contain calorie information so he could make informed meal choices.

But Art’s vacation wasn’t just about health and fitness. He decided to share his incredible cooking talents with the guests at Zoëtry Casa del Mar too! He hosted several beachside cooking classes, featuring some of Oprah’s favorite recipes. He also teamed up with our resort chef to come up with a special of the day for our restaurants.

You never quite know who you are going to bump into at Zoëtry Casa del Mar! This week was especially exciting for our guests who enjoyed dishes prepared by a world renowned chef. We are so grateful that we were able share this special time in Art’s life with him and hope that he and Jesus will consider returning again in the future!

Stay tuned for our next blog. We will be featuring Art Smith’s recipe for Oprah’s favorite Mac and Cheese!

Chef Art Smith at Zoëtry Casa del Mar

Chef Art Smith with his partner and mother

Chef Art Smith during one of his cooking demonstrations