Art Smith

A healthy mindset while cooking on the line isn't easy; a chef's focus is on creating delicious dishes all day, yet they often don't have time to eat a balanced meal themselves. In today's fast-paced environment, how can culinary talent stay healthy — and set a good example for diners along the way?

This question was the subject of a panel at the New York City Wine & Food Festival, where chefs Art Smith and Sue Torres, and Marc Murphy, culinary personality Katie Lee, and author Allison Adato talked about staying healthy in the food industry. While the easiest food to grab on the go — french fries, anyone? — isn't often the best choice, chefs recognize the importance of eating for health. Just ask Art Smith, who lost 95 pounds after a diabetes diagnosis. "There was no way I could run restaurants," he said of his prior health condition.

Now chefs like Smith are much more mindful about the impact their cooking has on clientele. "I'd rather have customers for a long time and not contribute to their demise," Smith says. "We are what we eat, and chefs are facilitators of food." Keep reading for a few healthy eating tips from chefs.

For a different take on the traditional dinner roll this Thanksgiving, try chef Art Smith's goat cheese biscuits; the recipe is a basic buttermilk drop biscuit that incorporates tangy and creamy goat cheese.

The recipe's incredibly easy, though I did make one change: The recipe called for coating the preheated cast iron pan in butter, but due to the heat, the butter nearly instantly turned a very dark brown, and smoked throughout my first batch. Since I didn't want my smoke alarm to go off for my second batch, I opted to use a peanut oil to ensure they didn't stick, but also didn't smoke. Ready to try a new take on a biscuit? Just keep reading for the recipe.

Southern food traditions helped chef Art Smith rise to celebrity status — but his wedding day was anything but conventional. Over the weekend, Smith wed his longtime partner, Jesus Salgueiro, in Washington DC. The famed chef — who recently shed a whopping 95 pounds — began the wedding day with a 200-person run at 8 a.m., followed by a spiritual blessing. The runners feasted on homemade granola prepared by Top Chef's Carla Hall. For lunch, 450 guests enjoyed fried chicken, pulled pork, potato salad, coleslaw, and baked beans at Smith's DC restaurant, Art and Soul. But they had to leave room for a nine-tier cake crafted by none other than Duff Goldman, followed by 400 individual pizzas for dinner.

Smith and Salgueiro received a surprise performance by Atlantic City a cappella group Straight No Chaser. After dinner, guests ended the night with custom Georgetown Cupcakes and a six-hour-long nighttime pool party on the roof of the Liaison Hotel. Rather than accepting gifts, the couple raised money for their charity, Common Threads. Sounds like the star-studded occasion was a hospitable success.

What do you think of Smith's nontraditional nuptials?

When we arrived in Aspen for the Food & Wine Classic, one of the first things we did was browse the recipes in the Tasting Notes booklet. These were the dishes that the chefs would make during their demos. While some, like Tom Colicchio's homemade lamb sausage, sounded wonderful, others, say Art Smith's egg white fritatta, seemed boring.

I had all but given up on the chef from Chicago when I realized that he would be discussing his dramatic weight loss. Since the doctor recently told my dad he should shed some pounds, I thought I would check out Smith's demo to see what he had to say. The entertaining chef, who has cooked for everyone from the Obamas to Oprah, was an inspiration. To find out how he lost 95 pounds in a little over a year, keep reading.

NBC and Fox aren't the only channels trying to nab a piece of the cooking show pie. So is cable channel TLC. Not only does the lifestyle network boast new programming like Cake Boss and the soon-to-air BBQ Pitmasters, but the channel has just ordered eight episodes of a new 30-minute series, Craving Comfort, starring celebrity chef Art Smith.

Rather than demoing dishes in the traditional cooking show sense, Smith will travel the country in search of America's most satisfying eats. Each show will focus on one particular comfort food, such as fried chicken or apple pie. Craving Comfort will debut in late 2010.

Smith, who owns Table Fifty-Two and was Oprah Winfrey's personal chef for a decade, recently starred in the Bravo series Top Chef Masters. I think David Chang is right in saying that comfort foods will be big in 2010, and that this show will take off. Are you a big enough fan of Art Smith to tune in?

The second episode of the champions round aired last night on Bravo's Top Chef Masters. The chefs faced off in battle burger and the tables were turned when former cheftestant Spike Mendelsohn judged the burgers. Did you watch? Let's discuss after the break