| Michael Dixon Smith | |
| Birth Date: | 12 October 1966 |
| Birth Place: | New York City, U.S. |
| Style: | Canadian Regional |
| Education: | Culinary Institute of America Rochester Institute of Technology |
| Restaurants: | Chef Emeritus The Inn at Bay Fortune |
| Television: | The Inn Chef Chef at Home Chef at Large Chef Abroad Chef Michael's Kitchen |
Michael Dixon Smith is an American-born Canadian chef and cookbook writer. He has hosted The Inn Chef, Chef at Home, and judged on on the Canadian Food Network. Smith is Prince Edward Island's Food Ambassador, a nutritional activist, and an advocate for sustainable home cooking and farm-to-table cuisine.[1]
At age seventeen, Smith started cooking in kitchens while attending art school. Within five years he was the Head Chef at a large, upscale bistro. He then enrolled at The Culinary Institute of America, where he graduated second in his class. After graduation, Smith worked in Michelin three-star restaurants in Europe,[2] as well as kitchens in South Africa, the Caribbean,[3] and New York City.
Smith relocated to Prince Edward Island with the desire to cook sustainably by building a garden and developing partnerships with local farmers and fishermen.[4] Smith started as a chef at The Inn at Bay Fortune in 1991.[5] His first television show, The Inn Chef (1998), was filmed on location at the Inn, and across Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.
Smith lead the team that cooked for athletes in Whistler, British Columbia during the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.[6]
With his wife and business partner Chastity, Smith purchased The Inn at Bay Fortune in 2015.[7] FireWorks, the on site restaurant, practices sustainable cuisine by growing its own vegetables in the surrounding gardens and sourcing local seafood.[8]
In 2019, Smith was appointed to the Order of Canada as a member "for his contributions as a chef, entrepreneur and champion of local foods, as well as for his efforts to develop regional tourism."[9] In the same year, the Smiths opened a sister property, The Inn at Fortune Bridge.[10]
In 2009, Smith created a five-year scholarship for students in the Family and Nutritional Sciences Program at the University of Prince Edward Island.[11]
On August 17, 2013, Smith married Chastity Smith, a singer-songwriter, on Prince Edward Island, where they live with their three children Gabe, Ariella, and Camille.[12] Smith is a collector of vintage maps.[13]
| Television | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Show | Role | Notes |
| 1999 | The Inn Chef | Host | |
| 2000 | Chef at Large | Host/Writer | |
| 2004 | Chef at Home | Host/Writer | |
| 2005 | Superstar Chef Challenge | Judge | |
| 2007 | Chef Abroad | Host/Writer | |
| 2008 | At The Table With... | Host/Writer | |
| 2010 | Iron Chef America | Challenger[14] | Battle Avocado |
| 2010 | Food Country | Host/Writer | |
| 2011-2012 | Top Chef Canada | Guest Judge | |
| 2014 | The Lentil Hunter | Host/Writer | |
| 2014-2015 | Chopped Canada | Judge | |
| 2016 | Chef Michael's Kitchen[15] | Host/Writer | |
| 2020 | Behind The Food Mussel Edition | Host/Writer | |
| 2021 | The Marilyn Denis Show | Himself | |
| 2021 | The Social | Himself | |